VIA Rail Canada has appointed Mathieu Paquette as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for a five-year term. This follows a period during which he led the passenger rail operator on an interim basis.

Announced by the Government of Canada on 7 October 2026, the appointment follows Paquette’s arrival at VIA Rail in 2023 as Chief Human Resources Officer. His responsibilities later expanded to include communications, government relations, health and safety.

VIA Rail operates intercity passenger rail service across Canada

Paquette’s priorities include improving operational performance, service reliability and ridership, while strengthening the company’s financial performance through responsible resource management.

Mathieu Paquette, President and Chief Executive Officer said:

I am grateful for the confidence placed in me to continue leading VIA Rail. Our ambition is to be the best passenger rail operator we can be and give more Canadians a reason to choose the train. Together with our teams, we will focus on maintaining our passengers’ trust, one trip at a time, while building the VIA Rail of tomorrow.

His appointment comes as VIA Rail progresses fleet renewal, develops new maintenance facilities and advances its Dorval multimodal station project. These initiatives form part of the operator’s plans to improve passenger services and prepare its network for future demand.

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