Renaissance (railcar)

Renaissance
A GE P42DC with ten Renaissance coaches laying over at the Via Toronto Maintenance Centre.
Interior of a Renaissance coach.
In service	2002–present
Manufacturer	Metro Cammell
Number built	139
Capacity	48 seats (coach, club cars) 48 seats (dining car) 10 double rooms (sleeping cars)
Operator(s)	Via Rail
Specifications
Maximum speed	200 kph (125 mph)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The Renaissance fleet is a set of intercity railroad cars owned and operated by Via Rail Canada.

The cars were built by Metro Cammell in the mid-1990s for the proposed Nightstar overnight service between the United Kingdom and continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel. They are based on the British Rail Mark 4 design, but with heavy weight steel construction (by European standards) to meet safety requirements for the carriages to run through the Channel Tunnel.

In 2000, after the Nightstar concept was abandoned, Via acquired the entire fleet, including many unfinished shells, for C$130 million. The cars entered Canadian service in 2002.

The Council for Canadians with Disabilities successfully sued Via Rail in Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. VIA Rail Canada Inc. over the lack of accessibility of the Renaissance cars. The Canadian Transportation Agency ordered Via to retrofit some of the fleet to ensure the availability of accessible accommodations. Nevertheless the Renaissance cars remain the least accessible in the fleet.

Via acquired the entire original 139-car fleet; as designed it comprised 72 sleepers, 47 coaches, and 20 service cars. Via rebuilt fifteen of the sleepers into dining and baggage cars.