voestalpine Railway Systems bringing railway infrastructure manufacturing technology to Southern Ontario, Canada

25 June 2026 |

voestalpine Railway Systems will establish a special trackwork manufacturing facility in Thorold, Ontario, Canada, through its newly formed subsidiary voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak Canada (vaRSN Canada). The company has entered into a long-term agreement with Canadian National (CN) to supply special trackwork manufactured in Canada. This strategic partnership underscores both companies’ commitment to strengthening Canadian railway infrastructure and delivering high quality, domestically produced solutions intended to support supply chain resilience.

CN is pleased to enter into a long-term agreement with voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak Canada through this strategic project. Nortrak‘s investment in a dedicated Canadian manufacturing facility reflects our shared commitment to a more resilient and efficient rail supply chain. We are confident in Nortrak‘s ability to provide high-quality, reliable support for CN’s infrastructure needs while creating skilled jobs in Ontario and contributing to Canada’s economic growth

JJ Dratva, Vice President Procurement and Supply Management, at CN.

voestalpine Railway Systems is the global market leader in engineering and manufacturing special trackwork for freight traffic, transit, and high-speed applications. This investment signals the company’s commitment to developing localized production capabilities to support CN and the broader Canadian railway infrastructure market. Strategically located, the facility will improve logistics, reduce lead times, and enhance responsiveness for vaRSN Canada’s customers across all market segments.

To support long-term infrastructure development priorities aligned with “Buy Canada” and “Protect Ontario” principles, vaRSN Canada will work closely with its Canadian customers to build domestic manufacturing capabilities and strengthen regional supply chains. The facility is expected to be fully operational by Fall 2027, creating new employment opportunities in the Niagara region for management and skilled trades, with support from the Province of Ontario.

We are excited to build on our decades’ long relationship with CN and are committed to building railway infrastructure locally, facilitating the mobility of goods and people across Canada. This strategic investment will expand overall production capacity to serve our customers throughout North America more effectively.

Ludwig Freytag, CEO of vaRSN Canada.