Via Rail operates 497 trains per week over nineteen routes. Via groups these routes into three broad categories: [1]
Name | Route | Route numbers | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Canadian | Toronto – Vancouver | Westbound: 1 Eastbound: 2 | |
Ocean | Montreal – Halifax | Westbound: 15 Eastbound: 14 | |
Québec City–Windsor Corridor | Toronto – Kingston – Montreal | Westbound: 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 669 Eastbound: 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 668 | |
Toronto – Kingston – Ottawa | Westbound: 41, 45, 47, 53, 55, 59, 643, 645 Eastbound: 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54 | ||
Ottawa – Montreal – Québec City | Westbound: 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 633 Eastbound: 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 38, 622 | ||
Toronto – Niagara Falls – New York ( Maple Leaf) | Southbound: 97 Northbound: 98 | Operated by Amtrak while in the US | |
Sarnia – London – Toronto | Westbound: 87 Eastbound: 84 | ||
Windsor – London – Toronto | Westbound: 71, 73, 75, 79 Eastbound: 70, 72, 76, 78 | ||
Jasper–Prince Rupert | Jasper – Prince Rupert | Westbound: 5 Eastbound: 6 | Formerly the Skeena and Panorama |
Montreal–Jonquière | Montreal – Jonquière | Southbound: 600, 602 Northbound: 601 | Formerly the Saguenay |
Montreal–Senneterre | Montreal – Senneterre | Southbound: 604, 606 Northbound: 603 | Formerly the Abitibi |
Sudbury–White River | Sudbury – White River | Westbound: 186 Eastbound: 185 | Formerly the Lake Superior |
Winnipeg–Churchill | Winnipeg – Churchill | Southbound: 690, 692 Northbound: 691, 693 | Formerly the Hudson Bay and Northern Spirits |
The Pas–Pukatawagan | The Pas – Pukatawagan | Southbound: 290 Northbound: 291 | Operated by the Keewatin Railway |
Transferred from Canadian National Railway (CN) Transferred from CP Rail (now Canadian Pacific Kansas City) Active route
Name(s) | Route | First service | Last service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic Limited | Montreal – Sherbrooke – Saint John | October 29, 1978 | June 16, 1979 | Renamed as Atlantic |
Atlantic | June 17, 1979 | October 27, 1979 | Extended to Halifax | |
Montreal – Sherbrooke – Saint John – Moncton – Halifax | October 28, 1979 | November 14, 1981 | ||
June 1, 1985 | December 16, 1994 | |||
Bras d'Or | Halifax – Sydney | 2000 | 2004 | Weekly summer tourist train |
Calgary–South Edmonton | Calgary – Edmonton | October 29, 1978 | October 26, 1985 | |
Campbellton–Moncton | Campbellton – Moncton | October 28, 1979 | January 14, 1990 | |
Capreol–Winnipeg | Capreol – Hornepayne – Nakina | April 1, 1978 | September 28, 1980 | |
Sioux Lookout – Winnipeg | April 1, 1978 | September 28, 1980 | Extended to Armstrong | |
Armstrong – Sioux Lookout – Winnipeg | September 29, 1980 | November 14, 1981 | ||
Capreol – Hornepayne – Nakina – Armstrong – Sioux Lookout – Winnipeg | October 28, 1979 | May 31, 1981 | Briefly rolled into the Super Continental during 1981 | |
November 15, 1981 | January 14, 1990 | Subsumed by the Canadian | ||
Capreol – Hornepayne | June 1, 1981 | November 14, 1981 | ||
Farlane – Winnipeg | Seasonal train | |||
Chambord–Dolbeau | Chambord – Dolbeau | April 1, 1978 | June 16, 1979 | |
Chaleur | Montreal – Gaspé | April 1, 1978 | April 30, 2009 | Name dropped |
Montreal–Gaspé | May 1, 2009 | August 2013 | ||
Edmonton–Drumheller | Edmonton – Drumheller | April 1, 1978 | November 14, 1981 | Now partially served by Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions |
Edmundston–Sainte-Foy | Edmundston – Sainte-Foy | April 1, 1978 | October 27, 1979 | |
Enterprise | Toronto – Montreal | January 16, 2000 | October 29, 2005 | Night train |
Evangeline | Halifax – Yarmouth | October 29, 1978 | January 14, 1990 | |
Flin Flon–Osborne Lake | Flin Flon – Osborne Lake | April 1, 1978 | October 27, 1979 | |
Halifax–Fredericton | Moncton – Saint John | April 1, 1978 | October 27, 1979 | Extended to Halifax |
Halifax – Moncton – Saint John | October 28, 1979 | November 14, 1981 | Extended to Fredericton | |
June 1, 1985 | January 14, 1990 | |||
Halifax – Moncton – Saint John – Fredericton | November 15, 1981 | May 31, 1985 | Truncated back to Saint John | |
Halifax–Sydney | Halifax – Sydney | April 1, 1978 | January 14, 1990 | |
Havelock–Toronto | Havelock – Peterborough – Toronto | October 29, 1978 | January 14, 1990 | |
Hearst–Nakina | Hearst – Nakina | April 1, 1978 | May 31, 1986 | |
Hornepayne–Manitouwadge | Hornepayne – Manitouwadge | April 1, 1978 | April 26, 1980 | |
International Limited | Toronto – Chicago | October 31, 1982 | June 12, 1983 | Operated by Amtrak in the US. Renamed as International |
International | June 13, 1983 | April 23, 2004 | Operated by Amtrak in the US | |
Jasper–Prince Rupert | Jasper – Prince Rupert | April 1, 1978 | June 16, 1979 | Named as Skeena |
May 1, 2009 | Present | |||
Skeena | June 17, 1979 | November 14, 1981 | Extended to Edmonton | |
April 30, 1989 | April 30, 2009 | Name dropped | ||
Edmonton – Jasper – Prince Rupert | November 15, 1981 | June 2, 1984 | Extended to Winnipeg and renamed as Panorama | |
June 1, 1985 | April 29, 1989 | Truncated back to Jasper | ||
Panorama | Winnipeg – Saskatoon – Edmonton – Jasper – Prince Rupert | June 3, 1984 | May 31, 1985 | Reverted to Skeena name and route |
Limoilou–Rivière-à-Pierre | Limoilou, Quebec City – Rivière-à-Pierre | April 1, 1978 | June 16, 1979 | Replaced by Sainte-Foy–Rivière-à-Pierre train |
Sainte-Foy–Rivière-à-Pierre | Sainte-Foy – Rivière-à-Pierre | October 28, 1979 | February 2, 1980 | |
Toronto–Niagara Falls | Toronto – Niagara Falls | April 1, 1978 | January 18, 1992 | Renamed as General Brock |
November 23, 1997 | December 9, 2012 | Service continued by the Maple Leaf and Lakeshore West line | ||
General Brock | January 19, 1992 | November 22, 1997 | Name dropped | |
Toronto–North Bay | Toronto – North Bay | April 1, 1978 | January 14, 1990 | |
Maple Leaf | Toronto – Niagara Falls – New York | April 26, 1981 | Present | Operated by Amtrak in the US |
Moncton–Edmundston | Moncton – Edmundston | April 1, 1978 | November 14, 1981 | |
October 28, 1984 | January 14, 1990 | |||
Montreal–Chicoutimi | Montreal – Hervey – Rivière-à-Pierre – Chambord – Jonquière – Chicoutimi | April 1, 1978 | April 30, 1988 | Truncated to Jonquière |
Saguenay | Montreal – Hervey – Rivière-à-Pierre – Chambord – Jonquière | April 25, 1993 | April 30, 2009 | Name dropped |
Montreal–Jonquière | May 1, 1988 | April 24, 1993 | Named as Saguenay | |
May 1, 2009 | Present | |||
Sainte-Foy–Cochrane | Sainte-Foy – Senneterre – Cochrane | April 1, 1978 | ||
Abitibi | Montreal – Hervey – Senneterre | April 25, 1993 | April 30, 2009 | Name dropped |
Montreal–Senneterre | May 1, 2009 | Present | ||
Montreal–Sherbrooke | Montreal – Sherbrooke | April 1, 1978 | October 30, 1982 | |
Ocean | Montreal – Halifax | April 1, 1978 | Present | |
Ottawa–Sudbury | Ottawa – Sudbury | November 15, 1981 | May 31, 1985 | Replaced a section of the Canadian when it was rerouted through Toronto following the first cancellation of the Super Continental |
Saint-Laurent | Montreal – Mont-Joli | October 28, 1979 | May 28, 1983 | |
Quebec City – Mont-Joli | June 1, 1985 | January 14, 1990 | ||
Regina–Prince Albert | Regina – Saskatoon – Prince Albert | April 1, 1978 | November 14, 1981 | |
Winnipeg–Saskatoon | Winnipeg – Regina – Saskatoon | November 15, 1981 | June 2, 1984 | Replaced a section of the cancelled Super Continental. Subsumed by the Panorama |
Saskatoon–Edmonton | Saskatoon – Edmonton | November 15, 1981 | June 2, 1984 | |
Saskatoon–The Pas | Saskatoon – The Pas | April 1, 1978 | April 26, 1980 | |
Scotian | Montreal – Campbellton – Halifax | April 1, 1978 | October 27, 1979 | Same route as the Ocean but with more stops |
Senneterre–Rouyn-Noranda | Senneterre – Rouyn-Noranda | April 1, 1978 | June 16, 1979 | |
Lake Superior | Sudbury – White River | April 28, 1996 | April 30, 2009 | Name dropped |
Sudbury–White River | October 29, 1978 | April 27, 1996 | Named as Lake Superior | |
May 1, 2009 | Present | |||
Canadian | Toronto – Sudbury – White River – Winnipeg – Regina – Calgary – Banff – Vancouver | October 29, 1978 | June 16, 1979 | Exchanged sleeper cars with the Super Continental at Winnipeg |
Montreal – Ottawa – Sudbury – White River – Winnipeg – Regina – Calgary – Banff – Vancouver | June 17, 1979 | October 27, 1979 | ||
Montreal – Toronto – Sudbury – White River – Winnipeg – Regina – Calgary – Banff – Vancouver | November 15, 1981 | May 31, 1985 | ||
Montreal – Ottawa – Sudbury – / Toronto – Sudbury – White River – Winnipeg – Regina – Calgary – Banff – Vancouver | June 1, 1985 | January 14, 1990 | Montreal and Toronto sections, divided at Sudbury | |
Toronto – Sudbury Junction – Sioux Lookout – Winnipeg – Saskatoon – Edmonton – Jasper – Vancouver | January 15, 1990 | Present | ||
Super Continental | Montreal – Ottawa – Sioux Lookout – Winnipeg – Saskatoon – Edmonton – Jasper – Vancouver | April 1, 1978 | June 16, 1979 | Exchanged sleeper cars with the Canadian at Winnipeg |
Toronto – Sioux Lookout – Winnipeg – Saskatoon – Edmonton – Jasper – Vancouver | June 17, 1979 | October 27, 1979 | ||
June 1, 1981 | November 14, 1981 | Exchanged sleeper cars with the Canadian at Winnipeg. Discontinued for the first time | ||
Toronto – Sudbury – White River – Winnipeg – Saskatoon – Edmonton – Jasper – Vancouver | October 28, 1979 | May 31, 1981 | Combined with the Canadian between Sudbury and Winnipeg. Exchanged sleeper cars with the Canadian at Winnipeg | |
Winnipeg – Vancouver | June 1, 1985 | January 14, 1990 | Discontinued for the second and final time | |
The Pas–Lynn Lake | The Pas – Pukatawagan – Lynn Lake | April 1, 1978 | May 22, 2004 | Truncated to Pukatawagan |
The Pas–Pukatawagan | The Pas – Pukatawagan | May 23, 2004 | Present | Runs over the Keewatin Railway |
Thunder Bay–Sioux Lookout | Thunder Bay – Sioux Lookout | April 1, 1978 | May 31, 1986 | |
Toronto–Barrie | Toronto – Barrie | April 1, 1978 | September 3, 1982 | Replaced by the Bradford line (now the Barrie line) |
Toronto–Stouffville | Toronto – Stouffville | April 1, 1978 | September 3, 1982 | Replaced by the Stouffville line |
Malahat | Victoria – Courtenay | October 29, 1978 | April 30, 2009 | Name dropped |
Victoria–Courtenay | May 1, 2009 | March 19, 2011 | ||
Winnipeg–Churchill, Hudson Bay, Northern Spirits | Winnipeg – The Pas – Churchill | April 1, 1978 | Present |
Via operated some grandfathered commuter passenger routes from CN and CP from 1977 until financial constraints led to cuts in 1981. A few became provincial commuter rail lines after transfer from Canadian National Railways or Canadian Pacific Railway.
Route | Original Operator | Notes |
---|---|---|
CN Uxbridge Subdivision (Stouffville line) | CN | Toronto to Stouffville service by CN from 1971 to 1977, Via until 1981 and was restored by GO Transit in 1982 |
Guelph Subdivision(Toronto - Stratford/Georgetown) | CN | Never transferred to Via in 1977 but became GO Georgetown line in 1974. Extended to Guelph 1990 to 1993 (cut back to Georgetown by provincial cuts) and extended to Kitchener (line renamed) since 2011 |
Barrie line | CN | Began by CN Toronto-Barrie from 1972 to 1977, transferred to Via 1977 and became GO line to Bradford/Newmarket only from 1982 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2008, extended to Barrie from 1990 to 1993 and since 2008 (now to Allendale) |
CP Havelock Subdivision (Havelock/Peterborough) | CP | Retained as CP freight subdivision and now used by Kawartha Lakes Railway |
Streetsville | CP | Abandoned in 1971 and partially restored as GO Milton line 1981 |
Lakeshore West | CP | Transferred from Via to STCUM in 1982 and then to AMT in 1996. Now Exo |
Deux-Montagnes line | CN | Transferred from Via to STCUM in 1982 and then to AMT in 1996. Last operated by Exo. Ceased operations in 2020 and replaced in 2023 by Réseau express métropolitain (REM) light metro line. |
Saint-Jérôme line | CP | Transferred from CP to Via in 1977 but abandoned 1981. Restored by AMT in 1997 |
Mont-Saint-Hilaire line | CN | Never transferred to Via and operated by CN until 1988 and later restored by AMT in 2000 |
The Canadian Pacific Railway, also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, known until 2023 as Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001.
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
Via Rail Canada Inc., operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian national transportation agency. It is a Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada.
Exo, stylized as exo and officially known as Réseau de transport métropolitain, is a public transport system in Greater Montreal, including the Island of Montreal, Laval, and communities along both the North Shore of the Mille-Îles River and the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River. It was created on June 1, 2017, taking over Montreal's commuter rail services from the former Agence métropolitaine de transport as well as bus and paratransit services from the various suburban municipal and intermunicipal transit agencies. Exo operates the second busiest such system in Canada after Toronto's GO Transit.
Union Station is a major railway station and intermodal transportation hub in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station is located in downtown Toronto, on Front Street West, on the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street. The municipal government of Toronto owns the station building while the provincial transit agency Metrolinx owns the train shed and trackage. It is operated by the Toronto Terminals Railway, a joint venture of the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, which directs and controls train movement along the Union Station Rail Corridor, the largest and busiest rail corridor in Canada. Constructed in 1927, Union Station has been a National Historic Site of Canada since 1975, and a Heritage Railway Station since 1989.
The Canadian is a transcontinental passenger train operated by Via Rail with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC), also known as the Budd car or Buddliner, is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcar. Between 1949 and 1962, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The cars were primarily adopted for passenger service in rural areas with low traffic density or in short-haul commuter service, and were less expensive to operate in this context than a traditional diesel locomotive-drawn train with coaches. The cars could be used singly or coupled together in train sets and controlled from the cab of the front unit. The RDC was one of the few DMU trains to achieve commercial success in North America. RDC trains were an early example of self-contained diesel multiple unit trains, an arrangement now in common use by railways all over the world.
The Super Continental was a transcontinental Canadian passenger train operated by the Canadian National Railway from 1955 until 1977, when Via Rail took over the train and ran it until it was cancelled in 1981. Service was restored in 1985 but was again eliminated in 1990. The original CN train had a Montreal–Ottawa–Toronto-Winnipeg–Saskatoon–Edmonton–Jasper–Vancouver routing with daily service.
The Ocean, previously known as the Ocean Limited, is a passenger train operated by Via Rail in Canada between Montreal, Quebec, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is the oldest continuously operated named passenger train in North America. The Ocean's schedule takes approximately 22 hours, running overnight in both directions. Together with The Canadian and Via's corridor trains, the Ocean provides a transcontinental service across Canada.
The Atlantic was a passenger train operated by Via Rail, serving both Canadian and U.S. territory between Montreal, Quebec, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was previously operated by Canadian Pacific Railway as The Atlantic Limited between Montreal and Saint John, New Brunswick. It formed part of the transcontinental service for both systems.
The Société de transport de Montréal is a public transport agency that operates transit bus and rapid transit services in the urban agglomeration of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Established in 1861 as the "Montreal City Passenger Railway Company", it has grown to comprise four subway lines with a total of 68 stations, as well as 212 bus routes and 23 night routes. The STM was created in 2002 to replace the Société de transport de la communauté urbaine de Montréal. The STM operates the most heavily used urban mass transit system in Canada, and one of the most heavily used rapid transit systems in North America. As of 2019, the average daily ridership is 2,297,600 passengers: 977,400 by bus, 1,306,500 by rapid transit and 13,700 by paratransit service.
Montreal Central Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Nearly 11 million rail passengers use the station every year, making it the second-busiest train station in Canada, after Toronto Union Station.
Windsor Station is a former railway station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It used to be the city's Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station, and served as the headquarters of CPR from 1889 to 1996. It is bordered by Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal to the north, Peel Street to the east, Saint Antoine Street to the south and the Bell Centre to the west.
The Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, also known as simply the Corridor, is a Via Rail passenger train service in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The Corridor service area has the heaviest passenger train frequency in Canada and contributes 67% of Via's revenue.
The CN Halton Subdivision is a major railway line in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CN).
The Kawartha Lakes Railway was a Canadian rail line. It was created in 1996 to assume the operations of the Havelock and Nephton Subdivisions of the Canadian Pacific Railway which serve the Peterborough, Ontario area.
The Train de Charlevoix is a tourist rail service between Beauport and La Malbaie, Quebec, with an additional stop in Baie-Saint-Paul and in the winter at the Le Massif ski area, a distance of about 140 kilometres (87 mi). It is owned and operated by Le Massif de Charlevoix, which also owns the Le Massif ski area.
Canadian National Railway's Kingston Subdivision, or Kingston Sub for short, is a major railway line connecting Toronto with Montreal that carries the majority of CN traffic between these points. The line was originally the main trunk for the Grand Trunk Railway between these cities, although there has been some realignment of the route between these cities. The majority of the Kingston Sub runs close to the northern bank of Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River.
West Harbour GO Station is a regional rail station in the North End neighbourhood of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The station has been served by GO Transit's Lakeshore West line since July 9, 2015. There is hourly service between West Harbour and Toronto's Union Station, seven days a week. Via Rail service may eventually be provided.
The Canadian National Railway (CN) Bala Subdivision is a major railway line in Ontario, Canada. It runs between the provincial capital of Toronto in Southern Ontario and Capreol in Northern Ontario, where the line continues as the Ruel Subdivision. It forms part of CN's transcontinental mainline between Southern Ontario and Western Canada.