Three out of every five Canadians live in the country’s two biggest provinces, so it should come as no surprise that most of Canada’s passenger rail services are concentrated in Ontario and Québec — largely within 50km (30mi) of a 1100km (700mi) passenger rail artery known as the Corridor. Opened in 1856 as the Grand Trunk Railroad (later Canadian National), the Corridor is Canada’s most important intercity passenger service area, stretching from Québec City, Québec to Windsor, Ontario (located across the Detroit River from Detroit, Michigan).
Intercity passenger trains serving the Corridor are operated by VIA Rail which is, roughly speaking, Canada’s equivalent to the USA’s Amtrak. And, not unlike Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, VIA Rail’s Corridor links four of the nation’s ten largest cities. Toronto, Ottawa (the national capital), Montréal, and Québec City are chief among several dozen Corridor destinations that connect a massive interprovincial agglomeration of nearly 15 million Canadians.
Ontario
Beyond Windsor, principal Corridor destinations in Ontario are London, Sarnia, Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Kingston and Ottawa.
With traffic volume second only to NYC’s Penn Station in all of North America, Toronto Union Station is the Corridor’s busiest station. The station is both the eastern terminus for The Canadian, VIA Rail’s signature transcontinental service to the Rockies and Vancouver, British Columbia; and the northern terminus for Amtrak’s Maple Leaf, an international train from New York City. It is also the hub of the Greater Toronto Area’s vast GO Transit commuter rail network and is directly connected to the city’s TTC subway and trolley lines including the UP Express link to Lester Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest airport. Additional regional light rail service is provided in the Ottawa area by OC Transpo O-Train and in the Kitchner-Waterloo area by ION light rail.
Québec
The Corridor extends VIA Rail’s high-traffic services to four Québecois cities: Dorval (airport transfer, below), Montréal, Sainte-Foy, and Québec City (the provincial capital).
All VIA Rail Corridor passengers transferring to/from Montréal–Trudeau International Airport have free access to VIA Rail’s Airport Shuttle between Dorval station and requested arrival/departure areas.
Montréal Central Station (Gare centrale de Montréal) is Canada’s second busiest train station. The station is the western terminus for The Ocean, VIA Rail’s eastern transcontinental service to Moncton, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is also the departure point for VIA Rail’s Sennterre train to Val d’or and Jonquière service to Lac-Saint-Jean and the Saneguay Glacier region. Finally, it is the destination station of Amtrak’s Adirondack, an international train that originates in New York City. Like its Toronto counterpart, Gare centrale connects with a vast network of local and regional rail services. They include the STM’s Montréal Métro (Métro de Montréal) subway – North America’s second busiest rapid transit network after NYC – and MTM’s Exo regional commuter rail system.
Travel Basics
All VIA Rail Corridor seating is reserved and a choice of travel options – Economy or premium Business Class – is available on most trains. Business Class travel perks include mobile booking app, priority boarding, free Wifi, complimentary meals, and Business Lounges in seven stations.
Rail passes, good for discounted rail travel between stations serving the Corridor, include Bizpak Pass and Commuter Pass for business and other frequent travelers, Unlimited Student Passes for travelers with valid student ID or ISIC cards, and Corridor Canrailpasses (multi-trip or unlimited travel) for adult (26-59), 60+, students (12-25), and youth (2-11).
To book one-way or roundtrip travel, visit the VIA Rail website’s Plan Your Trip page. For the lowdown on booking, baggage, special needs, and on-board services check out the website’s Travel Info page. Cross-border US/Canada travel info is available on VIA Rail’s Amtrak page.
