The Winnipeg – Churchill train (formerly known as the Hudson Bay and prior to that Northern Spirits) is a semiweekly passenger train

Train

A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...

 operated by Via Rail

VIA Rail

Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....

 between Winnipeg

Union Station (Winnipeg)

Union Station is the inter-city railway station for Winnipeg, Manitoba.It is a grand beaux-arts structure situated near The Forks in downtown Winnipeg. It was built by the Canadian Northern Railway, National Transcontinental, and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway...

 and Churchill, Manitoba

Churchill, Manitoba

Churchill is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing tourism industry.-History:A variety of nomadic...

. It is the only dry land connection between Churchill and the rest of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

Schedule

The train, which runs through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, leaves Winnipeg in the evening on Tuesday and Sunday and arrives in Churchill early in the morning two days later. The train departs Churchill in the evening on Thursday and Saturday and arrives in Winnipeg early in the morning two days later.
An additional service operates between The Pas (leaving Monday) and Churchill (leaving Tuesday)

The journey travels on the Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

 line north to The Pas where it transfers to the Hudson Bay Railway

Hudson Bay Railway

Hudson Bay Railway is a Canadian railway operating over of trackage in northern Manitoba.HBRY was formed in July 1997 to purchase former Canadian National Railway trackage running north from CN trackage at The Pas, MB on two branches, one to Flin Flon, MB and on to Lynn Lake, MB, the other to...

 passing through Thompson

Thompson, Manitoba

Thompson is a city in northern Manitoba. As the "Hub of the North" it serves as the regional trade and service centre of northern Manitoba. Thompson is located north of the Canada – United States border, north of the provincial capital of Winnipeg, and is northeast of Flin Flon...

 and Gillam

Gillam, Manitoba

Gillam, Manitoba, Canada, is a community between Thompson and Churchill on the Hudson Bay Railway line. Gillam is a significant community because of the nearby Nelson River Bipole converter station on the Nelson River...

 on its way to the Port of Churchill

Port of Churchill

The Port of Churchill in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada is a port on the Hudson Bay, part of the Arctic Ocean. It was once owned by the Government of Canada but was sold in 1997 to the American company OmniTRAX to run privately....

 on Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...

, taking approximately 36 hours each way. The train previously served Lynn Lake, service was truncated to Pukatawagan in 2003 by then track owners OmniTRAX

OmniTRAX

OmniTRAX, Inc. is one of North America's largest private railroad and transportation management companies, providing management services to 16 regional and short-line railroads that serve 10 U.S...

 citing a loss in freight traffic making the service unprofitable. Via still operates twice weekly service from The Pas to Pukatawagan on behalf of the Keewatin Railway

Keewatin Railway

The Keewatin Railway Company is a First Nations-owned rail line that operates in Northern Manitoba, between The Pas, and Pukatawagan. The railway company currently operates a line formerly owned by Hudson Bay Railway, and used by Via Rail passenger trains....

which now owns the Sherridon Subdivision.

External Links

• Winnipeg-Churchill train at Via Rail Canada