VIA Rail Canada (alternatively
VIA Rail or
VIA, ) is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger
railRail transport is the conveyance of passengers and goods by means of wheeled vehicles running along railways or railroads. Rail transport is part of the logistics chain, which facilitates international trade and economic growth...
services in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
VIA Rail Canada operates 480 trains in eight
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
provincesThe provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second largest country. The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that provinces are jurisdictions that receive their power and authority directly from the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories...
(exceptions are
Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is a province of Canada on the country's Atlantic coast in northeastern North America. This easternmost Canadian province comprises two main parts: the island of Newfoundland off the country's eastern coast, and Labrador on the mainland to the northwest of the island.A...
and
Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
) over a network of of track spanning the country from the
AtlanticThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
to the
PacificThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
, and from the
Great LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. They are sometimes referred to as the "Third...
to
Hudson BayHudson Bay is a large body of water in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. A smaller offshoot of the bay,...
. VIA Rail carries approximately four million passengers annually. It sees the majority of its traffic in the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor commonly known as
The CorridorThe Corridor is a VIA Rail passenger train service area in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario.Corridor is used by VIA to refer to all VIA inter-city passenger trains which start and end within the geographic region known as the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor...
. Virtually all VIA Rail trains operate on Canadian National trackage. It is headquartered at 3
Place Ville-MariePlace Ville-Marie or 1, Place Ville-Marie is a cruciform office tower built in the International style in 1962, arguably the most distinctive building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is 188 m in height with 46 stories...
in
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
,
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Early Canadian intercity passenger rail
The post-war era saw two developments which would eventually prove disastrous to previously profitable passenger rail transport offered by Canadian National Railways (CNR), the
Canadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. Its rail network stretches from Vancouver to Montreal, and also serves major cities in the United States such as Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City...
(CPR), and smaller lines. Long-distance Canadian intercity passenger trains began to be replaced with air travel, and short- and middle-distance passenger trains lost mode share to personal automobiles on highways such as the
Trans-Canada HighwayThe Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
. Critics of this shift point out that all these new services were subsidized by taxpayers, from construction of highways to construction of airports, making it difficult for rail to compete; opponents of rail point out that the construction of the railways themselves was similarly subsidized. (Ironically, both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific themselves contributed to the growth of air travel through
Air CanadaAir Canada is Canada's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to 96 destinations worldwide. Its largest hub is Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario. Its main base is Montreal-Pierre...
and CP Air, which were the two largest airlines in Canada at one time.)
By the 1960s it was obvious to both Canadian National (known as CN after 1960) and CPR that passenger trains were no longer economically viable under traditional market manifestations. CPR sought to rid itself of the burden of operating passenger trains, but federal government regulators and politicians balked, forcing CPR to continue running a minimal service through the 1970s. CN on the other hand, being a Crown corporation, was encouraged by the federal government and political interests to invest in passenger trains. Innovative marketing schemes such as
Red, White, and Blue fares, new equipment such as scenic
dome carA dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car or observation...
s and
rail diesel carThe Budd Rail Diesel Car or RDC is a self-propelled diesel-hydraulic multiple unit railcars. In the period 1949–62, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
s, and services such as Rapido and
TurboThe UAC TurboTrain was an early high-speed, Gas turbine train manufactured by United Aircraft Corporation that operated in Canada between 1968 and 1984 and in the United States between 1968 and 1976...
trains saw substantial increases in ridership, reversing previous declines.
By the 1970s, CN sought to rid itself of passenger trains. The decline of passenger rail became a federal election issue in 1974 when the government of
Pierre TrudeauJoseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, PC, CC, CH, QC, MSRC , was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968, to June 4, 1979, and from March 3, 1980, to June 30, 1984.Pierre Trudeau was a charismatic figure who, from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s,...
promised to implement a nation-wide carrier similar to
AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a blend of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union Station...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The bilingual name
Via or
Via CN originated in 1976 as a marketing term for Canadian National's passenger train services and the Via logo began to appear on CN passenger locomotives and cars, while still carrying CN logos as well. That September, Via published a single timetable with information on both CN and CP trains, marking the first time that Canadians could find all major passenger trains in one publication. In 1977, CN underwent a dramatic restructuring when it placed various non-core freight railway activities into separate subsidiaries such as ferries under
CN MarineCN Marine was a Canadian ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick.-History:CN Marine was created by parent Canadian National Railway in 1977 as a means to group the company's ferry operations in eastern Canada into a separate operating division...
and passenger trains under
VIA Rail which was subsequently renamed
VIA Rail Canada.
The formation of VIA Rail Canada
On April 1, 1978, Canadian National's passenger subsidiary VIA Rail became a separate Crown corporation, taking with it possession of former CN passenger cars and locomotives. Following several months of negotiation, on October 29, 1978, VIA took over operation of CP passenger train services, along with similar possession of cars and locomotives. Passenger train services which were not included in the creation of VIA Rail included those offered by
BC Rail|}BC Rail , known as the British Columbia Railway between 1972 and 1984 and as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway before 1972, was a railway that operated in the Canadian province of British Columbia between 1912 and 2004. It was a class II regional railway and the third-largest in Canada,...
,
Algoma Central RailwayThe Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that ran between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, with a branch line to Michipicoten. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads. The railway is well known for its Agawa Canyon tour train...
,
Ontario Northland RailwayThe Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the Government of Ontario....
,
Quebec North Shore and Labrador RailwayThe Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River...
, various urban commuter train services operated by CN and CP, and remaining CN passenger services in
NewfoundlandNewfoundland and Labrador is a province of Canada on the country's Atlantic coast in northeastern North America. This easternmost Canadian province comprises two main parts: the island of Newfoundland off the country's eastern coast, and Labrador on the mainland to the northwest of the island.A...
. At this time, VIA did not own any trackage and had to pay right-of-way fees to CN and CP, sometimes being the only user of rural branch lines.
VIA initially had a tremendous variety of equipment, with much of it in need of replacement, and operated routes stretching from
Sydney, Nova ScotiaSydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
to
Prince Rupert, British ColumbiaPrince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
and north to
Churchill, ManitobaChurchill 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...
. In excess of 150 scheduled trains per week were in operation, including transcontinental services, regional trains, and corridor services.
While VIA is an independent federal Crown corporation mandated to operate as a business, it is hindered by the fact that it was created by an
Order-in-CouncilAn Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, typically those in the Commonwealth of Nations. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the Queen by the Privy Council , but in other countries the terminology may vary.-Assent:Although the Orders are...
of the Privy Council, and not from an actual legislation passed by
ParliamentThe Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch represented by her Governor General the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
. If VIA were enabled by legislation, the company could be permitted to seek funding on the open money markets as other Crown corporations such as
CNThe Canadian National Railway is a Canadian Class I railway operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
have done in the past. It is largely for this reason that critics say VIA is vulnerable to federal budget cuts and continues to answer first to its political masters, as opposed to the business decisions needed to ensure the viability of intercity passenger rail service.
First round of cuts
Increased ridership would not be VIA's savior. In 1981, Prime Minister
Pierre TrudeauJoseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, PC, CC, CH, QC, MSRC , was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968, to June 4, 1979, and from March 3, 1980, to June 30, 1984.Pierre Trudeau was a charismatic figure who, from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s,...
's government endorsed
Minister of TransportThe Minister of Transport is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada...
Jean-Luc PépinJean-Luc Pépin, PC, CC was a Canadian academic, politician and Cabinet minister.Pepin was a political science professor at the University of Ottawa when he was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1963 election as a Liberal Member of Parliament from Quebec.From 1965 to 1972, he...
's plan which cut VIA's budget, leading to a 40% reduction in the company's operations. Gone were frequently sold-out trains such as the
Super ContinentalThe Super Continental was a transcontinental Canadian passenger train operated originally by the Canadian National Railway beginning in 1955 and subsequently by VIA Rail Canada from 1977 until its cancellation in 1981. Service was restored in 1985 but was again eliminated in 1990...
(which reduced VIA to operating only one transcontinental train,
The CanadianThe Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is currently operated by VIA Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia...
) and the popular
AtlanticThe 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...
, among others.
VIA also sought to reduce its reliance on over 30-year-old second-hand equipment and placed a significant order with
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier Inc.. Bombardier Transportation is the world’s largest company in the rail equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany....
for new high-speed locomotives and cars which would be used in its corridor trains. The
LRCLRC is a bilingual acronym for Light, Rapid, Comfortable or Lèger, Rapide, et Confortable, the name of a series of lightweight diesel-powered passenger trains that were used on short- to medium-distance inter-city service in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec...
(Light, Rapid, Comfortable) locomotives and cars utilized advanced technology such as active tilt to increase speed, but proved troublesome and would take several years to work out problems (by 1990 only a handful of LRC locomotives remained in service which were subsequently retired by the arrival of the
GE GenesisGE Genesis is a series of passenger locomotives produced by GE Transportation Systems, a subsidiary of General Electric...
locomotives in 2001).
Restoration of service
The election of Prime Minister
Brian MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, PC, CC, GOQ was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of highly contentious economic...
's government in 1984 brought a friend to VIA, initially, when several of Mulroney's commitments included rescinding the VIA cuts of 1981 by restoring the
Super ContinentalThe Super Continental was a transcontinental Canadian passenger train operated originally by the Canadian National Railway beginning in 1955 and subsequently by VIA Rail Canada from 1977 until its cancellation in 1981. Service was restored in 1985 but was again eliminated in 1990...
(under pressure from his western caucus), and the
AtlanticThe 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...
(under pressure from his eastern caucus and the formidable then-
Saint JohnSaint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 68,043...
mayor
Elsie WayneElsie Eleanore Wayne is a Canadian politician, and a former Progressive Conservative MP for Saint John.-Political career:In 1977, she was elected to the Saint John municipal council...
). Mulroney's government gave VIA funding to refurbish some of its cars, and purchase new locomotives, this time a more reliable model from General Motors Diesel Division.
It was during this time on February 8, 1986, that VIA's eastbound
Super Continental collided with a CN freight trainThe Hinton train collision was a railway accident that occurred on February 8, 1986. Twenty-three people were killed in a collision between a Canadian National Railway freight train and a VIA Rail passenger train. It was the most lethal Canadian rail disaster since the Dugald accident of 1947...
near
Hinton, AlbertaHinton is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada.It is located in Yellowhead County, northeast of Jasper and about west of Alberta's capital city, Edmonton, at the intersection of Yellowhead and Bighorn Highway, in the Athabasca River valley.-History:...
as a result of the freight train crew missing a signal light. The resulting derailment killed 23 people and remains the worst accident in modern Canadian railway history in terms of loss of life.
Second round of cuts
By the late 1980s, inflation and other rising costs were taking their toll on federal budgets and in the
MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, PC, CC, GOQ was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of highly contentious economic...
government's 1989 budget, VIA again saw its budget slashed, surpassing even the 1981 cuts under Trudeau. Minister of Transport
Benoit BouchardBenoît Bouchard, PC is a Canadian public official and former politician.After a career as a professor and teacher, Bouchard was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Roberval, Quebec in the 1984 election...
oversaw the reduction in service on January 15, 1990, when VIA's operations were reduced by 55%.
Services such as the
Super ContinentalThe Super Continental was a transcontinental Canadian passenger train operated originally by the Canadian National Railway beginning in 1955 and subsequently by VIA Rail Canada from 1977 until its cancellation in 1981. Service was restored in 1985 but was again eliminated in 1990...
were cut again, along with numerous disparate rural services such as in
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is a Canadian province located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. Its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of...
's
Annapolis ValleyThe Annapolis Valley is a valley in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy.-Geography:...
and
Cape Breton IslandCape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the French word "Breton", referring to Brittany.Cape Breton Island is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada...
,
western CanadaWestern Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada generally including all parts of Canada west of the province of Ontario. The West is considered by many to be a cultural region with an identity separate from that of the rest of Canada...
, and in the corridor.
The CanadianThe Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is currently operated by VIA Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia...
was also moved from its 'home' rails on CP to the northerly CN route (which the
Super Continental had used). The shift to the less-populated (and less scenic) route between
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
and
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
severed major western cities such as
ReginaRegina is the capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. The city is the second largest in the province , and is a cultural and commercial metropole for both southern Saskatchewan and adjacent areas in the neighbouring American states of North Dakota and Montana...
and
CalgaryCalgary is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada.The Calgary census metropolitan area is the third most diverse in Canada in terms of visible minorities after Toronto and Vancouver when considering only CMAs with population greater than 200,000...
from the passenger rail network (while at the same time adding major western cities such as Saskatoon and
EdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The city is located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies...
to the passenger rail network)and flared western bitterness toward
OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada and a municipality within the Province of Ontario. Located in the Ottawa Valley in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, the city lies on the southern banks of the Ottawa River, a major waterway forming the local boundary between the Provinces of Ontario and...
.
The official justification for the rerouting was that the trains would serve more remote communities, but the concentration of Conservative-held ridings along the CN route attracted the charge that the move was chiefly political. It was also notable that
Harvie AndréHarvie Andre, PC is a Canadian engineer and businessman and a former Canadian politician and federal Cabinet minister.Born in Edmonton, Alberta on July 27, 1940), Andre was educated at the University of Alberta and pursued part of his postgraduate studies at the California Institute of Technology...
, one of Alberta's federal cabinet ministers who represented Calgary, was fairly public about the fact that he did not care if he never saw a passenger train again in his life.
After these cuts, VIA was a much smaller company and immediately took to rationalizing its fleet of cars and locomotives, resulting in a fleet of refurbished stainless steel (HEP-1 and HEP-2 rebuilds, for "
head end powerHead end power or electric train supply is a rail transport term for the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or “head” of a train or a generator car, generates all the electricity used for lighting, electrical and other...
") and LRC cars, as well as rationalizing its locomotive fleet with GM and Bombardier (LRC) units.
Third round of cuts
VIA was not spared from further cutbacks in Prime Minister
Jean ChrétienJoseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , is a Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003, and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1990 to 2003.-Early life:Chrétien was born on January 11, 1934 in Shawinigan, Quebec, as the 18th of 19...
's government elected in 1993. Minister of Finance
Paul MartinPaul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC is a Canadian politician who was the Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's first budget in 1994 saw further VIA cuts which saw the popular
AtlanticThe 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...
dropped from the schedule, focusing the eastern transcontinental service on the
Ocean.
This move was seen as somewhat controversial and politically motivated as the principal cities benefiting from the
Atlantic's service were Sherbrooke,
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and
Saint John, New BrunswickSaint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 68,043...
, where, coincidentally or not, the only two
Progressive Conservative PartyThe Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and a centrist stance on social issues....
Members of Parliament in Canada were elected in the 1993 federal election which saw Chrétien's
Liberal PartyThe Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is a major political party in Canada. The party sits between the centre-left and centre of the Canadian political spectrum. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in the Parliament of Canada since the 2006 federal election...
take power. The
Ocean service which was preserved operates on trackage between Montreal and Halifax running through the lower St. Lawrence River valley and northern New Brunswick. The Minister of Transport in Chrétien's government at the time,
Douglas YoungDouglas Young may refer to:*Professor Douglas Young , Scottish poet, scholar, and translator; leader of the Scottish National Party from 1942 to 1945...
, was elected from a district that included
Bathurst, New BrunswickBathurst is a Canadian city in Gloucester County, New Brunswick.Bathurst is situated on Bathurst Harbour, an estuary at the mouth of the Nepisiguit River at the southernmost part of Chaleur Bay....
, on the
Ocean's route. Interestingly, a remote VIA service to Quebec's
Gaspé PeninsulaThe Gaspésie or also Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé is a peninsula constituting part of the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River, in Quebec, Canada...
, the
ChaleurThe Chaleur is a tri-weekly passenger train operated by VIA Rail between Montreal and Gaspé, Quebec. Its name is derived from the easternmost part of its route along the northern shore of Chaleur Bay....
was also spared from being cut at this time, despite having less ridership than the
Atlantic.
Renaissance
By the late 1990s, rising environmental concerns focusing on reducing dependence on automobiles and airplanes (see Kyoto Accord), as well as rail-friendly Minister of Transport
David CollenetteDavid Michael Collenette, PC was a Canadian politician representing the Liberal Party of Canada from 1974 to 2004. Graduate from York University's Glendon College in 1969 David Michael Collenette, PC (born June 24, 1946) was a Canadian politician representing the Liberal Party of Canada from 1974...
, saw modest funding increases to VIA. Corridor services were improved with new and faster trains, a weekly tourist train
The Bras d'Or returned VIA service to
Cape Breton IslandCape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the French word "Breton", referring to Brittany.Cape Breton Island is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada...
for the first time since the 1990 cuts, and a commitment was made to continue operating on
Vancouver IslandVancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
, but western Canada continued to languish with the only service provided by the
CanadianThe Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is currently operated by VIA Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia...
and a few remote service trains in northern BC and Manitoba.
In a significant new funding program dubbed "Renaissance", a fleet of unused passenger cars which had been built for planned
NightstarThe Nightstar was a proposed overnight sleeper service from various parts of the United Kingdom to continental Europe, via the Channel Tunnel.-History:...
sleeper services between locations in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and
Continental EuropeContinental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. Notably, in British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel...
, via the
Channel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point it is deep...
, were purchased and adapted following the cancellation of the Nightstar project. The new "Renaissance" cars were swiftly nicknamed
déplaisance ("displeasure") by
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
-speaking employees and customers, due to early problems adapting the equipment for Canadian use. Doors and toilets froze in cold Atlantic Canada temperatures, resulting in delays and service interruptions. New diesel-electric locomotives purchased from
General ElectricThe General Electric Company, or GE , is a multinational American technology and services conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York. In 2009, Forbes ranked GE as the world's largest company...
allowed the withdrawal of older locomotives, including the remaining LRC locomotives. The LRC passenger cars were retained and continued to provide much of the Corridor service. This expansion to VIA's fleet has permitted scheduling flexibility, particularly in the corridor. Additionally, many passenger stations have been remodeled into rider-friendly destinations, with several hosting co-located transit and regional bus hubs for various municipalities.
On October 24, 2003, federal Minister of Transport David Collenette announced $700 million in new funding over the next 5 years. This funding was far below the $3 billion needed to implement a high-speed rail proposal in the
Quebec City-Windsor CorridorThe Quebec City–Windsor Corridor is the most densely-populated and heavily-industrialised region of Canada. With over 17 million people , it contained 56.8% of the Canadian population and three of the four largest metropolitan areas in the country...
nicknamed
Via-Fast, however the funding was intended to "provide for faster, more frequent and more reliable passenger service across Canada.... [preserving] the option for higher speed rail, such as the Via Fast proposal" said Collenette. This new project was to be called "Renaissance II". Critics of "Renaissance II" noted that the majority of spending would take place in the corridor services and not add new trains or improved scheduling to Atlantic and Western Canada.
Fourth round of cuts
On December 18, 2003,
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government of Canada. The office is not outlined in any of the documents that constitute the written portion of the constitution of Canada; executive authority is formally vested in the...
Paul MartinPaul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC is a Canadian politician who was the Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
announced a freeze in federal spending on all major capital projects, including VIA's five-year $700 million capital investment 'Renaissance II' program announced just six weeks earlier by outgoing Prime Minister Chrétien's administration. Critics of Martin's cuts claimed that he was in a distinct conflict of interest as his family through
Canada Steamship LinesCanada Steamship Lines is a Canadian shipping company with headquarters in Montreal, Quebec.-Beginnings:CSL had humble beginnings in Canada East in 1845, operating river boats on the St. Lawrence River in general commerce. Subsequent growth over the years was tied to expansion of the canal system...
and various subsidiary and affiliated companies had once had a significant investment in the
Voyageur Colonial Bus LinesVoyageur Colonial Bus Lines, commonly just called Voyageur, is an intercity bus company founded in 1928 that serves Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec, primarily the cities of Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston.-Greyhound ownership:...
, an intercity bus line in Quebec and eastern Ontario that is a key competitor of VIA Rail.
Route cuts under the Martin government included the withdrawal of the seasonal
Bras d'Or tourist train, which ran for the last time in September 2004, and the Montreal-Toronto overnight
Enterprise, which was discontinued in September 2005. The Sarnia–Chicago
InternationalThe International Limited was a named passenger train operated between Chicago and Toronto, Ontario. It was originally operated by Canadian National and Grand Trunk Western. When the route was revived in 1982, it was operated jointly by VIA Rail and Amtrak...
was also discontinued in April 2004 by Amtrak. VIA's portion of the route from Toronto-Sarnia remains in operation as VIA was able to use their own equipment to operate the train.
VIA's role in the Sponsorship Scandal
The federal
Auditor GeneralThe role of the Auditor General of Canada is to aid accountability by conducting independent audits of federal government operations. The Auditor General reports to the House of Commons, not to the government...
's report released publicly on February 10, 2004, showed what appeared to be a criminal misdirection of government funds intended for advertising to key
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
-based supporters of the
Liberal Party of CanadaThe Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is a major political party in Canada. The party sits between the centre-left and centre of the Canadian political spectrum. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in the Parliament of Canada since the 2006 federal election...
. (See
Sponsorship scandalThe sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship"or Sponsorgate, is a scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government "sponsorship program" in the province of Quebec and involving the Liberal Party of Canada, which was in power from 1993 to 2006...
) Included in the Auditor General's report was the fact that VIA Rail was used as one of several federal government departments, agencies, and Crown corporations to funnel these illicit funds. Forced to act on the Auditor General's report due to its political implications, Prime Minister Paul Martin's government suspended VIA Rail President
Marc LeFrançoisMarc LeFrançois is a Canadian business executive. He was the president of VIA Rail until March 5, 2004, when he was fired in connection with the Sponsorship Scandal. He was a board member from 1997 to 2002, and replaced Rod Morrison as CEO of VIA Rail in November 2000....
on February 24, 2004, giving him an ultimatum of several days to defend himself against allegations in the report or face further disciplinary action.
Several days later, during LeFrançois's suspension, a former VIA Rail marketing department employee,
Myriam BédardMyriam Bédard, MSC is a Canadian biathlete , winner of two Olympic gold medals.-Olympic career:Born in Neufchâtel, Québec, Bédard learned marksmanship as a member of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets' 2772 cadet corps, which she joined at the age of 15, and participated in her first biathlon event at...
, claimed she was fired several years earlier when she questioned company billing practices in dealing with advertising companies. (According to CBC News, an arbitrator's report later concluded that Bédard had voluntarily left VIA Rail.) She was publicly belittled by VIA Rail Chief Executive Officer
Jean PelletierJean Pelletier, OC, OQ was a Canadian politician, who was formerly mayor of Quebec City, Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office, and chairman of VIA Rail...
in national media on February 27, 2004. Pelletier retracted his statements but on March 1, 2004, Pelletier was fired. On March 5, 2004, after failing to adequately defend himself against the allegations in the Auditor General's report, LeFrançois was fired as well.
Increasing problems and reinstated funding
The reversal of funding in 2003 led to a backlog of deferred maintenance and left VIA unable to replace or refurbish life-expired locomotives and rolling stock. Regardless, VIA ridership increased from 3.8 million in 2005 to 4.1 million in 2006.
On October 11, 2007,
Finance MinisterThe finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
Jim FlahertyJames Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance; he had formerly served as Ontario's Minister of Finance....
announced federal government funding of $691.9 million over five years, of which $519 million is capital funding, and the remainder additional operating funding. The capital funding is earmarked to refurbish VIA's fleet of 54
F40The General Motors Electro-Motive Division model F40PH is a 4-axle 3000 horsepower B-B diesel-electric locomotive intended for passenger service, built from 1976 onwards.-History:...
locomotives to meet new emissions standards and extend their service lives by 15–20 years, refurbish the interiors of the LRC coaches, reduce track capacity bottlenecks and speed restrictions in the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor, and make repairs to a number of stations across the network.
This announcement is similar in content to the previous
Renaissance II package, and once again can be criticized for not including any new equipment or funding for services outside the Corridor. Shortly after this announcement was made, documents obtained by The Canadian Press under the
Access to Information ActAccess to Information Act 1983 or Information Act is a Canadian act providing the right of access to information under the control of a government institution is within the accordance of the principles that government information should be available to the public, but with necessary exceptions to...
revealed that delays due to equipment failures had risen by 60% since the previous year. The company attributed this to problems with the aging F40 locomotive fleet.
On January 27, 2009, the Government of Canada announced in its 2009 Economic Action Plan that it will increase funding to VIA by $407 million to support improvements to passenger rail services, including higher train frequencies and enhanced on-time performance and speed, particularly in the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto corridor.
2009 VIA Rail strike
On July 21, 2009, VIA Rail announced that its engineers would go on strike as of July 24 if no deal was reached by then, VIA began canceling all trains in anticipation of strike. The strike officially began at 12:00 p.m. on July 24 after it became clear that no deal has been reached. Engineers had been without a contract since December 31, 2006. Full service was resumed on July 27, 2009.
Travelling on VIA
Travel on VIA varies by region as much as class. Many of VIA's policies and protocols are the product of running a national train system with varying pressures and needs of different riders, communities, and contexts. The results are wide-ranging travel experiences depending on how far you are traveling and from where to where. Smoking is prohibited on all VIA trains.
Canada-wide
- Economy Class (formerly Comfort Class) — Economy class
__FORCETOC__Economy class, , is the lowest class of seating in air travel and rail travel....
seating in the coach cars. Passengers are not always assigned specific seats, and are usually segregated into specific train cars according to passenger destination. Seats are reasonably comfortable, but on the LRC equipment some of them face backwards, in contrast to the traditional North American practice. Some seats also provide only a partial view out the window. Most trains that operate on the "Corridor" offer pay-per-use 802.11b WiFiWIFI is a radio station broadcasting a Variety radio format. Licensed to Florence, New Jersey, USA. The station is currently operated by Florence Broadcasting Partners, LLC.This station was previously owned by Real Life Broadcasting...
access. Snacks, beverages and sandwiches are sold cash and carry.
- Business Class (formerly VIA 1 class) — This is the first-class seating available on most trains in southern Quebec and southern Ontario. It is somewhat reminiscent of air travel in the 1970s, prior to deregulation, when hot meals were offered free of charge. Business Class offers passengers individually reserved seats, more spacious seating with all seats facing the front of the train (except for 2 4-seaters per car), window blinds, inclusive hot three-course meals complete with complementary wine and liqueurs, in-seat AC
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. An electric charge would for instance move forward, then backward, then forward, then backward, over and over again...
power outlets along with pay-per-use WiFi access. Business Class passengers are also granted priority boarding and access to the Panorama Lounges at major urban stations. Unlike Economy Class passengers, they do not have to stand in line before boarding the train.
- Sleeper (formerly known as Comfort Sleeper) — As a class provided to late night passengers on lengthy routes, the sleeper class provides berth sections and single, double and triple bedrooms which feature bunkbeds, electrical outlet, chairs and a private washroom. Each sleeper car (except in the case of Renaissance cars) is equipped with a public shower.
Route-specific
Class Structure as of June 2009
- Sleeper Touring Class - Available on The Canadian and The Ocean. Sleeper Touring class is simply the new name being used by VIA Rail for what was previously "Silver and Blue" class on The Canadian, and "Easterly" class on The Ocean. The descriptions of the class in each case are consistent with the descriptions of the previous class structure (see below). These changes are only of the class nomenclature.
- Touring Class - Available on The Skeena. The description of "Touring" class is identical to that of the previous "Totem" class (see below), and is simply a change of nomenclature.
Previous Class Structure
- Silver & Blue — A deluxe inclusive travel package onboard the Canadian, which features Sleeper Class accommodation, first-class meals in the dining car, and access to the Skyline car and viewing salons in the glass-domed Park car. Passengers are also given priority boarding over Comfort Class and access to the Silver & Blue Lounge in Toronto Union Station. As of June 2009, Silver and Blue class has ceased to exist.
- Easterly — All-inclusive tour package onboard the Ocean with access to a tour guide (known as the "Learning Coordinator"), Sleeper accommodation, first-class meals and access to the Park car. The Easterly class was designed to offer a seamless and relaxed learning experience in harmony with the laid back warmth of the Maritimes. Passengers receive priority boarding and access to the Panorama Lounge in Montreal station. As of June 2009, Easterly class has ceased to exist.
- Totem — Access to the Park car onboard the Skeena
The Skeena is a passenger train service operated by Via Rail between Jasper, Prince George and Prince Rupert.- Introduction :The Skeena operates three times weekly, departing Jasper on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, the return service departs Prince Rupert on the same days of the week.The Skeena...
. A sub-class called Totem Deluxe provides its passengers with seating in the Panorama car. Totem and Totem Deluxe operates from May to September. As of June 2009, Totem class has ceased to exist.
Compared to other train systems
Travel on Via involves protocols that may make travelling on Via trains somewhat different for seasoned train travellers from other parts of the world. The boarding practices, especially at larger stations, are in some respects similar to plane travel, rather than the usual free boarding from platforms experienced elsewhere, as in the United Kingdom.
Via maintains a comprehensive seating system comparable to plane travel, and requires every passenger to have a seat. Inevitably this means that while there may be actual empty seats on a departing train for instance, they might not be available since the seats are reserved for passengers using the train for a portion of its journey. Although this is not significantly different from other train systems, Via also does not allow standing room on its trains, unlike commuter trains that serve Montreal and Toronto. This might be due to federal transport regulations. This results in 'full' or 'sold-out' trains which cannot be boarded by standing passengers.
Entraining and detraining, seating and coaches
In large stations, such as Toronto or Montreal, Via maintains an extremely orchestrated boarding procedure due to management of its seating arrangements. Passengers line up and are escorted to designated coaches for their destinations rather than being permitted to board 'rush style' directly from the platform. At Toronto and Montreal, some "Comfort class" passengers have to stand in line for as much as one hour. At both Montreal and Toronto, and many other Corridor stations, Via has yet to install ticket barriers, so tickets are checked manually at the time of boarding, and then collected once on the train. Depending on the train, seating is either rush (once you are permitted on the specified coach) or it is assigned prior to boarding. Oddly enough this boarding system is reminiscent of plane checking and travel rather than train travel, making the experience of Via's trains confounding for the more experienced train traveller.
In smaller stations passengers are permitted on platforms, but, as above, are ushered towards specific coaches rather than being permitted to board the entire train.
The apparent rationale behind such mechanics is governed by the detraining and entraining of coaches for various destinations, as outside Brockville for some Toronto–Montreal/Ottawa trains, and because of platform lengths at smaller stations.
Attention should be paid when boarding Via trains at larger stations: although platforms themselves are listed, often trains are on actual adjacent platforms. For instance, in the case of train 66 departing Toronto passengers often line up at gate 17; however, the train is usually at platform 16 because of the 16:39 arrival of the 61 train from Montreal. Equally, the 61 itself often departs from platform 18, while passengers line up at gate 17.
While not all Via trains have assigned seating, coaches are selected for specific destinations at the very least. This might have to do with variable platform length at Canadian train stations. Inevitably since all passengers travelling to same destination are in the same coach, there is little to no 'turn over' of passengers—something notable to train travel elsewhere.. Sitting beside the same individual for six hours is not uncommon. Equally, because of this, there tends to be no regard for types of train travel experiences—for instance, there are no 'quiet' coaches where headphones and cellphones are banned or have limited use, nor coaches designated for families travelling with small children, or coaches for groups or sports teams.
Detraining Via trains is not as laborious as boarding, however, because there is only one exit per coach, it can take significantly longer than one might expect. The situation is complicated by having all onboard luggage stored in one location next to the only exit. For mid-train coaches it can be easier to exit towards the rear of the coach passing the washrooms to use the exit of the following coach rather than waiting for the long line up.
Accessibility
VIA offers pre-boarding assistance to those passengers requiring extra time to board its trains. Though, as platform heights vary across VIA stations, actual accessibility may vary. Attention is required when boarding or deboarding trains as there may be steps or a small 'bridge' over the gap between train and platform. In situations like Montreal, this small bridge makes VIA coaches easily accessible, while at other stations for some passengers the climb from platform level into the coach could be, depending on mobility, problematic.
At most stations, a special wheelchair lift is available for passengers bound to their chairs.
At larger stations such as Montreal Central or Toronto Union access to platforms is strictly monitored and controlled. This tends to create a bottleneck detraining as potentially hundreds of travelers with their luggage file onto the one escalator or staircase in operation.
The Corridor (Windsor – Quebec City)
The CorridorThe Corridor is a VIA Rail passenger train service area in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario.Corridor is used by VIA to refer to all VIA inter-city passenger trains which start and end within the geographic region known as the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor...
trains run from Windsor, Ontario, in the west through southern Ontario to south-western Quebec to Quebec City. The area offers the greatest concentration of VIA trains. About two-thirds of VIA's revenue is on this service.
Toronto–Montreal
VIA's Toronto–Montreal service runs between five and six trains daily with an express departing both cities at 17:00 daily except Saturday. Journey times vary depending on the actual train, with the 17:00 expresses (66 and 67) taking approximately 4 hours 45 minutes, while the following journeys departing at 18:20 from Toronto (68) and 1835 from Montreal (69) take roughly 5 hours and 38 minutes. The first train of the morning in each direction, as well as the express trains, are the only ones that offer a "bar car" service (for business class passengers only).
While travel on the express train is relatively easy (it stops only at Oshawa and Dorval), the 68 and 69 trains can be tedious as they stop at every station between these two large cities. Although the Toronto–Montreal line is double tracked throughout its length (a rarity in Canada), the high volume of freight traffic on the line in recent years has reduced the percentage of passenger trains that arrive on time. Part of the reason for this is that Canadian National abandoned its line from Pembroke to North Bay in the 1990s, with the result that freight traffic between western Canada and Montreal or points east of Montreal now uses the Toronto–Montreal line.
VIA is currently working in conjunction with CN to add a third track to portions of this route, which would increase its on-time performance and reduce travel time by up to 30 minutes eventually.
Toronto–Vancouver
VIA calls this service
The Canadian after a famous Canadian Pacific train that ran between 1955 and 1978, but the name is misleading since the VIA version follows the more northerly Canadian National line rather than the historic main line of Canada's first transcontinental railway. Thus the present-day version does not serve Montreal, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Calgary or Banff. It takes almost 87 hours between Toronto and Vancouver, which requires travellers to spend four nights on the train. The original
Canadian took only about 68 hours to make the same trip.
Montreal–Halifax
This train, known as the
Ocean, has operated over essentially the same route since 1903, making it one of the oldest named trains in the world. It travels over the former Intercolonial Railway, built by the federal government as part of the terms on which New Brunswick and Nova Scotia agreed to join Canada. During both world wars the line to Halifax was vitally important to Canada's war effort. The
Ocean travels 840 miles in 21 hours, leaving both Montreal and Halifax every day except Tuesday. On the days when it is combined with the Gaspé train the rolling stock resembles that of
The Canadian. On the other three days it uses British-style Renaissance rolling stock.
Summary of VIA routes
Here is a table summarizing VIA's routes across the country.
| Route Name | Major Stations | Frequency | Numbers | Services |
|---|
The CanadianThe Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is currently operated by VIA Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia...
|
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, Sudbury, WinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, in south central Canada, near the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers...
, SaskatoonSaskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians....
, EdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The city is located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies...
, JasperJasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial center of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley....
, VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
|
Three/week |
1 and 2 |
Economy, Sleeper Touring |
| Ocean {| The Ocean is a Canadian passenger train operated by VIA Rail between Montreal, Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is currently the oldest continuously-operated named passenger train in North America. The Oceans schedule takes approximately 21 hours, running overnight in both directions...
|
Halifax, Truro Truro is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada...
, Moncton, CampbelltonCampbellton is a Canadian city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick.Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958.Forestry and tourism are major industries in the regional...
, MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
|
Six/week |
14 and 15 |
Economy, Sleeper, Sleeper Touring |
| Gaspé–Montreal http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains |
Gaspé Gaspé is a town at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in eastern Quebec, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the town had a total population of 14,819....
, PercéPercé is a small village near the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec. As a municipality, it is 432.39 square km in area. It has a long history of being an important seasonal fishing centre under the French...
, Rimouski, MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
|
Three/week |
16 and 17 |
Economy, Sleeper |
| Senneterre–Montreal http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains |
Senneterre Senneterre is a town on Bell River in northwestern Quebec, Canada. It is in the Vallée-de-l'Or Regional County Municipality. Until La Tuque's amalgamation in 2002, Senneterre was the largest municipality in Quebec in terms of area. There are three schools in this city: St-Paul elementary school,...
, MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
|
Three/week |
603–606 |
Economy |
| Jonquière–Montreal http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains |
Jonquière, MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
|
Three/week |
600–602 |
Economy |
| Quebec City – Montreal |
Quebec CityQuébec , is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in the province – after Montreal, about to the southwest...
, Drummondville, Saint-HyacintheSaint-Hyacinthe is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 55,823...
, MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
|
Four/day |
20–29 and 620, 622 |
Economy, Business |
| Montreal–Ottawa |
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
, Alexandria, CasselmanCasselman is a village in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell on the South Nation River.It is a small village on the Trans-Canada Highway 417 between Ottawa and Montreal at the crossroads of Regional Road 7. Highway 138 to Cornwall and the USA is minutes away...
, OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada and a municipality within the Province of Ontario. Located in the Ottawa Valley in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, the city lies on the southern banks of the Ottawa River, a major waterway forming the local boundary between the Provinces of Ontario and...
|
Six/day |
30–39 and 630–632, 634–635, 638–639 |
Economy, Business |
| Ottawa–Toronto |
OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada and a municipality within the Province of Ontario. Located in the Ottawa Valley in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, the city lies on the southern banks of the Ottawa River, a major waterway forming the local boundary between the Provinces of Ontario and...
, Smiths FallsSmiths Falls is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is in the census division for Lanark County, but is considered a separated town and does not participate in county government...
, BrockvilleBrockville is located in the Thousand Islands region on the St. Lawrence River in Leeds & Grenville County, Ontario, Canada.Known as the "City of the 1000 Islands", Brockville is located in Southern Ontario on the north shore of the St...
, KingstonKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, where Lake Ontario runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin.Kingston is the county seat of Frontenac County...
, BellevilleBelleville, Ontario is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County...
, CobourgCobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is located along Highway 401 and the former Highway 2...
, OshawaOshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe...
, Guildwood, TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
|
Five/day |
40–49 and 640–641, 643, 648 |
Economy, Business |
| Montreal–Toronto |
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
, CornwallCornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
, KingstonKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, where Lake Ontario runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin.Kingston is the county seat of Frontenac County...
, BellevilleBelleville, Ontario is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County...
, CobourgCobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is located along Highway 401 and the former Highway 2...
, OshawaOshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe...
, TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
|
Six/day |
52–69 and 652, 667–668 |
Economy, Business |
| Toronto–Windsor |
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, OakvilleOakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
, AldershotAldershot is a community in south-central Ontario, Canada, on Burlington Bay, Lake Ontario. It is a neighbourhood of Burlington, in Halton Regional Municipality....
, BrantfordBrantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. This single-tier municipality is geographically within Brant County and they are part of the same census division, but Brantford is municipally distinct from it...
, WoodstockWoodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
, IngersollIngersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest city is Woodstock, Ontario to the east, with Tillsonburg, Ontario to the south and London to the west....
, LondonLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
, Glencoe, Chatham, WindsorWindsor is the southernmost major city in Canada and lies in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, although administratively separated from the county government. Windsor is located south of Detroit, is separated...
|
Four/day |
70–79 |
Economy, Business |
| Toronto–London |
Note: two routes: TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, AldershotAldershot is a community in south-central Ontario, Canada, on Burlington Bay, Lake Ontario. It is a neighbourhood of Burlington, in Halton Regional Municipality....
, BrantfordBrantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. This single-tier municipality is geographically within Brant County and they are part of the same census division, but Brantford is municipally distinct from it...
, WoodstockWoodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
, LondonLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
, and TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, BramptonBrampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
, GeorgetownGeorgetown is a community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada and is part of the Regional Municipality of Halton. It is situated on the Credit River, located approximately 60 km west of Toronto making it part of the Greater Toronto Area...
, GuelphGuelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
, KitchenerThe City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
, StratfordStratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in Southern Ontario, Canada with a population of 30,461, according to the 2006 census....
, LondonLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
, |
Two/day (one on each route) |
82, 83, 86, 89, 686 |
Economy, Business |
| Toronto–Sarnia |
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, BramptonBrampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
, GeorgetownGeorgetown is a community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada and is part of the Regional Municipality of Halton. It is situated on the Credit River, located approximately 60 km west of Toronto making it part of the Greater Toronto Area...
, GuelphGuelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
, KitchenerThe City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
, StratfordStratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in Southern Ontario, Canada with a population of 30,461, according to the 2006 census....
, St. MarysSt. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Thames River southwest of Stratford in Perth County. St. Marys has a population of 6,293 as of the 2001 Census. The town is also known by its nickname, "The Stone Town", due to the abundance of limestone in the surrounding...
, LondonLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
, Strathroy, Wyoming, SarniaSarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
|
Two/day |
84–88 |
Economy |
| Toronto – Niagara Falls |
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, OakvilleOakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
, Aldershot, GrimsbyGrimsby is a town on Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. Grimsby is a part of the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. The majority of residents reside in the area bounded by Lake Ontario and the Niagara escarpment...
St. Catharines, Niagara FallsNiagara Falls is a Canadian city of 83,184 residents on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. Across the river is Niagara Falls, New York...
|
Two/day |
90–98 |
Economy |
| Sudbury – White River http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains |
Sudbury, White River White River is a township located in Ontario, Canada, on the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 631. It was originally set up as a rail town on the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885...
|
Three/week |
185 and 186 |
Economy |
| Winnipeg–Churchill http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains |
WinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, in south central Canada, near the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers...
, The PasThe Pas is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba in the Northern Region, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, near the border of Saskatchewan. It is sometimes called Paskoyac by locals; in fact, that was the official name of the town until...
, PukatawaganPukatawagan, Manitoba is a town about 400 kilometres north of The Pas; it can be reached by train from Lynn Lake by a branch of the Hudson Bay Railway, a passenger service provided by VIA Rail. A winter road after the lakes have frozen. The Airport, located east of town, is used by Missinippi...
, ThompsonThompson 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...
, ChurchillChurchill 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...
|
Three/week |
692 and 693 |
Economy, Sleeper |
| Jasper – Prince Rupert http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains |
JasperJasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial center of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley....
, Prince GeorgePrince George, with a population of 70,981 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
, Prince RupertPrince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
|
Three/week |
5 and 6 |
Economy, Touring |
| Victoria–Courtenay http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains |
VictoriaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a major tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy. Victoria is a cruise ship port where...
, Nanaimo, CourtenayCourtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest city in the area commonly known as the Comox Valley, and it is the location of the head offices of the Comox Valley Regional District...
|
Daily |
198–199, 298–299 |
Economy |
As of 2009 with the exception of the
Canadian and the
Ocean Via Rail no longer has names for the trains, instead calling them by the route they travel.
http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains
Weekend services are reduced on some of the daily routes, and may operate at different times, in which case they operate under different train numbers.
International connections are provided by agreement with Amtrak and include the
Maple Leaf, operating between New York's Pennsylvania Station and Toronto's
Union StationUnion Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Toronto.The station is located on Front Street West and occupies the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street in the central business district...
via
AlbanyAlbany is a city in the United States of America; it is the capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. The city sits on the Hudson River and...
and
BuffaloBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...
. The
AdirondackThe Adirondack is a passenger train operated daily by Amtrak between New York City and Montreal. The trip takes approximately 11 hours to cover a published distance of , traveling through the scenic Hudson Valley and the Adirondack Mountains...
is an exclusive Amtrak train operating between
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
's
Gare CentraleCentral Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Designed by John Campbell Merrett, the main concourse is located on rue de la Gauchetière West and occupies almost the entire block bounded by de la Gauchetière, University Street,...
(Central Station) and
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
's Penn Station.
Amtrak CascadesThe Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in partnership with the states of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the province of British Columbia in Canada...
offers service between
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
and Seattle,
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
.
Northern Ontario connections are also available by Ontario Northland Railway and their
Northlander train service to Washago, Huntsville, North Bay and all points to Cochrane.
This train operates six days a week with a north- and southbound and offers a café car for snacks and beverages.
Rolling stock
This list includes those vehicles currently in use by VIA and those that have been retired.
Locomotives
| Builder | Model | Current Fleet | Years of service | Notes |
|---|
| General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...
|
F40PHThe General Motors Electro-Motive Division model F40PH is a 4-axle 3000 horsepower B-B diesel-electric locomotive intended for passenger service, built from 1976 onwards.-History:...
-2 |
54 |
1987-present |
Had 58. Rebuild underway. The Rebuilt engines will have the same paint scheme as the P42 GE Genesis is a series of passenger locomotives produced by GE Transportation Systems, a subsidiary of General Electric...
and will feature a 3rd headlight extended cab and a separate diesel engine to drive the HEP. 6400 is the prototype but 6402 will be the example for the rest of the fleet to follow.
Originally delivered as nos. 6400-6459; 6447 wrecked in 1997 Biggar, SK derailment;
6423 was wrecked in 1999 in Chatham, ON collision; both locomotives were written off from the roster. |
General ElectricThe General Electric Company, or GE , is a multinational American technology and services conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York. In 2009, Forbes ranked GE as the world's largest company...
/ GE Transportation SystemsGE Transportation, formerly known as GE Rail, is a division of General Electric. Included are GE Technology Infrastructure and GE Aircraft Engines. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad industry as well as other industries requiring large propulsion systems. It is based in Erie,...
|
P42 Genesis GE Genesis is a series of passenger locomotives produced by GE Transportation Systems, a subsidiary of General Electric...
|
21 |
2001-present |
Delivered as Nos. 900-920
.Operates exclusively on LRC, HEP1/HEP2, Renaissance consists in Quebec-Windsor Corridor. currently the entire fleet is being fitted with a 3rd headlight. |
| General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...
|
FP9ARMThe VIA Rail FP9ARM was a remanufactured version of a GMD FP9A Diesel passenger locomotive.- History :In the early-to-mid-1980s VIA needed units equipped with Head End Power . VIA Rail had a surplus of steam-heated GMD VIA FP9A units built in the 1950s and so fifteen of these units were...
|
1 |
Rebuilt by CN for Via in the early 1980s. |
Had 15. Ex-CNR with only 1 unit number 6300 is left on the roster. Used as the shop switcher at Via's Vancouver Maintenance Centre. |
| General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...
|
SW1000 An EMD SW1000 is a diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between June 1966 and October 1972. Power was provided by an EMD 645E 8-cylinder engine which generated...
|
2 |
|
|
| United Aircraft The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation was formed in 1929, when William E. Boeing teamed up with Frederick B. Rentschler of Pratt & Whitney....
|
TurboTrain |
|
|
Had 3. Five seven car trainsets were introduced by CN in 1968, withdrawn for modifications in 1970, relaunched with three nine car trainsets in 1971, transferred to VIA in 1976,ran until 1982 when replaced by the LRC sets. Holds the Canadian rail speed record of 140 mph/ Ex. CN (retired) |
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier Inc.. Bombardier Transportation is the world’s largest company in the rail equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany....
|
LRC LRC is a bilingual acronym for Light, Rapid, Comfortable or Lèger, Rapide, et Confortable, the name of a series of lightweight diesel-powered passenger trains that were used on short- to medium-distance inter-city service in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec...
-2 (Light, Rapid, Comfortable) |
|
1981-2002 |
All have been retired; some still in storage and for sale at VIA's shops in Toronto, Montreal. |
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier Inc.. Bombardier Transportation is the world’s largest company in the rail equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany....
|
LRC-3 |
|
1981-2002 |
All have been retired; some still in storage and for sale at VIA's shops in Toronto, Montreal. |
Montreal Locomotive WorksMontreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
|
FPA-4 |
|
1976-1993 |
Ex. CN (retired) |
Montreal Locomotive WorksMontreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
|
FPB-4 |
|
1976-1993 |
Ex. CN (retired) |
Montreal Locomotive WorksMontreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
|
FPA-2 |
|
1976-1983 |
Ex. CN (retired) |
Montreal Locomotive WorksMontreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
|
FPB-2 |
|
1976-1983 |
Ex. CN (retired) |
Montreal Locomotive WorksMontreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
|
FPA-2u |
|
|
Ex. CN (retired) |
Montreal Locomotive WorksMontreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
|
FPB-2u |
|
|
Ex. CN (retired) |
| General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...
|
FP9The EMD FP9 was a , B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between February 1954 and December 1959 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division, and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant, except for Canadian orders, which...
|
|
|
Ex. CN and CP (retired) |
| General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...
|
F9BThe EMD F9 was a Diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1953 and May 1960 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors and General Motors Diesel . It succeeded the F7 model in GM-EMD's F-unit sequence. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant. The F9B model was...
|
|
|
Ex. CN (retired) |
| General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...
|
FP7AThe EMD FP7 was a , B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between June 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant, excepting locomotives destined for...
|
|
|
Ex. CP (retired) |
Montreal Locomotive WorksMontreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
|
RS-10 |
|
|
ex-CP Rail (retired) |
| General Motors Electro-Motive Division |
E8AThe EMD E8 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E8A, was manufactured from August, 1949 to December, 1953, and 449 were produced – 446 for U.S., and 3 for Canada...
|
|
|
ex-CP Rail |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Rail Diesel Car RDC-1 |
3 |
|
Had 24. Two are still in service on Vancouver Island as the Malahat/ Ex.-CP and CN |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Rail Diesel Car RDC-2 |
2 |
|
Had 12. One is still in service as Lake Superior between White River and Sudbury./ Ex.-CP and CN |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Rail Diesel Car RDC-3 |
|
|
Had 10. All retired./ Ex.-CP and CN |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Rail Diesel Car RDC-4 |
1 |
|
Had 7. One is still in service as Lake Superior between White River and Sudbury./ Ex.-CP and CN |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Rail Diesel Car RDC-9 |
|
|
Had 6. All retired./ Ex. CN |
Passenger cars
- Coach car — Seating for use by Comfort Class passengers. All seats face in the direction the train is travelling, with the exception of family and group seating at each end of the car. Any row of seats can be rotated to create a 4-seat area. AC power outlets are found in LRC coaches in the row of seats directly adjacent to the washroom area. LRC cars seat 68 while Renaissance cars seat 49.
- Club car — Seating for use by VIA1 Class passengers. All seats face forward with the exception of two on the left forward bulkhead and two in the rear, forming 4-seat communal areas. The rear area features a large fold-top table. All seating is equipped with AC power outlets. Windows also have curtains.
- Transcontinental Coach car — Coach cars of the Canadian with fully-reclining chairs with extending leg rests.
- Sleeper car — Consists of open berth sections and single (known as "roomettes" by seasoned passengers), double and triple bedrooms (triples- or drawing rooms as there are also known as- are available in the"CHATEAU" Series cars and parks cars only.) Bedrooms feature bunkbeds, seating, and private toilets. The car is equipped with public shower facilities.
- Park car — What VIA Rail calls its "flagship car", this two-level railcar is situated in the very rear of the rolling stock. Its amenities include a bar, lounge, three double bedrooms and one triple bedroom (also known as a drawing room), and the panoramic glass dome on its upper level.
- Dining car — Restaurant on rails, complete with tablecloth and reservations. A Renaissance dining car holds 48 places in eight tables for four and eight tables for two. An ex-CPR budd dining car seats 48 in a dozen four-seat tables.
- Service Car — A lounge area for VIA1 passengers traveling in Renaissance cars.
- Skyline car — Features a coffee shop, lounge, and panoramic dome seating.
- Panorama car — A fully glass-enclosed seating car of the Skeena.
- Baggage car — Non-passenger car designed for carrying checked baggage.
| Builder | Model | Qty | Notes |
|---|
AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
"Renaissance" baggage car |
12 |
Built 1995-96, Service 2002. Units 7000-7011. Originally meant to be sleeping cars. |
AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
"Renaissance" club car |
14 |
Built 1995-96, Service 2002. Units 7100-7113. Originally made for Nightstar The Nightstar was a proposed overnight sleeper service from various parts of the United Kingdom to continental Europe, via the Channel Tunnel.-History:...
but never used. |
AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
"Renaissance" coach car |
33 |
Built 1995-96, Service 2002. Units 7200-7232. Originally made for Nightstar The Nightstar was a proposed overnight sleeper service from various parts of the United Kingdom to continental Europe, via the Channel Tunnel.-History:...
but never used. |
AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
"Renaissance" service car |
20 |
Built 1995-96, Service 2002. Units 7300-7316 and 7354-7359. Units 7354-7359 are empty shells not yet put into service. |
AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
"Renaissance" dining car |
3 |
Built 1995-96, Service 2002. Units 7400-7402. Originally meant to have single bedrooms. |
AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
"Renaissance" sleeping car |
57 |
Built 1995-96, Service 2002. Units 7500-7589. 29 cars inactive and stored in Thunder Bay. |
AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
"Renaissance" baggage transition car |
3 |
Built 1995-96, Service 2002. Units 7600 to 7602. Corridor through car for passengers and coupler for Park car. |
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier Inc.. Bombardier Transportation is the world’s largest company in the rail equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany....
|
LRC LRC is a bilingual acronym for Light, Rapid, Comfortable or Lèger, Rapide, et Confortable, the name of a series of lightweight diesel-powered passenger trains that were used on short- to medium-distance inter-city service in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec...
coach car |
72 |
Built 1981-84. Purchased new. Units 3300-3399. |
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier Inc.. Bombardier Transportation is the world’s largest company in the rail equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany....
|
LRC LRC is a bilingual acronym for Light, Rapid, Comfortable or Lèger, Rapide, et Confortable, the name of a series of lightweight diesel-powered passenger trains that were used on short- to medium-distance inter-city service in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec...
club car |
26 |
Built 1984. Purchased new. Units 3451-3475 and 3600-3601. Kitchenette placed differently on 3600-3601. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Coach car |
43 |
Built 1946-55. Acquired 1978, mostly from CP. Units 8100-8147. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Château sleeping car (HEP) |
29 |
Built 1954. Acquired 1978 from CP. Units 8201-8229. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Manor sleeping car (HEP) |
40 |
Built 1954-55. Acquired 1978 from CP. Units 8301-8342. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Dining car (HEP) |
13 |
Built 1955. Acquired 1978 from CP. Units 8401-8418. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Skyline dome car (HEP) |
16 |
Built 1954-55. Acquired 1978 from CP. Units 8500-8517. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Baggage car |
19 |
Built 1954-55, 1963. Acquired 1978, mostly from CP. Units 8600-8623. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Park car (HEP) |
14 |
Built 1954. Acquired 1978 from CP. Units 8702-8718. |
Canadian Car and FoundryCanadian Car and Foundry also variously known as "Canadian Car & Foundry," or more familiarly as "Can Car," manufactured buses, railroad rolling stock and later aircraft for the Canadian market...
|
Café-coach car |
1 |
Built 1954. Acquired early 1980s. Unit 3248. In service with Keewatin Railway Company. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Coach car (HEP) |
10 |
Built 1947-49. Acquired 1989-2000, mostly from Amtrak. Units 4000-4009. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Coach car |
23 |
Built 1947-53. Acquired 1989-2000, mostly from Amtrak. Completely stripped and rebuilt. Units 4100-4125. |
Canadian Car and FoundryCanadian Car and Foundry also variously known as "Canadian Car & Foundry," or more familiarly as "Can Car," manufactured buses, railroad rolling stock and later aircraft for the Canadian market...
|
Baggage coach car |
2 |
Built 1954. Acquired 1978. Units 5648-5649. In service with Keewatin Railway Company. |
Colorado RailcarColorado Railcar now US Railcar a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock, railcars and diesel multiple unit commuter vehicles. Both products come in single- and double-level versions.-History:The company was first organized as Rader Railcar...
|
Panoramic coach car |
3 |
Built 2000. Acquired 2002. Units 1720-1722. |
Canadian Car and FoundryCanadian Car and Foundry also variously known as "Canadian Car & Foundry," or more familiarly as "Can Car," manufactured buses, railroad rolling stock and later aircraft for the Canadian market...
|
Lounge car |
1 |
Built 1954. Acquired early 2002. Unit 1750. |
| Budd Company The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company's headquarters are in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G...
|
Observation club car |
1 |
Built 1939. Acquired 2002 from BC Rail. Unit 1751. Inactive and stored in Montreal. |
| National Steel Car |
Baggage car |
1 |
Built 1951. Acquired 1978. Unit 9631. The last one remaining is used on the Hudson Bay. |
Pullman StandardThe Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid to late 1800s through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
|
Coach car |
|
Retired |
Pullman StandardThe Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid to late 1800s through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
|
6-6-4 sleeper car |
|
Retired |
Pullman StandardThe Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid to late 1800s through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
|
4-8-4 sleeper car |
|
Retired |
Demo units
Product list and details
| Make/Model |
Description |
Fleet size |
Year acquired |
Year retired |
Notes |
Colorado RailcarColorado Railcar now US Railcar a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock, railcars and diesel multiple unit commuter vehicles. Both products come in single- and double-level versions.-History:The company was first organized as Rader Railcar...
Aero |
DMU lead car |
|
|
|
proposal only |
Colorado RailcarColorado Railcar now US Railcar a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock, railcars and diesel multiple unit commuter vehicles. Both products come in single- and double-level versions.-History:The company was first organized as Rader Railcar...
Single-level ADA |
DMU coach |
|
| Pullman Standard |
SuperlinerThe Superliner is a double decker passenger car used by Amtrak on long haul trains that do not use the Northeast Corridor. The initial cars were built by Pullman-Standard in the late 1970s and a second order was built in the mid 1990s by Bombardier Transportation...
|
1 set |
|
1985 |
demonstration on Supercontinental in Western Canada; borrowed from Amtrak |
|
| Adtranz ADtranz was a German-Swedish rail rolling stock equipment manufacturer which designed rail cars and engines....
|
IC3 Flexliner The IC3 is a Danish-built high-comfort medium/long distance diesel multiple-unit train. The sets were built by ABB Scandia . This train model has been operating in Europe since 1989...
|
1 set |
|
1995 |
borrowed from Israeli railways |
See also
Railway companies that used to carry passengers include:
- Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway is a Canadian Class I railway operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec....
— former Crown corporation
- Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. Its rail network stretches from Vancouver to Montreal, and also serves major cities in the United States such as Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City...
Other publicly owned regional passenger carriers:
- Ontario Northland Railway
The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the Government of Ontario....
- GO Transit
GO Transit is an interregional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada, currently operated by the provincial crown agency Metrolinx. It primarily serves the conurbation referred to by Metrolinx as the "Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" with operations extending to several communities...
- Agence métropolitaine de transport
The Agence métropolitaine de transport or is the umbrella organization that plans, integrates, and coordinates public transportation services across Canada's Greater Montreal Region, including the Island of Montreal, Laval , and communities along both the North Shore of the Rivière des...
- West Coast Express
West Coast Express is the interregional commuter railway in British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, it links Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, and Port Moody with Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver, where it interchanges with SkyTrain rapid transit, SeaBus and...
VIA may maintain the railcars for some of these services, such as West coast Express.
Privately owned Canadian VIA Rail competitors and connecting lines:
- Rocky Mountaineer
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations is a tour company founded in 1990, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who operate vintage trains over numerous sightseeing routes in Western Canada.-Background:...
: Daylight operations through scenic areas specifically for tourist travel
- Royal Canadian Pacific
The Royal Canadian Pacific is a luxury excursion passenger train operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway , inaugurated on June 7, 2000, after the CPR received the royal designation for the service from Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada....
: Luxury tourist service operated by Canadian Pacific
- Algoma Central Railway
The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that ran between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, with a branch line to Michipicoten. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads. The railway is well known for its Agawa Canyon tour train...
: Passenger and tourist services between Sault Saint Marie and Hearst, Ontario. Owned by CN.
Further reading
External links