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Taking the train in Canada - all you need to know
12.07.2024 - 17:06 / lonelyplanet.com / Nova Scotia
Jul 4, 2024 • 9 min read
Canada has an extensive rail network and some spectacular rides. However, with the bulk of the system given over to freight and most Canadians preferring to travel long-distance by car or plane, trains outside the eastern corridor cities of Toronto and Montréal are little used compared to countries in Asia or Europe.
It wasn’t always so. Annual ridership on Canadian trains peaked at 60 million in the 1940s with numbers declining sharply in the 1950s as car ownership became more common. Today, around 5 million passengers a year use 500 weekly trains (excluding commuter trains) operated by the government-run Crown Corporation, Via Rail. Several more deluxe journeys are run by private companies, headlined by the legendary Rocky Mountaineer, a veritable five-star hotel on wheels.
While the overall quality of service on the Canadian rail network is high, especially if you opt for business or sleeper classes, the trains, in comparison to Japanese bullet trains or France’s TGVs, are slow. Obligated to yield to the requirements of freight, which makes up the bulk of the country’s rail traffic, passenger trains can spend long periods of time waiting on the sidelines and are often late.
An exception is the fast intercity trains between Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal that zip along the eastern corridor route in just over five hours.
The bulk of the rail network is run by VIA Rail, with a handful of private companies operating special lines, mostly for tourist purposes. There are also several services overseen by US company Amtrak that shuttle across the international border to Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal.
VIA Rail has two named trains, the cross-continental Canadian – one of the world’s great rail journeys – that links Vancouver and Toronto, and the Ocean that carries passengers between Montréal and Halifax in Nova Scotia. The corporation also operates five Scenic Adventure lines geared towards a mix of tourists and rural dwelling locals who utilize the trains’ flag-stops (where the service stops by request only, often in the middle of nowhere).
Outside of VIA Rail, various commuter lines operate in the vicinity of Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal. All log significantly higher passenger numbers (up to 100 million per year in total). Vancouver has the West Coast Express, Toronto has GO Transit and Montréal has Exo.
The VIA Rail network doesn’t extend to Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador. Nor does it serve the territories, although the Yukon maintains the privately-run White Pass and Yukon Route tourist train that travels in summer between Carcross and Skagway, Alaska.
VIA Rail carriages are generally good quality with large reclining seats and power outlets, even in
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