Via Rail

Via Rail Canada Inc., operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian government-owned company that provides passenger train services across the country. It runs many trains each week, connecting different cities and towns.

In 2023, Via Rail carried about 4.1 million passengers. Most of these trips were on the main routes between big cities like those in the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The company also helps bring tourists from around the world to enjoy Canada’s beautiful landscapes through its long-distance train services.

History

Background

Yearly passenger levels on Canada's passenger trains reached their peak at 60 million during World War II. After the war, the rise of air travel and cars caused a big drop in passengers for train travel. By the 1960s, two big railway companies in Canada, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, found that passenger trains were no longer making money. One of them wanted to stop running passenger trains, but the government made them keep running some services, even though it cost a lot of money. The other company was encouraged by the government to keep improving passenger services, trying new ideas and special trains, which helped bring back some passengers for a while. But by 1977, the number of passengers had fallen below five million.

Formation and early years

On January 12, 1977, the government made a new company called Via Rail Canada to run all the passenger trains. It took over all the train cars and engines from one of the big railways. Later, it also took over the passenger trains from the other big railway. At first, Via had many different types of old train cars and engines and ran trains all over Canada, from Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and even up to Churchill, Manitoba. They had over 150 trains running each week.

1980s

In 1981, the government cut Via's money a lot, which meant they had to stop many trains, including popular ones like the Super Continental and the Atlantic. They kept only one train running all the way across the country, called The Canadian. Via also tried to buy new, faster train engines and cars to replace their very old ones, but these new trains had problems and took time to fix.

1990s

In 1990, the government cut Via's money again, and many more trains were stopped, including the Super Continental and some rural services. The Canadian was moved to a different route, which made some western cities lose their train service. By the late 1990s, some new money came in, and Via improved some services, brought back a tourist train to Cape Breton Island, and started planning new trains.

2000s

In 2003, the government promised new money for Via, but later stopped it. Some trains, like the Bras d'Or tourist train and the Enterprise overnight train between Montreal and Toronto, were stopped. In 2004, there were problems with how some government money was spent, and some leaders at Via were let go.

In 2007, more money came to help Via fix its old trains and improve services. But in 2009, engineers almost went on strike, which made Via cancel all trains for a few days.

2010s

In the early 2010s, Via had to stop some more trains because of money problems. But they also made some improvements, like adding more trips between Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto, and fixing up some train cars.

2020s

In 2021, Via required passengers and staff to have COVID-19 vaccines to travel on their trains because of the pandemic. In 2022, the government asked private companies to help plan a new high-frequency rail service, which some workers were worried might mean selling off Via Rail.

Insignia

Via Rail uses special symbols given by the Canadian Heraldic Authority. On May 15, 2020, they received a coat of arms and an heraldic badge. The badge looks like those used by law enforcement in Canada, showing that the Via Rail Police Service helps keep people and property safe. The badge also includes a Royal Crown, meaning that Via Rail has officers who enforce laws. Via Rail also has a special flag that is black and shows their badge.

Budget and management

Via Rail is run as an independent company and gets help from the Minister of Transport to serve faraway places. It runs more than 500 trains each week all across Canada. In 2018, passengers paid CA$369 million to ride these trains, and over 4.74 million people traveled with Via that year. The company employed over 3,115 people by the end of 2018.

The leader of Via, Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, said that in 2015, the government paid twice as much as passengers for train travel—for every $1 passengers spent, Canada added $2.

Expansion plans

Maritimes

Via looked into adding daily train services in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, connecting Halifax, Moncton, and Campbellton. This would add to the three times a week Ocean service to Montreal. But, plans needed better tracks and testing before they could start.

Via also wanted to run trains from Halifax city center to Windsor Junction using tracks owned by CN. However, in June 2019, Halifax decided not to continue with this idea because it would cost too much and need too many changes.

High-frequency rail project

Via made a big plan in 2018 for a $4.4 billion project to create faster, more frequent train services between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City. This would use special tracks just for passengers, not freight trains. The plan would change routes in Ontario and Quebec to let more trains run and arrive on time.

The government helped pay for studies of this plan, but in 2019, they had not decided to give the money needed to build the tracks. In January 2020, Via hired engineering companies to study the plan more. In February 2025, this plan became part of Alto, a high-speed rail network between Toronto and Quebec City.

Service suspensions

Two old Via routes, The Malahat and Chaleur, stopped running in 2011 and 2013 because the tracks were in poor condition. Via hopes to start these again once the tracks are fixed. In 2017, Quebec said it would help fix the Chaleur tracks, but it would take several years. No plans to fix The Malahat tracks were announced by 2020.

The Winnipeg–Churchill train stopped on May 23, 2017, when floods damaged the tracks owned by Hudson Bay Railway. The track owner would not fix it, saying it was not worth the cost. This was the only land connection from Churchill to the rest of Canada, and its loss made living there more expensive. Service returned in late 2018 after a new company, Arctic Gateway Group, bought the tracks with help from the government.

Starting on February 13, 2020, most Via Rail trains stopped because of protests and later because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only a few trains kept running, and this was the biggest cut in service Via Rail ever had.

Travelling on Via

Traveling on Via Rail can be different depending on where you are and the type of ticket you have. Via Rail has many rules to make sure everyone has a good trip, no matter how far they are going.

Some routes let passengers stop at places without a station if they ask 48 hours before the trip. This is possible on special adventure routes and part of the Canadian route between Capreol and Winnipeg.

Via Rail offers different classes to choose from:

• Economy: Regular seats in coach cars. You can buy snacks and drinks from employees, in a lounge car, or in a restaurant car. Free Wi‑Fi is available on certain routes. There are also cheaper tickets without changes and fully refundable tickets.
• Business: First‑class seats on most trains in southern Quebec and Ontario.
• Touring: Only available on the Skeena during busy travel months.
• Sleeper Plus: Sleeping rooms on overnight trains, with washrooms and sometimes showers. You can use business lounges or a special lounge in Halifax on the day you leave.
• Prestige: Only on the Canadian route, with extra luxurious sleeping rooms at the back of the train.

On board, smoking is not allowed on any Via train. Washrooms are available in each car, and private rooms on sleeper cars have their own washrooms.

Food service changes depending on the train. Most trains sell snacks and drinks, and some have dining cars where you can buy meals. Long-distance trains offer full meals for sleeping class passengers, and economy passengers can buy hot meals to take with them during busy times.

Free Wi‑Fi is available on certain routes, and Via Rail was one of the first in North America to offer this in 2006. Wi‑Fi is also on the Ocean train but works best near cities.

All Via trains can fit wheelchairs, but there is limited space.

Routes and connections

See also: List of Via Rail routes

Via Rail operates in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The only province not served is the Northwest Territories. Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon have no rail service.

Via Rail runs over 475 trains each week on 19 different routes. Most of these trains, more than 400 per week, travel between major cities from Southwestern Ontario to Quebec City. These cities include Windsor, Sarnia, London, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City.

Track ownership

Most of Via Rail's tracks are owned by other companies. About 84 percent belong to the Canadian National Railway, 8 percent to the Hudson Bay Railway, 4 percent to the Canadian Pacific Railway, 3 percent to Via Rail itself, and 2 percent to Metrolinx (GO Transit).

Connections

The Maple Leaf train runs between New York City and Toronto, stopping in Albany, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls. This train is run together with Amtrak but uses Via Rail staff in Canada.

Two other trains connect Canada and the United States: the Adirondack from Montreal to New York, and the Amtrak Cascades from Vancouver to Seattle and Portland. These are operated fully by Amtrak.

Via Rail also works with bus companies, car-sharing services, and airlines to help passengers connect their trips.

Rolling stock

Main article: List of Via Rail rolling stock

Via Rail has 74 locomotives and 501 passenger cars. Some of these include the GMD F40PH-2 diesel locomotive, the Siemens Charger, and special "Park"-class sleeper-dome-lounge cars that are used on the Canadian and Jasper–Prince Rupert trains.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms for Via Rail represents the company's role in connecting Canada. It features symbols that reflect the natural beauty and diversity of the country, emphasizing the journey through its landscapes. The design captures the spirit of travel and the importance of rail service in bringing people together across vast distances.