Train Travel in Canada:
Information for Ontario Visitors

What is train travel in Canada like, particularly within Ontario? What are the major train companies for regular passenger routes and tourist (heritage and scenic) trains)?

What is train travel in Canada like?
Is it similar to rail travel in Europe or in the UK or the United States?
How does it compare to bus or car rental in terms of cost and convenience?
Are there any scenic train journeys in Ontario I should know about?
Are there any heritage trains or steam trains to enjoy?

You may be asking yourself these questions if you’re planning a vacation in Ontario.

I will answer your concerns by dividing these types of trains into two categories: “Regular Service” which is trains used primarily for transportation (i.e. getting from A to B) and “Heritage and/or Scenic” Trains, which are trains that are themselves an attraction, where “the journey is its own reward”.

First up is “Regular Service”.

TRAIN TRAVEL IN CANADA: REGULAR SERVICE TRAINS IN ONTARIO

Although trains aren’t as popular in Canada as they are in Europe or the UK (for many reasons), Ontario does have a network of train tracks for both regular long-distance and short (commuter-type) trips on well-travelled routes between popular Ontario travel destinations like Toronto and Ottawa and Niagara Falls.

Here are the regular passenger train companies servicing Ontario today.

VIA Rail Canada– www.viarail.ca
This is the major player for train travel in Canada. Between Toronto and Ottawa, VIA Rail service is good, offering several trips a day at a price higher than buses but with a lot more comfort. Other major cities with train stations include Niagara Falls, London, Sarnia, Sudbury, and Kingston. Overall there are approximately 100 stations in the province.
However, service is spotty outside of the major Ontario cities. Many towns have lost their train service over the past decades due to service cutbacks by the continually cash-strapped government-owned train system. And some trains still operate between smaller places but only once or twice a day. In other cases, there is service but not where you’d expect it. For one glaring example, there is no VIA Rail passenger train service in Hamilton, a major city ( population of more than 500,000), but there IS a train stop in nearby Aldershot, a neighbourhood in Burlington (Burlington’s population of 164,000). There has been talk of restoring service to Hamilton for more than a decade, but nothing has happened so far.

Ontario Northland Rail Services – http://www.ontarionorthland.ca
This company operates services in Northern Ontario, including the famous Polar Bear Express which goes all the way up to Moosonee and the shore of James Bay. The Northlander will get you to popular “cottage country” destinations like Gravenhurst (Muskoka region) and Bracebridge (Santa Clause’s Village).

GO Transit – http://www.gotransit.com
The “Government of Ontario train” operates commuter trains in southern Ontario, with most them radiating out from Toronto. You can get to Hamilton, Stouffville and other Southern Ontario towns and cities, for example. GO Transit also offer buses. **FUN FACT about GO Transit: A short-lived television series “Train 48” took place on a GO Train. The show had a bizarre format: it was basically just commuters talking to each other on the train. Oddly enough, it was actually quite entertaining, topical and even addictive once you got to know the different characters and their crazy lives. A soap opera with satire.

“Heritage trains” and “scenic trains” journeys make for pleasant, relaxing day trips when you need a break from the city.

There are a number of “Heritage Trains” in Ontario. Some are steam trains and some are electric trains but all are historic. It’s a chance to experience what rail travel in Canada was like back in the old days.

Another popular tourist train excursion is the “Scenic Train Route”. For example you might want to try the Agawa Canyon Tour Train or the Credit Valley Explorer. These fill up quickly so book early!

Agawa Canyon Tour Train
Famous for the scenery, especially in the fall when you can enjoy the awesome fall colours. Northern Ontario.
http://www.agawacanyontourtrain.com

Credit Valley Explorer
Scenic excursion train running between Orangeville and Mississauga (near Toronto).
http://www.creditvalleyexplorer.com

Elgin County Railway Museum
Mainly a museum of restored heritage trains, but they offer special excursions on antique trains a few times a year.
http://www.ecrm5700.org

Halton County Radial Railway
An outdoor living history museum with a collection of antique streetcars. Ride the beauties of the past. Buy a ticket and you can ride all day. Great family fun. Near Toronto.
http://www.hcry.org

Port Stanley Terminal Rail
Heritage train that travels between Port Stanley and St. Thomas. Short excursions.
http://www.pstr.on.ca/about.htm

Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario
Smiths Falls, Ontario
The museum has over 10,000 artifacts including a 1912 Steam Locomotive, a 1947 Canadian Pacific Cadillac track inspection car, a Dental Car used in Northern Ontario to serve remote communities, and Nolans Flagstop station.
http://www.sfrmeo.ca

South Simcoe Railway (Tottenham)
Operates trains from the 1920s era, from downtown Tottenham to Beeton. Journey takes just under an hour.
http://www.southsimcoerailway.ca

Waterloo Central Railway
Runs from Waterloo to St. Jacobs and Elmira. Runs special "murder mystery" train rides too. Various train cars from the teens and 1920s.
http://www.steam-train.org

York-Durham Heritage Railway
Runs heritage trains between Stouffville and Uxbridge. Operates a small museum in the former CNR railway station in Uxbridge.
http://www.ydhr.on.ca/Main.html

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