VIA Rail Canada Train Travel | Routes and Trains

Canada's national railway is riding the wave of enthusiasm for train travel that is sweeping railways worldwide. From Vancouver and the Pacific to Atlantic Canada, VIA Rail routes extend some 7750 mi/12,500 km across eight Canadian Provinces and five time zones. Trains travel between over 450 stations and honor requests for "Special Stops" at random points along vast stretches of wilderness railway. Each year, over four million passengers travel aboard VIA Rail Canada trains.

Routes connect vacationers and business travelers with a number of popular destinations.

Some 400 weekly trains operate along Canada's 715 mi/1150 km Corridor, accounting for 90% of VIA Rail's traffic. Frequent intercity services connect Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, Windsor, Québec City, Niagara Falls and intermediate cities. Daily cross-border service continues to New York City.

Crossing prairie grasslands, boreal forests and the Rockies, VIA Rail Canada's western routes reach north to sub-arctic Hudson's Bay, hook up with the Pacific cruise port of Prince Rupert, and stretch to bustling Vancouver where international service connects with Seattle and Portland.

Eastern trains head out of Montréal bound for First Nations lands to the north and roll along the Saint Lawrence Valley to the pristine Atlantic Canadian coasts of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Gaspé Peninsula.

This VIA Rail Canada train travel guide provides a quick overview of Canadian passenger railroad services. It profiles VIA Rail Canada routes and notes key destinations and scenic highlights along the way. Contents include information on buying tickets, special discounts, rail passes, station facilities, travel classes and accommodations, baggage and pet transport, sleeper services, baggage, amenities, food and beverages, special needs, rail travel for children, and border crossing by rail.

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