Corridor (Via Rail)

The Corridor
A Via Rail train approaching Belleville Station
Overview
Type	Inter-city rail
System	Via Rail
Locale	Quebec City–Windsor Corridor
Termini	Windsor Station Quebec City Station
Operation
Opened	1856
Owner	Canadian National Via Rail Metrolinx Canadian Pacific
Operator(s)	Via Rail
Technical
Number of tracks	2+
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed	Up to 100 mph (160 km/h)
Route map Map of the Corridor

The 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. Other inter-city trains from outside the Corridor may have their terminus at stations in the Corridor, such as the Canadian and the Ocean, but are marketed by their respective train names and are not considered to be Corridor services.

The Corridor service area has the heaviest passenger train frequency in Canada, with 36 Via trains traversing the route daily.^[1] About 67% of Via's revenue comes from Corridor routes.

Via runs a mix of local-service and express trains in the Corridor. Most of the trackage is owned by CN, although Via also owns three former freight lines, one from Smiths Falls, Ontario to Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec via Ottawa; one from Chatham, Ontario to Tecumseh, Ontario; and one from Smiths Falls to Brockville, Ontario.^[2][3]

Prior to Via's formation in 1978, CN Rail operated trains on the same tracks and CP Rail also offered limited service.

All trains are identified by number; however, in previous schedules these trains were named as well.

High speed proposal

During the 1970s and early 1980s, CN and later Via Rail operated the Turbo Train on existing freight rail trackage. This equipment was later replaced by the Bombardier LRC (Light, Rapid, Comfortable) train sets. Beginning in the 1980s and through the 1990s, Via Rail, Bombardier and the provincial and federal governments studied the feasibility of establishing a dedicated high-speed passenger rail network linking Quebec City–Montreal–Ottawa–Toronto–Windsor similar to the French TGV as a means of reducing domestic air and highway travel between these destinations.

After a hiatus of ten years, a feasibility study on launching a high-speed rail service in the Corridor will be updated at the joint cost of the federal government, Ontario and Quebec.^[4] On November 14, 2011, the three governments have officially released the final report of a high-speed rail study for this corridor.^[5]

On December 5, 2014, the MTO has approved to start an Environmental Assessment on the best route for a high speed rail connecting Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, London and Windsor for 2015.^[6]

Improvements to Corridor

In 2009–2010, Via used C$300 million of government stimulus money to upgrade segments of the Corridor. Notable track improvements planned were an additional 70 km (43 mi) of third main track in four segments, and a short segment of fourth main track, as well as additional yard tracks at three locations. Improvements were made to several stations along the line, with new station buildings being constructed at Belleville and Cobourg, and additional platforms for existing stations at Brockville and Oshawa. The improvements were planned to reduce delays along the route and to allow for a reduction in travel time of up to 30 minutes from end to end. They were intended to allow Via to introduce two new round-trip trains from Toronto to both Montreal and Ottawa without requiring the acquisition of new equipment.^[1]

Primary inter-city Corridor routes

Via routes in "The Corridor"

Legend 0km Windsor 69km Chatham 0km Sarnia 22km Wyoming 124km Glencoe 63km Strathroy 174km 95km London 185km 195km to 205km Ingersoll 130km St. Marys 147km Stratford 219km Woodstock 189km Kitchener 262km Brantford 211km Guelph 74km end 44km Grimsby 19km St. Catharines GO Highway 406 Queen Elizabeth Way 1km Niagara Falls GO 0 km Niagara River Maple Leaf to New York City 303km Aldershot GO 240km Georgetown GO 256km Brampton GO Highway 401 325km Oakville GO Queen Elizabeth Way 290km end 359km 0km Toronto GO TTC UPX 254km to 21km Guildwood GO 51km Oshawa GO 101km Port Hope 113km Cobourg 163km Trenton Junction 182km Belleville 217km Napanee 254km Kingston 285km to 290km Gananoque 335km Brockville 380km Smiths Falls 430km Fallowfield OCT 446km Ottawa OCT 493km Casselman 428km Cornwall 533km Alexandria Ontario Quebec border 476km Coteau Ottawa River West Channel Ottawa River East Channel 520km Dorval AMT 539km Montreal 272km to Saint Lawrence River 545km Saint-Lambert AMT Richelieu River 592km Saint-Hyacinthe 639km Drummondville 785km Charny Saint Lawrence River 790km Sainte-Foy 811km Quebec City

• Montreal–Ottawa (6 per weekday, 3 per Saturday, 4 per Sunday)
• Montreal–Quebec City (5 per weekday, 3 Saturday/Sunday)
• Toronto–Montreal via Cornwall (6 per weekday, 5 per Saturday, 5 per Sunday)^[7]
• Toronto–Montreal via Ottawa (2 per weekday, 2 per Saturday, 1 per Sunday)
• Toronto–Ottawa via Kingston (8 per weekday, 5 per Saturday, 6 per Sunday)
• Toronto–Sarnia via Georgetown and London (1 per day)
• Toronto–London via Georgetown (2 per day including Sarnia trains)
• Toronto–Windsor via Brantford and London (4 westbound Sunday–Friday, 3 on Saturday, 4 eastbound Monday–Saturday, 3 on Sunday)
• Toronto–London via Brantford (5 per weekday, 4 Saturday/Sunday including Windsor trains)^[8]

The Maple Leaf, a through service from Toronto to New York City, operated jointly with Amtrak, is crewed by Via as trains 97 and 98 on VIA schedules, between Toronto and Niagara Falls and can be considered part of Corridor services as well. It is the only scheduled rail service from the Corridor line at Burlington to Niagara Falls.

Commuter rail

A GO Transit train on the main line west of Toronto

Two commuter rail agencies, provincially funded and independent of Via, share tracks with Via's Corridor trains.

• The GO Transit Kitchener line shares tracks with Via trains for its entire route from Toronto Union Station to Kitchener Station.
• The GO Transit Lakeshore West line shares tracks with Via trains from Toronto Union Station to Bayview junction, just west of Aldershot Station. The Lakeshore West line Niagara Branch shares tracks with Via trains for its entire route from Toronto Union Station to Niagara Falls.
• The GO Transit Lakeshore East line shares tracks with Via trains from Toronto Union Station to Durham Junction, just west of Pickering Station. Between Pickering and Oshawa, GO trains use a separate parallel line immediately north of the CN/Via tracks.
• The AMT Mont-St-Hilaire line shares tracks with Via trains for its entire route from Montreal Central Station to Mont-Saint-Hilaire.
• The AMT Vaudreuil-Hudson line operates in the same corridor as Via trains from Dorion to Lachine, but does not share tracks with Via trains. AMT trains operate on the CP tracks, and Via trains operate on the CN tracks.

See also

• High-speed rail in Canada
• Maple Leaf (Amtrak)
• Northeast Corridor
• Quebec City–Windsor Corridor

Notes

1. Peter Warwick (December 2009). "Via's bold Corridor plan". Trains Magazine (Kalmbach Publishing).
2. http://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/decision-ruling/drv.php?type=d&no-num=446-R-2008&lang=eng
3. "VIA RAIL EXPANDS ITS RAIL NETWORK BY ACQUIRING THE BROCKVILLE SUBDIVISION". VIA Rail Canada Inc. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
4. Greenaway, Norma (2008-01-10). "Ontario-Quebec to study rapid rail link". National Post.
5. High-Speed Passenger Rail Study Released
6. Ontario Moving Forward With High-Speed Rail
7. http://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/trains/ontario-and-quebec/toronto-montreal/schedules
8. "VIA Rail schedules".