Canada’s national passenger rail network operates from the Atlantic to the Pacific
ocean, connecting eight of the country’s ten provinces. Taking over service from Canadian
National and Canadian Pacific in 1978, the network has changed dramatically, reflecting
the decline of passenger rail travel across the country. Combined with Amtrak services
from the United States, the network links various cities and small towns across the
country, with a variety of commuter, intercity and long distance routes. But how has the
network changed from the daily cross country system of 1978 to the lines that remain today?
I’m Zach with Vanishing Underground, and lets find out.
Before we start, a couple notes on our legend. We’ve broken down the county into three
sections: Eastern Canada, Ontario & Quebec, and Western Canada. In the coming weeks, we’ll
go more in depth into each of these sections, showcasing the specific routes and their frequencies.
Once those videos are released, you can access them by clicking the button in the top right
corner of this video. Additionally, we’re only displaying major stations on the network,
in order to give a broad overview of the system. You can view our entire selection criteria
in the description box of this video. With that being said, lets begin our journey in
1977. That year, VIA Rail was formed, modelling off of the United States’ creation of Amtrak
six years prior. One year later in April 1978, VIA took over responsibility for CN Rail’s
passenger services, forming the original backbone of the cross country network. In October of
that year, Canadian Pacific also transferred their passenger services to VIA. At the same time, Amtrak
revised service in Southern Ontario, rerouting trains to run through Niagara Falls New York,
bypassing Fort Erie as a result. However, this change was short lived, as Amtrak service
between Detroit and Albany was cancelled in January 1979. In May, VIA began making changes
to the network, abandoning some services and improving routing on others. In northern Manitoba,
service between Flin Flon and Osborne Lake was withdrawn in May. On Vancouver Island
in British Columbia, service was revised to include new stops in Langford and North Cowichan,
and expanded to run daily. In northern Quebec, service between Chambord and Dolbeau was discontinued,
as well as between Rouyn-Noranda and Senneterre. Service between Quebec City and Edmundston
New Brunswick was also withdrawn around this time. Southern Quebec saw service between
Sherbrooke and Montreal through Farnham removed near the end of 1979, which included the cancellation
of commuter service along the present day Candiac line. Service in northern Ontario
was also revised, resulting in a reduction in frequency between Nakina and Sioux Lookout.
In Washington state, Amtrak service was extended, with a daily southbound train extending to
Portland Oregon. In the Vancouver area, VIA service to New Westminster and Coquitlam stations
were withdrawn, replaced with a new consolidated stop in Port Coquitlam. Amtrak service continued
to change into 1980, with the addition of the Schenectady stop in New York state. Additionally,
only six months after it was introduced, services between Seattle and Portland from Vancouver
were also withdrawn. Many smaller routes were discontinued that year, with Ontario
seeing service between Hornepayne and Manitouwadge cut, and Saskatchewan seeing service from
Saskatoon to Hudson Bay removed, and the station in Melfort no longer serviced. Further frequency
reductions in Ontario saw frequencies reduced between Winnipeg and Sioux Lookout,
and Nakina and Sudbury. 1981 saw various services revised in southern Ontario, with trains
between Hamilton and Buffalo being discontinued. In its place, a new Amtrak train began running,
filling the gap between Schenectady and Niagara Falls, running through Buffalo, Rochester
and Syracuse. However, on the west coast, Amtrak service between Vancouver British Columbia and Seattle
Washington was discontinued that September due to budget pressures in the United States.
At the end of 1981, similar budget pressures affected VIA service in Canada, with a 20%
budget cut forcing a dramatic reduction in service. In New Brunswick, service between
Moncton and Edmundston was discontinued, as well as service between Saint John and Sherbrooke
Quebec, running through Maine. In its place, new service was introduced between Saint John
and Fredericton, returning passenger rail to the New Brunswick capital after a 19 year
absence. In Quebec, trains between Montreal and Saguenay saw service frequency reduced,
with services between Quebec City, Rivière-à-Pierre and Hervey discontinued. Service along the
north shore of the Ottawa River through Gatineau was also discontinued at this time, as well
as seasonal service north to Mont-Laurier. Additionally, VIA service through Vaudreuil-Dorion
was cancelled, leaving only one route between Ottawa and Montreal. In Ontario, frequency
on the line between Ottawa and Sudbury was reduced. Manitoba also saw changes, with daily
service being removed between Wabowden and Thompson. The station in Swan River was also
closed at this time. Direct service between Winnipeg and Saskatoon was also removed, with
trains on this route now travelling through Regina. North of Saskatoon, service to Prince
Albert also ceased. In Alberta, service between Edmonton and Drumheller was discontinued,
and British Columbia saw service between Jasper and Port Coquitlam removed, with VIA trains
no longer servicing Abbotsford and Chilliwack. In September 1982, cuts to the VIA rail network
continued, with various commuter services in the Toronto and Montreal area being removed.
In Toronto, GO Transit took over service to Stouffville and Barrie, resulting in many
intermediate stations on these lines being transferred to their ownership. GO opted not
to take over service between Toronto and Havelock however, resulting in this route being discontinued
in September. In the Montreal area, service to Sherbrooke was withdrawn
at the same time, resulting in intermediate stations on the present day Mont-Saint-Hillare
line being closed. In October, Amtrak began operating a new route into Canada, continuing
west from Sarnia Ontario to Chicago Illinois, and servicing various cities in Michigan.
A new station opened in Mississauga Ontario in 1983, just outside of Toronto. The following
year, service in Saskatchewan was revised, with trains between Regina and Saskatoon being removed,
and replaced once again by direct service between Saskatoon and Winnipeg. Additionally,
with the election of a new federal government, some services that had been cut three years
prior began to be restored, with service between Moncton New Brunswick and Edmundston restored
on a reduced schedule. Service restorations continued into 1985, with daily service between
Saint John New Brunswick and Saint-Hyacinthe Quebec resuming, replacing service to Fredericton.
In Ontario, service between Toronto and Havelock resumed, and service between Ottawa and Sudbury
was once again increased to run daily. Northern Ontario however saw service between Thunder
Bay and Sioux Lookout removed in November of that year. Direct service in Alberta between
Calgary and Edmonton through Red Deer also ended in 1985, removing direct trains between
the biggest cities in the province. In British Columbia, service resumed to Abbotsford and
Chilliwack, restoring daily service between Edmonton and Port Coquitlam. 1986 saw some
smaller scale closures on the network in the Toronto area, with stations in Mississauga
and Richmond Hill being closed. In the north end of the province, service between Nakina
and Hearst also ceased. 1987 saw a bridge collapse in Quebec suspend service between
Quebec City and Trois-Rivières. Additionally, poor track conditions in Vermont saw Amtrak
service between Montreal and Springfield Massachusetts suspended, cutting off direct trains
between Montreal and Washington DC. Service revisions continued in the US in 1988, with an additional Amtrak
stop added in Hammond Indiana. Service between Quebec City and Trois-Rivères was
restored in 1989 as the bridge was rebuilt, as well as Amtrak service between Montreal
and Washington DC. However, routing for this service was revised, servicing new stops in
New London Connecticut and Amherst Massachusetts. Then came 1990. The federal government ordered
a 50% reduction in passenger service, which cut VIA’s budget from $600 million annually to
$350 million. This resulted in numerous VIA rail services being discontinued across the network,
and frequencies being reduced on many of the surviving routes. In Nova Scotia, service
to Yarmouth and Sydney was withdrawn, while New Brunswick saw service between Moncton
and Edmundston withdrawn once again. Frequencies on the remaining routes were reduced, with
daily service no longer being offered. In Quebec, service on the north shore of the
St Lawrence River through Laval and Trois-Rivères was removed, with services being consolidated
on the south side of the St Lawrence River. Ontario saw service between Toronto and Havelock once again
removed, as well as service between Toronto and Kapuskasing. As well, the line between Ottawa and
Sudbury was closed at this time. In the west, service on the southern transcontinental route through
Regina Saskatchewan and Calgary Alberta was abandoned, leaving these two large cities
with no passenger rail service. Frequencies on the northern transcontinental route were
reduced at the same time, with daily service no longer being offered. As a small victory
however, a new station opened that year in Yonkers New York, servicing Amtrak trains
running to and from New York City. In 1992, the three stations in the Hamilton and Burlington
area of Ontario were consolidated, resulting in a new station opening in Burlington at
the present day Aldershot GO Station. This new stop helped to improve customer service,
and reduced staffing costs in the area. At the end of 1994, VIA service between Moncton
New Brunswick and Saint-Hycinthe Quebec was discontinued, removing the last VIA route
running through the United States. This also left Sherbrooke Quebec and Saint John New
Brunswick with no passenger rail service, a contentious issue to this day. In 1995,
Amtrak service between Montreal and Washington DC was withdrawn due to budget pressures in
the United States. While Amtrak operates a variation of this service today, trains no
longer cross the Canada-US border, ending 20 kilometres south in St Albans Vermont.
Funding has been spent in recent years to once again extend this service to Montreal,
with service expected to resume in the next two years. On the west coast, Amtrak
restarted trains between Vancouver and Seattle in May 1995, with daily service in each direction.
1996 saw a few more station closures in Ontario, with trains between Sudbury and Toronto being
rerouted to a different line. This resulted in VIA rail no longer servicing stations in
Barrie, Newmarket and Orillia. In Northern Ontario, VIA service between Cochrane and
Senneterre Quebec was also suspended, due to a speed restriction imposed on the tracks.
British Columbia saw changes in 1999, with Port Coquitlam station being closed.
The following year, service in the area was further revised to operate in a one-way loop,
with trains servicing Chilliwack and Abbotsford into Vancouver, and train service restarting
to Mission on eastbound trips. On the east coast, a new tourist train ran once a week
to Sydney Nova Scotia. In 2001, the station in Mississauga Ontario was once again reopened,
however Hammond Indiana was once again removed from the Amtrak line to Chicago. Northern
Manitoba saw some changes in 2003, with service between Lynn Lake and The Pas being cut back
to Pukatawagan. More service reductions were undertaken in 2004. In Nova Scotia, the once
weekly train to Sydney was discontinued. Amtrak also decided to discontinue service between
Chicago and Sarnia, due to extensive border crossing delays in the aftermath of the 9/11
terrorist attacks. Service on this line was replaced in the United States only, with no
cross-border transit services offered between Port Huron and Sarnia. Two years later in
2006, service in Northern Manitoba between Pukatawagan and The Pas was transferred to
a private operator, and no longer appear on the VIA Rail timetables. Few changes were
made to the network for the rest of the decade until 2009, when Amtrak service was once again
extended south from Seattle Washington to Portland Oregon. In 2011, poor track conditions
resulted in the suspension of service on Vancouver Island British Columbia, ceasing daily service
between Victoria and Courtenay. Two years later, a similar predicament forced the suspension
of service in Quebec between Matapedia and Gaspe. In 2014, service in Quebec was further
revised in the Quebec City area, with trains from the east now servicing stations within
the city itself. The following year, the station in Repentigny Quebec was closed due to safety
reasons, removing VIA service from this Montreal suburb. 2017 saw flooding in northern Manitoba
heavily damage the tracks between Gillam and Churchill, effectively isolating this community
with no road access. Repairs on the line were conducted over the following year, with service
to Churchill resuming at the end of 2018. This brings us to the VIA Rail network that
we know today. Thanks for watching! We hope you enjoyed this video, and learned something
new about how the VIA rail network came to be. If you have any questions or we got anything
wrong, please leave us a comment down below. Feel free to leave a like if you want to see
more, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming in-depth videos
on the VIA Rail network evolution. And finally, as for us here, we’ll be Vanishing Underground,
until the next one.