The Corridor | |||
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A Via Rail train approaching Belleville Station
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Overview | |||
Type | Inter-city rail | ||
System | Via Rail | ||
Locale | Quebec City–Windsor Corridor | ||
Termini |
Windsor Station Quebec City Station |
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Operation | |||
Opened | 1856 | ||
Owner |
Canadian National Via Rail Metrolinx Canadian Pacific |
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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) | ||
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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. 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.
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.
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.