VIA Rail Canada

About Canada

Get on board! Enjoy anecdotes and travel discoveries from coast to coast

From the Pacific shores of downtown Vancouver to the Atlantic lighthouses of
Halifax, VIA Rail provides coast to coast, long and short haul rail service to Canada’s busiest centers and most beautiful regions. Short-haul services connecting Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City offers leisure and business travelers alike, fast and efficient service between some of Canada’s largest cities. On board services in economy and business class complete a set of offerings to match any budget and desired comfort level. Long-haul trains connecting Halifax & Montreal and Toronto & Vancouver reflect the system’s longer routes with economy seating or sleeper compartments complete with freshly prepared meals, domed lounge cars and on board entertainment.


Via Rail cannot limit wheelchair access


The Canadian Transportation Agency is rejecting Via Rail's efforts to limit access on its trains for passengers using wheelchairs and other mobility aids. The CTA's ruling came about as the result of a complaint from a Toronto married couple, both of whom have cerebral palsy and use motorized scooters. They contend that Via's long-standing approach prevents them from travelling together.

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Terms, conditions and restrictions apply; pricing, availability, and other details subject to change and/ or apply to US or Canadian residents. Please confirm details and booking information with your travel advisor.

You will visit the following 10 places:

Saskatoon

Saskatoon

Saskatoon is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Straddling a bend in the South Saskatchewan River and located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, it is centrally located in the province and has served as the cultural and economic hub of the region since its establishment in 1882 as a Temperance colony. The city is home to the University of Saskatchewan, the Meewasin Valley Authority which protects the South Saskatchewan River and provides for the city's popular riverbank park spaces, and Wanuskewin Heritage Park, a National Historic Site of Canada representing nearly 6,000 years of First Nations history. There is a significant Indigenous population in the city, and several urban Reserves within its boundaries. It is known for its relatively diverse and vibrant culture, as well as its eight (plus two planned) river crossings, earning it the nicknames"Paris of the Prairies" and "Bridge City." Historic neighbourhoods of Saskatoon include Nutana and Riversdale, which were both separate towns before amalgamating with the town of Saskatoon and incorporating as a city in 1906. Nutana, Riversdale, their historic main streets of Broadway Avenue and 20th Street respectively, as well as the downtown core and other central neighbourhoods, are seeing significant reinvestment and redevelopment today. Similarly, the old rail town of Sutherland was annexed by the city in 1956 and is now another historic neighbourhood of Saskatoon, just beyond the University lands.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Being located very far inland, the city is named after the nearby Lake Winnipeg; the name comes from the Western Cree words for muddy or brackish water.  Known as the "Gateway to the West", Winnipeg is a railway and transportation hub with a diversified economy. This multicultural city hosts numerous annual festivals, including the Festival du Voyageur, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, and Folklorama. Winnipeg was the first Canadian host of the Pan American Games. It is home to several professional sports franchises, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Canadian football), theWinnipeg Jets (ice hockey), Manitoba Moose (ice hockey) and the Winnipeg Goldeyes (baseball).

Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Classed as a Beta global city, the city is well known for its majestic natural beauty, as it is nestled between the Coast Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently ranked as one of the "best cities to live in" and is certainly a beautiful destination to visit.

Halifax

Halifax

Halifax, legally known as the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a major economic centre in Atlantic Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Major employers and economic generators include the Department of National Defence, Dalhousie University,Saint Mary's University, the Halifax Shipyard, various levels of government, and the Port of Halifax. Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas of the municipality. Halifax was ranked as the fourth best place to live in Canada for 2012, placed first on a list of "large cities by quality of life" and placed second in a list of "large cities of the future''. Additionally, Halifax has consistently placed in the top 10 for business friendliness of North and South American cities. Waterfront warehouses known as the Historic Properties recall Halifax’s days as a trading hub for privateers, notably during the War of 1812.

Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in Canada. Located in the Ottawa Valley, the city lies in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario on the Ottawa River, a major waterway forming the local boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. 

St. John's

St. John's

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. St. John's was incorporated as a city in 1888, yet is considered by some to be the oldest English-founded city in North America. Situated on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, it is one of the world's top ten oceanside destinations. Its name has been attributed to the feast day of John the Baptist, when John Cabot was believed to have sailed into the harbour in 1497, and also to a Basque fishing town with the same name.

Toronto

Toronto

Toronto, a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, television production, is home to the headquarters of Canada's major national broadcast networks and media outlets. Its varied cultural institutions, which include numerous museums, festivals and public events, entertainment districts, national historic sites, and sports activities, are key attractions to the over 25 million tourists that visit the city every year.  Toronto is well known for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, the CN Tower. As Canada's commercial capital, the city is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the headquarters of Canada's five largest banks, and the headquarters of many large Canadian and multinational corporations. Its economy is highly diversified with strengths in technology, design, financial services, life sciences, education, arts, fashion, business services, environmental innovation, food services, and tourism. Toronto is placed among the Global Leaders in the Global Financial Centres Index, and is also consistently rated as one of the world's most liveable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Mercer Quality of Living Survey.

Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated at the confluence of the Bow River and the Elbow River in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, about 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. In the 2011 census, the City of Calgary had a population of 1,096,833 and a metropolitan population of 1,214,839, making it the largest city in Alberta, and the third-largest municipality and fifth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada. The economy of Calgary includes activity in the energy, financial services, film and television, transportation and logistics, technology, manufacturing, aerospace, health and wellness, retail, and tourism sectors. The Calgary CMA is home to the second-highest number of corporate head offices in Canada among the country's 800 largest corporations.

Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec and the second-largest city in Canada. Originally called Ville-Marie, or City of Mary, the city takes its present name from Mont Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located, or Mont Real as it was spelled in Middle French, Mont Royal in present french.

Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, Canada. Edmonton's historic growth has been facilitated through the absorption of five adjacent urban municipalities (Strathcona, North Edmonton, West Edmonton, Beverly and Jasper Place) and a series of annexations ending in 1982. The city serves as the northern anchor of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Known as the "Gateway to the North", the city is a staging point for large-scale oil sands projects occurring in northern Alberta and large-scale diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories. Edmonton is a cultural, governmental and educational centre. It hosts a year-round slate of festivals, reflected in the nickname "Canada's Festival City". It is home to North America's largest mall, West Edmonton Mall (the world's largest mall from 1981 until 2004), and Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest living history museum.

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