Transport in Canada - Rail

Rail

See also: Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, and Via Rail Further information: Rail transport in Canada, History of rail transport in Canada

In 2007, Canada had a total of 72,212 km (44,870 mi) of freight and passenger railway, of which 31 km (19 mi) is electrified. While intercity passenger transportation by rail is now very limited, freight transport by rail remains common. Total revenues of rail services in 2006 was $10.4 billion, of which only 2.8% was from passenger services. The Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway are Canada's two major freight railway companies, each having operations throughout North America. In 2007, 357 billion tonne-kilometres of freight were transported by rail, and 4.33 million passengers travelled 1.44 billion passenger-kilometres (an almost negligible amount compared to the 491 billion passenger-kilometres made in light road vehicles). 34,281 people were employed by the rail industry in the same year.

Nation-wide passenger services are provided by the federal crown corporation Via Rail. Three Canadian cities have commuter rail services: in the Montreal area by AMT, in the Toronto area by GO Transit, and in the Vancouver area by West Coast Express. Smaller railways such as Ontario Northland, Rocky Mountaineer, and Algoma Central also run passenger trains to remote rural areas.

In Canada railways are served by standard gauge, 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm), rails. See also track gauge in Canada.

Canada has rail links with the lower 48 US States, but no connection with Alaska other than a train ferry service from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, although a line has been proposed. There are no other international rail connections.

Read more about this topic:  Transport In Canada

Famous quotes containing the word rail:

    “In my conscience I believe the baggage loves me, for she never speaks well of me herself, nor suffers any body else to rail at me.”
    —William Congreve (1670–1729)

    “Old man, it’s four flights up and for what?
    Your room is hardly any bigger than your bed.
    Puffing as you climb, you are a brown woodcut
    stooped over the thin rail and the wornout tread.”
    —Anne Sexton (1928–1974)

    “If goodness were only a theory, it were a pity it should be lost to the world. There are a number of things, the idea of which is a clear gain to the mind. Let people, for instance, rail at friendship, genius, freedom, as long as they will—the very names of these despised qualities are better than anything else that could be substituted for them, and embalm even the most envenomed satire against them.”
    —William Hazlitt (1778–1830)