The Maple Leaf is an international passenger train service operated by Amtrak and Via Rail between New York Penn Station in New York City and Union Station in Toronto via the Empire Corridor. Daily service is offered in both directions; the 544-mile (875 km) trip takes approximately 12 hours, including two hours for U.S. or Canadian customs and immigration inspection at either Niagara Falls, New York, or Niagara Falls, Ontario. Although the train uses Amtrak rolling stock exclusively, the train is operated by Via Rail crews while in Canada and by Amtrak crews in the United States. Service began in 1981.
Amtrak locomotive #106 pushing its train east through Toronto's Mimico GO Station.
Via Rail Canada Inc., operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada.
CNR Rapido train cars in Pickering, July 1968. In an effort to attract riders, new train cars were acquired by CN in the 1960s.
A Via Rail train at Cochrane station in August 1978. Earlier that year, CNR and CPR passenger rail service were spun off into Via Rail Canada.
The LRC in Port Hope, October 1981. Via Rail ordered the LRCs in the 1980s to replace its older train cars.
A Via GMD FP7 leads the Canadian in Regina, May 1982. The Canadian was rerouted in the 1990s, ending service to several cities, like Calgary.
