The MacTier Subdivision is a major rail line in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, which is owned and operated by the
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, doing business as CPKC, is a Class I railroad in North America that resulted from the merger of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) on April 14, 2023. It is the first and curren ...
. The line stretches from
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
in the south to
MacTier in northern
Muskoka.
[ The MacTier Subdivision is the easternmost section of CPKC's present-day transcontinental route and is the railway's only connection between its eastern and western holdings which is fully within Canada. The route is single-track in its entirety and hosts only freight rail service. Between 1955 and 1978 the MacTier Subdivision hosted CPR's premier transcontinental passenger train, the '']Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
'', from Toronto to Vancouver. Operation of the ''Canadian'' was transferred to Via Rail
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. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...
in 1978, which switched over to CNR's Newmarket Subdivision
The CN Newmarket Subdivision is a rail line in Ontario operated by Canadian National Railway (CNR). The original route runs northward from just west of Union Station in downtown Toronto, ending just south of North Bay. A short portion between Al ...
, rejoining the former CPR route at Parry Sound
Parry Sound is a sound or bay of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sound from Georgian B ...
, north of MacTier.[
]
Route
The MacTier Subdivision begins at the West Toronto Diamond
The West Toronto Diamond is a railway junction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It connects the Metrolinx Weston Subdivision, which carries the GO Transit Kitchener line, UP Express and Via Rail Corridor passenger services, to the CP North Toronto S ...
, where it diverges northwest from the Galt Subdivision
Canadian Pacific's Galt Subdivision is Canadian Pacific's 114.6 mile long section of its Montréal-Detroit freight corridor. It is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. Getting its name from the historic City of Galt (now the City of Cambridg ...
, which is also a part of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City system. From here, the line parallels GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...
's Kitchener line
Kitchener is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends westward from Union Station in Toronto to Kitchener, though most trains originate and terminate in Brampton in off-peak h ...
for about until diverging north. Just after crossing into York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, the railway crosses under Canadian National's Halton Subdivision
The CN Halton Subdivision is a major railway line in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CN).
Route description
The Halton Subdivision is long and runs generally northeast–southwest. Milepoint ...
. Here the line passes just east of CPKC's Vaughan Intermodal facility. Following three sidings at Bolton, Palgrave and Baxter, the railway junctions with the Barrie Collingwood Railway, which runs east to Barrie
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...
. Following this junction, the route winds its way through northern Simcoe County
Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the ...
until entering the dense forests of northern Ontario. The route enters Muskoka after crossing the Trent–Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a canal route connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, at Port Severn. Its major natural waterways include the Trent River, Otonabee River, Kawartha Lakes, Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching an ...
at Severn Falls. Travelling through the wilderness, the route reaches Bala, where it begins to parallel Canadian National's Bala Subdivision
The Canadian National Railway (CN) Bala Subdivision is a major railway line in Ontario, Canada. It runs between the provincial capital of Toronto in Southern Ontario and Capreol, Ontario, Capreol in Northern Ontario, where the line continues as t ...
until reaching MacTier, Ontario.[ The subdivision ends at MacTier, where the Parry Sound Subdivision continues north to Sudbury.
]
Traffic
The Mactier sub handles intermodal and other freight traffic
*100, Vancouver BC to Toronto ON, Priority Intermodal, Daily
*101, Toronto ON to Vancouver BC, Priority Intermodal, Daily
*104, Vancouver BC to Toronto ON, Intermodal, Daily
*105, Toronto ON to Vancouver BC, Intermodal, Daily
*106, Vancouver BC to Toronto ON, Autoracks and Intermodal, As Needed
*112, Vancouver BC to Montreal QC, Intermodal, Daily
*113, Montreal QC to Vancouver BC, Intermodal, Daily
*118, Edmonton AB to Montreal QC, Intermodal, Daily
*119, Montreal QC to Edmonton AB, Intermodal, Daily
*420, Winnipeg MB to Toronto ON, Mixed Freight, Daily
*421, Toronto ON to Winnipeg MB, Mixed Freight, Daily
*422, Sudbury ON to Toronto ON, Mixed Freight, As Needed
*H17, Toronto ON to Spence Yard ON, Autoracks, As Needed
*H28, Vaughan ON to Toronto ON, Intermodal and Mixed Freight, As Needed
Stations
The MacTier subdivision had three stations served by the ''Canadian'', all closed in 1978:[
*West Toronto
*Alliston
*MacTier
]
See also
* Barrie Collingwood Railway
* List of Ontario railways
The following railways operate in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Common freight carriers
* Barrie Collingwood Railway (BCRY)
*Canadian National Railway (CN) including subsidiaries Algoma Central Railway (AC), Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW ...
References
{{Rail Subdivisions in Ontario
Canadian Pacific Railway lines in Ontario
Rail infrastructure in Simcoe County
Rail infrastructure in the District Municipality of Muskoka