Maple Leaf (train)

The ''Maple Leaf'' is an international passenger train service operated by Amtrak and Via Rail between Pennsylvania Station in New York City and Union Station in Toronto via the Empire Corridor. Daily service is offered in both directions; the 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.

History

Amtrak and Via Rail introduced the ''Maple Leaf'' along the Hudson River and Erie Canal on April 26, 1981. The ''Maple Leaf'' replaced Buffalo–Toronto connecting service operated by Via and the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway, the latter of which discontinued passenger service that day. The new ''Maple Leaf'' was the first collaboration between the two companies and the first direct New York-Toronto passenger service in a decade, the last being an overnight TH&B, New York Central, and Canadian Pacific Railway train called ''The Ontarian'' (Buffalo-Toronto) that ended in 1967. That earlier train began as the ''Cleveland Limited'' westbound, with sleeper passengers having a continuous carriage ride (eastbound riders joined the '' Ohio State Limited'' for the Buffalo-New York City leg). By contrast, the modern ''Maple Leaf'' was a unified New York City-Toronto train. There was also a New York City-Toronto train named ''Maple Leaf'' operated by the Lehigh Valley Railroad from 1937 until 1961, a train which traveled through northern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania and central New York.

The new train employed Amtrak's Amfleet coaches with a dinette car. A 1982 consist included a baggage car, two coaches and a dinette; time spent in customs ranged from thirty minutes to two hours. The new route goes through the two Niagara Falls towns on both sides of the border, before going to Aldershot in Burlington, then Toronto. The prior New York Central trains crossed from Buffalo to Ontario south of the Niagara Falls and made five stops in Ontario before reaching Toronto.

An Amtrak crew operates the train in the United States, while a Via Rail crew operates the train in Canada. The crew change takes place in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Because of this need for a crew exchange, the ''Maple Leaf'' was led by some of the last EMD F40PH locomotives in Amtrak revenue service. While most Amtrak routes outside the Northeast Corridor had switched to the GE Genesis by 2000, it had not been added to the ''Maple Leaf'' owing to the Via Rail crews' unfamiliarity with the unit. The ''Maple Leaf'' retained the F40PH until Via received its own Genesis locomotives in 2002.

The ''Maple Leaf'' is one of four New York Amtrak routes that are primarily state-funded with the others being the '' Adirondack'', '' Empire Service'', and ''Ethan Allen Express''. Primary funding for these routes is from the New York State Department of Transportation rather than federal funding.

In March 2020, the ''Maple Leaf'' was truncated to Niagara Falls, New York after all non-essential travel across the Canada–United States border was banned in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Via did not provide alternate service on the Canadian side of the border. International service resumed on June 27, 2022.

2013 terror plot

In 2013, the ''Maple Leaf'' was the target of a failed terror plot involving an attempt by two men, both permanent residents of Canada, who sought to derail the train as it crossed a bridge over the Twenty Mile Creek near Jordan, Ontario. The two men were allegedly affiliates of an Al-Qaeda group operating out of Iran.

Route details

In the United States, the Maple Leaf shares the route of the '' Empire Service'', Amtrak's corridor service along the former main line of the New York Central Railroad. From New York City to Albany, it runs mostly parallel to the Hudson River (viewable on the left side northbound and the right side southbound). In Canada, the service shares the route of GO Transit's Lakeshore West commuter rail line.

Prior to the completion of the Empire Connection in 1991, the ''Maple Leaf'' originated at Grand Central Terminal in New York instead of Penn Station.

The ''Maple Leaf'' operates over Metrolinx and Canadian National Railway trackage in Canada, and CSX Transportation, Metro-North Railroad, and Amtrak trackage in the United States.
*Metrolinx Oakville Subdivision, Toronto to Burlington
*CN Oakville Subdivision and Grimsby Subdivision, Burlington to Niagara Falls
*CSX Niagara Subdivision, Buffalo Terminal Subdivision, Rochester Subdivision, Mohawk Subdivision, Selkirk Subdivision, and Hudson Subdivision, Niagara Falls to Schenectady (Amtrak leases the Hudson Subdivision between Schenectady and Poughkeepsie from CSX)
*MNRR Hudson Line, Poughkeepsie to Spuyten Duyvil
*Amtrak Empire Connection, Spuyten Duyvil to Penn Station.
*Amtrak Niagara connection, Niagara Falls, NY to CN Niagara Falls Yard (Grimsby Subdivision), Niagara Falls, ON

Amtrak numbers the train as 63 northbound and 64 southbound, while Via numbers it as 97 southbound and 98 northbound. Via brands the Toronto-Niagara Falls leg as part of its ''Corridor'' services.

Northbound trains leave New York after the morning rush, arriving in Syracuse at noon, crossing into Canada during the afternoon rush and arriving in Toronto in early evening. Southbound trains leave Toronto after the morning rush, cross into the United States just after noon and arrive in New York in mid-evening. Trains stop for two hours for customs procedures in Niagara Falls, Ontario northbound and Niagara Falls, New York southbound.

Station stops

Equipment

The ''Maple Leaf'' operates year-round with an Amtrak GE P42DC or P32AC-DM locomotive and Amfleet I & II passenger cars. A typical consist will include:
* 1 P42DC or P32AC-DM locomotive
* 1 Amfleet I Cafe/'Businessclass' car
* 3 Amfleet II 'Coachclass' cars
*1-2 Amfleet I 'Coachclass' car

Between Albany and New York, the train is always pulled by a P32AC-DM dual-mode locomotive, since diesel operation is prohibited in New York Penn Station. The train switches "on-the-fly" to third rail when it enters the Penn Station tunnel. Typically, the P32AC-DM is swapped out in Albany for a P42DC diesel locomotive, which handles the remainder of the trip. Occasionally, the P32AC-DM locomotive will stay on the train all the way to Toronto.

An extra Amfleet I car is added to the ''Maple Leaf'' consist during the Christmas shopping rush to handle additional demand.

See also

* '' Cascades''
* '' Montrealer''

References

Notes

External links

*
Via Rail Canada – Toronto–Niagara Falls train

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Amtrak routes
Named passenger trains of Canada
Named passenger trains of Ontario
International named passenger trains
Passenger rail transport in Toronto
Passenger rail transport in Mississauga
Rail transport in Oakville, Ontario
Rail transport in Burlington, Ontario
Passenger rail transport in Hamilton, Ontario
Rail transport in Grimsby, Ontario
Rail transport in the Regional Municipality of Niagara
Passenger rail transportation in New York (state)
Railway services introduced in 1981
1981 establishments in New York (state)