Maple Leaf (train)
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The ''Maple Leaf'' is an international
passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self p ...
service operated by
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
and
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 ...
between Pennsylvania Station in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and Union Station in
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 anch ...
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 Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
and
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...
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 Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway was a railway based in Hamilton that ran in Southern Ontario from 1892 to 1987. It never reached the other two cities in its name, although it did have branch lines extending to Dunnville and Port Mait ...
, 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 The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...
, and
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...
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 The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along th ...
'' operated by the
Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad built in the Northeastern United States to haul anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Pennsylvania. The railroad was authorized on April 21, 1846 for freight and transportation of passengers, goods, ...
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 Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the Canada 2016 Census, 2016 census. It is part of the List of census ...
. 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 The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, ...
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 The ''Ethan Allen Express'' is a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak in the United States between New York City and Burlington, Vermont, via Albany, New York. One daily round trip is operated on a north-south route with a 7 hour 35 minu ...
''. Primary funding for these routes is from the
New York State Department of Transportation The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit systems ...
rather than federal funding. In March 2020, the ''Maple Leaf'' was truncated to
Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and named after the fame ...
after all non-essential travel across the
Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: ...
was banned in response to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. 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 Jordan is a community located on the eastern edge of the Town of Lincoln, in the Niagara Region. Jordan is bordered by the Twenty Mile Creek and Vineland to the west, Lake Ontario to the north, St. Catharines to the east, and Pelham to the s ...
. The two men were allegedly affiliates of an
Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...
group operating out of
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.


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 The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mi ...
. 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 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 mil ...
's Lakeshore West commuter rail line. Prior to the completion of the Empire Connection in 1991, the ''Maple Leaf'' originated at
Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
in New York instead of Penn Station. The ''Maple Leaf'' operates over
Metrolinx Metrolinx is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario that manages and integrates road and public transport in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), which comprises much of Ontario's Golden Horseshoe region. Headquartered at Union ...
and
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...
trackage in Canada, and
CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
,
Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York and under contract with the Connectic ...
, and Amtrak trackage in the United States. *Metrolinx Oakville Subdivision, Toronto to Burlington *CN Oakville Subdivision and Grimsby Subdivision, Burlington to
Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...
*CSX
Niagara Subdivision The Niagara Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of New York. The line runs from Buffalo north and west to Niagara Falls along former New York Central Railroad and Lehigh Valley Railroad lines. ...
,
Buffalo Terminal Subdivision The Buffalo Terminal Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of New York. The line runs from Churchville, New York, to Hamburg, New York.http://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/CSX/CSX%20ETTs/CSX% ...
, Rochester Subdivision, Mohawk Subdivision,
Selkirk Subdivision The Selkirk Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of New York. The line runs from Selkirk northwest to Amsterdam along a former New York Central Railroad line. At its southeast end, at Selkirk Yard, the Selk ...
, and Hudson Subdivision, Niagara Falls to
Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
(Amtrak leases the Hudson Subdivision between
Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
and
Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
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 Corridor or The Corridor may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Corridor'' (1968 film), a 1968 Swedish drama film * ''The Corridor'' (1995 film), a 1995 Lithuanian drama film * ''The Corridor'' (2010 film), a 2010 Canadia ...
'' 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 General Electric Genesis (officially trademarked GENESIS) is a series of passenger diesel locomotives produced by GE Transportation, then a subsidiary of General Electric. Between 1992 and 2001, a total of 321 units were built for Amtrak, Metro ...
or
P32AC-DM General Electric Genesis (officially trademarked GENESIS) is a series of passenger diesel locomotives produced by GE Transportation, then a subsidiary of General Electric. Between 1992 and 2001, a total of 321 units were built for Amtrak, Metro- ...
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 A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway t ...
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
{{italic title 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)