Major railways in Canada.
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CANADIAN RAILWAYS
A list of Canadian railways.
Freight railways by province
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian National | CN | British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia | Publicly traded corporation | |
| CPKC | CPKC | British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec | Publicly traded corporation |
Multiple provinces
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloom Lake Railway | N/A | Bloom Lake Mine to WLR junction | Cliffs Natural Resources | Operates in Quebec and Labrador; privately owned, not a common carrier; operated under contract by Genesee & Wyoming |
| BNSF Railway | BNSF | Vancouver to US border (Washington State), Saskatchewan border | Berkshire Hathaway | Major US railway with small section of directly owned operations in British Columbia and Saskatchewan |
| CSX Transportation | CSXT | Sarnia, ON to Sombra, ON | CSX Corporation | Major US railway with small section of direct operations in Ontario |
| Knob Lake and Timmins Railway | KLT | Schefferville to Iron Mines on the Québec/Labrador border | Genesee & Wyoming | Operates in Newfoundland and Labrador. |
| Nipissing Central Railway | NCR | Swastika, ON toRouyn-Noranda, QC | Ontario Northland Railway | |
| Ontario Northland Railway | ONT | North Bay to Hearst, Moosonee, or Rouyn-Noranda | Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a governmental entity | Operates in Ontario and Quebec. Also carries passengers |
| Ottawa Valley Railway | OVR | Sudbury to Témiscaming | Genesee & Wyoming | Operates in Ontario and Quebec |
| Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway | QNSL | Sept-Îles to Wabush | Iron Ore Company of Canada | Operates in Quebec and Labrador; private service, not a common carrier |
| Tshiuetin Rail Transportation | TSH | Schefferville to QNSF junction | First nations owned | Operates in Newfoundland and Labrador. Also carries passengers. |
Alberta
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta Prairie Steam Tours Ltd. | APXX | Big Valley and Botha to Canadian Pacific West Stettler Junction | Alberta Prairie Steam Tours Ltd. Private Company Shortline Freight | The oldest of all the privately owned shortlines in Alberta. Former Canadian Pacific Lacombe Subdivision and former Canadian National Stettler Subdivisions. Primary markets are grains, fertilizer, rail car storage and passenger train day trips. |
| Battle River Railway | BRR | Alliance to Canadian National Camrose Junction | Battle River Railway New Generation Co-operative Cooperative Shortline Freight | |
| Forty Mile Rail | FMRX | Stirling to Foremost | Cooperative Shortline Freight | Former Canadian Pacific Stirling Subdivision. The Primary market for Forty Mile Rail's services is expected to be grain and pulse production. Future potential may include oil movement and other non-grain products. |
| Mackenzie Northern Railway | RLGN | Alberta to Northwest Territories | Canadian National Railway (2006) |
British Columbia
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Rail | BCOL | Surrey to Roberts Bank Superport | Provincially owned | Terminal railway that is the last publicly managed portion of a formerly large scale system; the BC government still technically owns the North Vancouver to Prince George line, although it is leased to and managed by CN |
| Englewood Railway | ER-WFP | Woss to Beaver Cove | Western Forest Products | Privately owned; not a common carrier |
| Grand Forks Railway Inc. | GFR | Grand Forks to Grand Forks Jct. | International Forest Products Ltd. d.b.a. "Interfor" and Regional District of Kootenay Boundary | |
| Kelowna Pacific Railway | KPR | Kelowna/Lumby to Kamloops | KnightHawk Rail Ltd. | Fallen Flag. Went into receivership in 2013. Ownership of infrastructure reverted to CNR. As of Nov 2015 the Coldstream to Kelowna portion was abandoned and torn up. |
| Kettle Falls International Railway | KFR | Laurier, WA to Grand Forks & Carson and Waneta to Columbia Gardens | OmniTRAX | Majority of the line's trackage is contained in the US |
| Nelson & Fort Sheppard Railway Corporation | NFTS | Columbia Gardens to Park Siding | Atco Wood Products | |
| Southern Railway of British Columbia | SRY | Vancouver to Chilliwack | URS Corporation | |
| Southern Railway of Vancouver Island | SVI | Victoria to Courtenay | URS Corporation |
Manitoba
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNSF Manitoba | BNML | Winnipeg to BNSF lines at US border (North Dakota) | Subsidiary of BNSF Railway | |
| Boundary Trail Railway | BTRC | Morden to Binney Siding | Privately owned | Owns abandoned line west to Killarney. |
| Central Manitoba Railway | CEMR | Winnipeg to Graysville and Pine Falls | Cando Rail Services Ltd. | |
| Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway | GWWD | Winnipeg to Shoal Lake, Ontario | City of Winnipeg | Not a common carrier. Governmental railway used to service city aqueduct. |
| Hudson Bay Railway | HBRY | The Pas to Churchill, The Pas to Flin Flon | Arctic Gateway Group | |
| Keewatin Railway | KRC | The Pas to Lynn Lake | Tribally owned | Also carries passengers. |
| Lake Line Railroad | LLRR | Selkirk to Gimli, Beausejour to CP Keewatin Subdivision |
New Brunswick
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Northern Railway | MNRY | St Léonard to the Maine Border | New Brunswick Southern Railway | |
| New Brunswick Southern Railway | NBSR | Saint John to St. Stephen | J.D. Irving Limited | |
| Springfield Terminal Railway | ST | St. Stephen to US border (Maine) | Pan Am Railways |
Newfoundland and Labrador
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabush Lake Railway | WLR | Labrador City to Wabush | Cliffs Natural Resources | Privately owned; not a common carrier |
Nova Scotia
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway | CBNS | Truro to Sydney | Genesee & Wyoming | inactive since 2015 |
| Sydney Coal Railway | SCR | Sydney to Lingan Power Plant | Logistec Inc. |
Ontario
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algoma Central Railway | AC | Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst | Subsidiary of Canadian National Railway | Also carries passengers |
| Arnprior-Nepean Railway | ANR | Arnprior to Nepean | ||
| Essex Terminal Railway | ETL | Amherstburg to Windsor, Ontario | Essex Morterm Holdings | |
| Barrie-Collingwood Railway | BCRY | Barrie Area | Corporation of the City of Barrie | Shortline that runs through Barrie and Innisfil on former CN Meaford Sub and Breton Spur |
| Goderich-Exeter Railway | GEXR | Brampton to Goderich via London and Stratford | Genesee & Wyoming | |
| Guelph Junction Railway | GJR | Guelph to Campbellsville | Municipally owned, but operated by Ontario Southland Railway | |
| Huron Central Railway | HCRY | Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie | Genesee & Wyoming | |
| Minnesota, Dakota and Western Railway | MDW | US border (Minnesota) to Fort Frances | Boise Cascade | US short line railway that owns trackage to serve one major Canadian customer |
| Ontario Southland Railway | OSRX | Woodstock to Tillsonburg or St. Thomas | Independently owned | |
| Orangeville-Brampton Railway | OBRY | Orangeville to Streetsville | Owned by Orangeville-Brampton Development Corporation, a nonprofit entity; operated by Cando Ltd. | |
| Port Colborne Harbour Railway | PCHR | St. Catharines to Port Colborne | Trillium Railways | |
| Southern Ontario Railway | RLHH | Brantford to Nanticoke via Hamilton | Genesee & Wyoming | |
| Vale Railway | VAEX | Sudbury to nickel mines | Vale Inco | Privately owned; not a common carrier |
Quebec
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemin de fer Arnaud | CFA | Sept-Îles to port facilities | Cliffs Natural Resources | Privately owned, not a common carrier |
| Cartier Railway | Cartier | Port-Cartier to Mont Wright mine | ArcelorMittal | Privately owned, not a common carrier |
| Charlevoix Railway | CFC | Quebec City to Clermont | Groupe Le Massif Inc. | Also carries passengers |
| Chemin de fer Lanaudière | CFL | Joliette to Saint-Felix | Independently owned | |
| Chemin de fer de l'Outaouais | CFO | Gatineau to Wakfield | Municipally owned | |
| Gaspésie Railway Society | SFG | Matapédia to Gaspé | Avignon Regional County MunicipalityBonaventure Regional County MunicipalityLe Rocher-Percé Regional County MunicipalityLa Côte-de-Gaspé Regional County Municipality | |
| Quebec Gatineau Railway | QGRY | Quebec City to Gatineau via Montreal | Genesee & Wyoming | |
| Chemin de fer de la Rivière Romaine | CFRR | Havre-Saint-Pierre to iron mine | QIT-Fer et Titane | Privately owned, not a common carrier |
| Roberval and Saguenay Railway | RS | Jonquière to La Baie | Rio Tinto Alcan | |
| Port of Montreal Railway | POM | Port of Montreal to CN/CP junctions | Montreal Port Authority, a federal governmental entity | |
| Sartigan Railway | CFS | Vallée-Jonction to CN Montmagny Subdivision | Independently owned | |
| St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad | SLQ | Montreal to US border (Vermont) via Sherbrooke | Genesee & Wyoming | Majority of the line's trackage is in the US |
Saskatchewan
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky Rail | BGS | Delisle to Beechy, Macrorie to Laporte, and Wartime to Kyle | subsidiary of Mobil Grain Ltd. | |
| Carlton Trail Railway | CTRW | Warman to Birch Hills or White Star or to Pulp Mill (Prince Albert) | OmniTRAX | |
| Fife Lake Railway | FLR | Hart Butte to GWR junction | Municipally owned; operated by Great Western Railway | |
| Great Sandhills Railway | GSR | Swift Current to Burstall | Independently owned | |
| Great Western Railway | GWRS | Assinboia or Bracken to CPR junction | Independently owned local cooperative; managed by WestCan Rail | |
| Last Mountain Railway | LMR | Regina to Davidson | partnership of Mobil Grain Ltd. and municipal governments | |
| Long Creek Railroad | LCRI | Estevan to Tribune | Independently owned | |
| Northern Lights Rail | NLR | Melfort to Birch Hills | ||
| Poplar River Mine Railway | PRMX | Great Western Railway in Coronach to Poplar River Mine and Poplar River Power Station | Westmoreland Mining | |
| Red Coat Road and Rail | RCRR | Pangman to GWR junction | Municipally owned, but operated by GWR | |
| Southern Rails Cooperative | SORA | Moose Jaw to Parry | Farmer-owned cooperative | |
| Stewart Southern Railway | SSS | Stoughton to Richardson | Independently owned | |
| Thunder Rail | TR | Arborfield to CN junction | Municipally owned | |
| Torch River Rail | TRRR | Choiceland to Nipawin | Municipally owned | |
| Wheatland Railway | WRI | St. Louis to Tozke | Municipally owned, but operated by Canadian National Railway |
Freight railways with trackage rights only
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Central Railroad | MEC | US border (Maine) to Saint John, NB | Pan Am Railways | US railway with trackage rights over New Brunswick Southern line |
| Norfolk Southern Railway | NS | US border (Michigan) to Windsor, ON; or US border (New York) to Niagara Falls, ON | Publicly traded corporation | Major US railway with brief trackage rights over Canadian Pacific (Windsor) and Canadian National (Fort Erie to Niagara Falls) lines |
| New England Central Railroad | NECR | US border (Vermont) to Quebec City via Montreal | RailAmerica | US railway with trackage rights over Canadian National line |
| Union Pacific Railroad | UP | US border (Washington) to Vancouver | Publicly traded corporation | Major US railway with trackage rights over BNSF line |
Passenger railways
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Railway | CR | Ottawa | City of Ottawa | The Trillium Line is a federally regulated rail line operated under the name "Capital Railway" |
| Trains de banlieue EXO | EXO | Greater Montreal | Exo, a provincial entity | 3 commuter routes with trackage rights over CP lines, 2 commuter routes with trackage rights over CN lines, 1 owned |
| GO Transit | GOT | Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area | Metrolinx, a provincial entity | 3 commuter routes with trackage rights over CN lines, 1 commuter route with trackage rights over CP lines, 2 owned and operated commuter lines |
| Ontario Northland Railway | ONT | Cochrane ON to Moosonee ON | Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial crown agency | 1 active route on owned tracks |
| Rocky Mountaineer | RMRX | Vancouver or Calgary to Banff, Jasper, and Whistler | Armstrong Group | 3 tour routes operating over CN tracks, 1 tour route operating over CP tracks |
| Via Rail | VIA | British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia | Federally owned | Operates 9 routes (the most major of which has 7 variations), mainly along CP and CN tracks |
| West Coast Express | BCVX | Mission to Vancouver | TransLink, a provincial entity | 1 commuter route with trackage rights over CP line |
Urban rail transit
| Name | Reporting Marks | Locale | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTrain | Calgary | Calgary Transit | 2 light rail lines | |
| Edmonton LRT | Edmonton | Edmonton Transit Service | 3 light rail lines | |
| Ion | Waterloo Region | Grand River Transit | 1 light rail line | |
| Montreal Metro | Montreal, Laval, and Longueuil | Societé de Transport de Montréal | 4 heavy rail metro lines (running on tires) | |
| O-Train | Ottawa | OC Transpo | 2 light rail lines | |
| Toronto Subway | Toronto and Vaughan | Toronto Transit Commission | 3 heavy rail metro lines | |
| Toronto Streetcar System | Toronto | Toronto Transit Commission | 11 streetcar lines | |
| Vancouver SkyTrain | Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey, Richmond | TransLink | 3 light metro lines |
