Maple Leaf (train)

Maple Leaf

The Maple Leaf crosses the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, in 1983.
Overview
Service type International Inter-city rail
Status Operating
Locale Eastern United States/Canada
First service April 26, 1981
Current operator(s) Amtrak (within US)
Via Rail (within Canada)
Route
Start New York, United States
Stops 20
End Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Distance travelled 544 mi (875 km)
Average journey time 12 hours, 30 minutes (includes time at border control)
Service frequency Daily each way
On-board services
Class(es) Business and standard class
Seating arrangements Reserved Coach Seat
Business Class Seat
Catering facilities On-board café (not available between New York City and Albany)
Baggage facilities Carry-on baggage only
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (Standard Gauge)
Track owner(s) Amtrak
Metro North
CSX Transportation
Canadian National
Metrolinx
Timetable number(s) 63, 64 (Amtrak)
97, 98 (Via)

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 544-mile (875 km) trip takes approximately 12 hours, including two hours for customs and immigration inspection. Although Amtrak rolling stock is used exclusively, the train is staffed by Via Rail personnel while in Canada. 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 new Maple Leaf was the first collaboration between the two companies and the first New York-to-Toronto passenger service in a decade. 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.[1]

In the US an Amtrak crew operates the train whereas in Canada a Via Rail crew is in charge.[2] Because of this need for a crew exchange, the Maple Leaf was one of the last Amtrak trains to receive the new GE Genesis locomotive owing to the Via Rail's crews' unfamiliarity with the unit. The Maple Leaf retained the EMD F40PH until Via received its own Genesis locomotives in 2002.[3]:107

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

2013 terror plot

In 2013, the Maple Leaf was the target of a failed terror plot involving an attempt by two men, both non-citizen 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.[4][5][6]

Route details

VIA Maple Leaf sign at Toronto Union Station

In the United States, the Maple Leaf shares the route of Amtrak's Empire Service. 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.[7] In Canada, the service shares the route of the GO Transit Lakeshore West line.

The Maple Leaf operates over Metrolinx, Canadian National Railway, CSX Transportation, Metro-North Railroad, and Amtrak trackage:

Equipment

Amtrak locomotive #106 pushing its train east through Toronto's Mimico GO Station.

The Maple Leaf operates year-round with an Amtrak P42DC or P32AC-DM locomotive and Amfleet I & II passenger cars. A typical consist will include:

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. Typically, P42DC locomotives are used between Albany and Toronto, which results in a locomotive change in Albany. Occasionally, the P32AC-DM locomotive will stay on the train all the way to Toronto.

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ Malcolm, Andrew H. (February 14, 1982). "New York to Toronto Train". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  2. ↑ "Amtrak's new Toronto-NY line fills 10-year void; may be a winner". Miami News. April 28, 1981. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  3. ↑ Solomon, Brian (2004). Amtrak. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN 0-760-31765-8.
  4. ↑ Rocha, Euan; Alastair Sharp (22 April 2013). "Canada thwarts "al Qaeda-supported" passenger train plot". Reuters Canada. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Macdonald, Alaistair; Siobhan Gorman; David George-Cosh (22 April 2012). "Canada Thwarts Alleged Plot to Attack Train". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Jordan train bridge reportedly target of thwarted terror plot". Niagarathisweek.com. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  7. ↑ "Travel Advisory; Grand Central Trains Rerouted To Penn Station". The New York Times. April 7, 1991. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
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