Maple Leaf (train)

This article is about the joint Amtrak/Via service. For other trains, see Maple leaf (disambiguation) § Transport.

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.

In the US an Amtrak crew operates the train whereas in Canada a Via Rail crew is in charge. 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.

2013 terror plot

In 2013, the Maple Leaf was the target of a 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.

Route details

A change of locomotive is made at Albany on select days with P42DC units utilized north of Albany and P32AC-DM units taking over the remainder of the route to Penn Station. The Maple Leaf has previously operated with P32ACDM units directly from Toronto to New York. Rarely, the P32ACDM may stay on the train to Toronto. East of the border crossing, the service is shared with Empire Service trains. 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, Canadian National Railway, CSX Transportation, Metro-North Railroad, and Amtrak trackage:

• 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

Station stops

State/Province	Town/City	Station	Connections
New York	New York City	Penn Station	Amtrak: Acela Express, Adirondack, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter LIRR: Main Line, Port Washington Branch NJ Transit: North Jersey Coast Line, Northeast Corridor Line, Gladstone Branch, Montclair-Boonton Line, Morristown Line NYC Subway: 1 2 3 A C E trains NYC Transit buses: M4, M7, M20, M34 / M34A Select Bus Service, Q32
	Yonkers	Yonkers	Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express Bee-Line: 6, 9, 25, 32, 91 (seasonal service) Metro-North Railroad: Hudson Line
	Croton-on-Hudson	Croton–Harmon	Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited Bee-Line: 10, 11, 14 Metro-North Railroad: Hudson Line
	Poughkeepsie	Poughkeepsie	Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express Dutchess LOOP: A, B, C, D, E, Poughkeepsie RailLink City of Poughkeepsie Transit: Main Street, Shoppers' Special UCAT Ulster-Poughkeepsie LINK Metro-North Railroad: Hudson Line
	Rhinecliff	Rhinecliff-Kingston	Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express
	Hudson	Hudson	Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express
	Rensselaer	Albany-Rensselaer	Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited CDTA: 114, 214
	Schenectady	Schenectady	Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited CDTA: 63, 70, 353, 354, 355, 905
	Amsterdam	Amsterdam	Amtrak: Empire Service
	Utica	Utica Union Station	Adirondack Scenic Railroad: to Thendara, New York Amtrak: Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited CENTRO: 15, 31
	Rome	Rome	Amtrak: Empire Service
	Syracuse	Syracuse	Amtrak: Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited CENTRO: 16, 48, 50, 60, 62, 70, 82, 236, 246, 250
		New York State Fair	Amtrak: Empire Service Train only stops during fair
	Rochester	Rochester	Amtrak: Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited RTS: 1X, 4X, 13X, 34X, 35, 35X, 37, 37X, 38X, 47X, 48X
	Depew	Buffalo-Depew	Amtrak: Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited NFTA: Bus Route 46 (46A and 46B)
	Buffalo	Buffalo-Exchange Street Station	Amtrak: Empire Service, Thruway Motorcoach to Jamestown, New York Buffalo Metro Rail: Erie Canal Harbor and Seneca stations
	Niagara Falls	Niagara Falls	Amtrak: Empire Service
Ontario	Niagara Falls	Niagara Falls	GO Transit: Lakeshore West Train and Bus Service Niagara Falls Transit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, Green Line Falls Shuttle Niagara Region Transit: 50/55, 60/65, Fort Erie Link WEGO Niagara Falls (formerly Niagara Parks Commission People Mover)
	St. Catharines	St. Catharines	GO Transit: Lakeshore West Train Service St. Catharines Transit: 3, 15, 115
	Grimsby	Grimsby	Greyhound Canada: QuickLink (discontinued)
	Burlington	Aldershot	GO Transit: Lakeshore West Train and Bus Service Burlington Transit: 1 Hamilton Street Railway: 18 Via Rail: The Corridor
	Oakville	Oakville	GO Transit: Lakeshore West Train and Bus Service, Oakville Hwy 403 Bus Service, Oakville Hwy 407 Bus Service Oakville Transit: 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 180, 190, 200 Via Rail: The Corridor
	Toronto	Union Station	GO Transit: Barrie Train and Bus Service, Brampton Trinity Common Bus Service, Kitchener Train Service, Hamilton QEW Bus Service, Lakeshore East Train and Bus Service, Lakeshore West Train and Bus Service, Milton Train and Bus Service, Orangeville Bus Service, Port Perry Bus Service, Richmond Hill Train and Bus Service, Stouffville Train and Bus Service, Sutton Bus Service, Union Pearson Express (starting 2015) TTC: Line 1 Yonge–University, 509 Harbourfront, 510 Spadina Via Rail: The Canadian, The Corridor Ontario Northland: Northlander (discontinued 2012) Can-ar Coach Service scheduled bus routes: Toronto-Pearson Airport-Orangeville-Kincardine–Port Elgin, Toronto-Scaborough-Port Perry–Lindsay– Haliburton)

Consist and equipment

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

The Maple Leaf operates year-round with Amtrak P42DC & P32AC-DM units and Amfleet I & II equipment. A typical consist will include:

• 1 P42DC/ P32AC-DM locomotive
• 1 Amfleet I Cafe/'Businessclass' car
• 1-2 Amfleet II 'Coachclass' cars
• 2-4 Amfleet II 'Coachclass' cars

The Maple Leaf consist grows to six cars with the addition of an extra Amfleet II car during the winter Christmas Holiday Shopping rush to handle additional seasonal demand.

See also

• Adirondack
• Cascades
• Empire Service
• Montrealer

External links

• Amtrak – Maple Leaf
• Via Rail Canada – Toronto-Niagara Falls train