If you’ve taken a train lately, you’ve likely been late. In the third quarter of 2023, 50 percent of Via Rail train trips ran on time. And a train trip isn’t much faster than driving; the average train trip between Montreal and Toronto, the most popular one in Canada, takes five hours and eight minutes, while it would take half an hour longer to drive the same distance. Those few minutes shaved off don’t come cheap—the price of a train ticket from Toronto to Montreal changes depending on the time of year, but a round trip can run you upward of $300. Economically speaking, you’re better off driving yourself.
But trains offer an ease of travel other forms of transportation can’t provide. Being able to board a train that shuttles between the downtown cores of different cities without braving long security lines or paying for airport parking is a boon. But while Canada has an extensive rail network, it’s also the only G7 country without a high-speed option—in Japan, China, France, Spain, Italy, and the United States, trains that can reach speeds of over 450 kilometres an hour have been a reality for over a decade.
