Wildfires in northwestern Ontario have forced VIA Rail to partially cancel The Canadian between Toronto and Winnipeg, disrupting the July 26 departure and leaving passengers to arrange onward travel.

VIA Rail Wildfire Disruption in Northern Ontario
Photo: GRACIEUSETÉ DIANE LAYBOURNE.

Train No. 1 normally continues west from Toronto through Armstrong, about 250 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, before reaching Winnipeg and Vancouver. For the July 26 departure, VIA Rail had kept the Toronto–Winnipeg section cancelled as of Friday.

Affected bookings are being refunded, but that does not cover the extra hotel rooms and flights some stranded travellers need to continue their journeys. Radio-Canada’s passenger accounts⁠ show the disruption has created uncertainty even for people booked beyond the current fire season.

Track reopened, passenger service still restricted

CN, which owns the route, said its Allanwater Subdivision reopened on Sunday after repairs and inspections. The infrastructure reopening had not yet restored the full VIA Rail service.

CN also deployed a firefighting train, specialist fire-suppression crews and additional equipment to protect railway infrastructure and nearby buildings.

Ontario’s July 24 forest-fire update⁠ reported 133 active fires in the Northwest Region, including 30 that were not under control. Thunder Bay 36 had been remapped to 315,431 hectares on July 22, while crews continued to attack hot spots, build fireguards and protect structures.

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Smoke and heat create separate railway hazards

Transport-planning specialist David Cooper said smoke can reduce a train crew’s visibility of signals and switches. Extreme heat can also distort rail alignment and affect switches, while direct fire damage can require repairs and inspections before traffic resumes.

Shoshanna Saxe, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Infrastructure, said much of the country’s railway infrastructure was built nearly a century ago and was not designed for fires of today’s frequency and intensity. Additional track capacity could offer alternatives when one part of the network closes, but she said such work would be expensive and slow to deliver.

Passengers planning travel on The Canadian can check VIA Rail’s official arrivals and departures tool⁠ for the latest service status before starting their journey.

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