Maple Leaf (train)
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Operating speed | 44 mph (71 km/h) (avg.) 110 mph (180 km/h) (top) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Track owner(s) | Amtrak, MNRR, CSX, CN, Metrolinx | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Maple Leaf is an international
History
Amtrak and Via Rail introduced the Maple Leaf along the Hudson River and Erie Canal on April 26, 1981. The Maple Leaf replaced Buffalo–Toronto connecting service operated by Via and the
The new train employed Amtrak's
An Amtrak crew operates the train in the United States, while a Via Rail crew operates the train in Canada.[7] The crew change takes place in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Because of this need for a crew exchange, the Maple Leaf was led by some of the last EMD F40PH locomotives in Amtrak revenue service. While most Amtrak routes outside the Northeast Corridor had switched to the GE Genesis by 2000, it had not been added to the Maple Leaf owing to the Via Rail crews' unfamiliarity with the unit. The Maple Leaf retained the F40PH until Via received its own Genesis locomotives in 2002.[8]: 107
The Maple Leaf is one of four New York Amtrak routes that are primarily state-funded with the others being the Adirondack, Empire Service, and Ethan Allen Express. Primary funding for these routes is from the New York State Department of Transportation rather than federal funding.
In March 2020, the Maple Leaf was truncated to Niagara Falls, New York after all non-essential travel across the Canada–United States border was banned in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10] Via did not provide alternate service on the Canadian side of the border. International service resumed on June 27, 2022.[11]
2013 terror plot
In 2013, the Maple Leaf was the target of a failed terror plot involving an attempt by two men, both permanent 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.[12][13][14]
Operation
Equipment
Most Maple Leaf trains consist of five or six cars hauled by a locomotive.[15]
The passenger cars are the Amfleet series built by the Budd Company in the mid 1970s to early-1980s. Most trains include an Amfleet club car which has a combination of Business Class seating with a Café (food service/lounge) and four or five Coach Class cars.
Between New York City and Albany–Rensselaer, trains are pulled by a GE Genesis P32AC-DM dual-mode diesel locomotive at speeds up to 110 mph (177 km/h). The locomotives operate on third rail electric power in Penn Station and the Empire Connection tunnel and on diesel power for the rest of the route.[16] Between Albany–Rensselaer and Toronto, traditional diesel-only GE Genesis P42DC locomotives are used, although the P32AC-DM locomotive occasionally stays on the train all the way to Toronto.
In the coming years all equipment will be replaced with Amtrak Airo trainsets, the railroad's branding of its combination of Siemens Venture passenger cars and a Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotive.[17] The trainsets for the Maple Leaf will have six passenger cars, which will include a cab control car food service area and a mix of 2x2 Coach Class and 2x1 Business Class seating.[18] The car closest to the locomotive will have batteries to supply electricity to traction motors in the locomotive when operating in Penn Station and the Empire Connection tunnel, eliminating the need for third rail propulsion. The arrangement will eliminate the time-consuming locomotive change at Albany–Rensselaer.
Classes of service
All classes of service include complimentary WiFi, an electric outlet (120 V, 60 Hz AC) at each seat, reading lamps, fold-out tray tables. Reservations are required on all trains, tickets may be purchased online, from an agent at some stations, a ticketing machine at most stations, or, at a higher cost, from the conductor on the train.[19]
- Coach Class: 2x2 seating. Passengers self-select seats on a first-come, first-served basis.[20]
- Business Class: 2x1 seating with more legroom than coach. Passengers receive complimentary soft drinks.
Route
In the United States, the Maple Leaf shares the route of the Empire Service, Amtrak's corridor service along the former main line of the New York Central Railroad. From New York City to Albany, it runs mostly parallel to the Hudson River (viewable on the left side northbound and the right side southbound). In Canada, the service shares the route of GO Transit's Lakeshore West commuter rail line.
Prior to the completion of the
The Maple Leaf operates over Metrolinx and Canadian National Railway trackage in Canada, and CSX Transportation, Metro-North Railroad, and Amtrak trackage in the United States.
- Metrolinx Oakville Subdivision, Toronto to Burlington
- CN Niagara Falls
- CSX Poughkeepsiefrom CSX)
- MNRR Hudson Line, Poughkeepsie to Spuyten Duyvil
- Amtrak Empire Connection, Spuyten Duyvil to Penn Station.
- Amtrak Niagara connection, Niagara Falls, NY to CN Niagara Falls Yard (Grimsby Subdivision), Niagara Falls, ON
Amtrak numbers the train as 63 northbound and 64 southbound, while Via numbers it as 97 southbound and 98 northbound. Via brands the Toronto-Niagara Falls leg as part of its
Northbound trains leave New York after the morning rush, arriving in Syracuse at noon, crossing into Canada during the afternoon rush and arriving in Toronto in early evening. Southbound trains leave Toronto after the morning rush, cross into the United States just after noon and arrive in New York in mid-evening. Trains stop for two hours for customs procedures in Niagara Falls, Ontario northbound and Niagara Falls, New York southbound.
Stations
See also
References
- ^ "Amtrak Fiscal Year 2023 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ Streamliner Schedules, "The Ontarian" timetable, plus consists for other NYC trains of the period with routes from and to Toronto http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track6/ontarian196506.html
- ^ New York Central timetable, November 5, 1967, final timetable with Ontarian
- New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ Streamliner Schedules, "The Ontarian" timetable, plus consists for other NYC trains of the period with routes from and to Toronto http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track6/ontarian196506.html
- ^ New York Central timetable, November 5, 1967, final timetable with Ontarian
- Miami News. April 28, 1981. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-7603-1765-5.
- ^ "Service Adjustments Due to Coronavirus" (Press release). Amtrak. March 24, 2020. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Dickson, Jane (March 18, 2020). "Canada-U.S. border to close except for essential supply chains". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ "International train service returns for customers for the first time since 2020". Amtrak. June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Rocha, Euan; Alastair Sharp (April 22, 2013). "Canada thwarts "al Qaeda-supported" passenger train plot". Reuters Canada. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ Macdonald, Alaistair; Siobhan Gorman; David George-Cosh (April 22, 2012). "Canada Thwarts Alleged Plot to Attack Train". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ "Jordan train bridge reportedly target of thwarted terror plot". Niagarathisweek.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ "Amtrak – Maple Leaf". TrainWeb. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ Vermont Agency of Transportation (January 2010). "Passenger Rail Equipment Options for the Amtrak Vermonter and Ethan Allen Express" (PDF). Vermont Legislature. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
- ^ "Introducing Our New Trains: Amtrak Airo". Amtrak. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Amtrak FY 2022–2027 Asset Line Plan" (PDF). Amtrak. p. 132. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ "Travel Guide to Train Fares". Amtrak. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Reserved Coach Class Seat". Amtrak. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Travel Advisory; Grand Central Trains Rerouted To Penn Station". The New York Times. April 7, 1991. Retrieved February 7, 2010.