Photo courtesy of CN 1.0 The Evolving Railway For more than 150 years, Southwestern Ontario has Southwestern Ontario’s railways have undergone benetted from its access to a wide range of rail freight numerous and extensive technological, institutional services. The rail system has fostered and sustained and regulatory changes since the opening of the rst numerous economic activities, bringing in goods main line in 1854. Greatly reduced from its maximum for home and industrial use, and carrying nished geographic coverage in the mid-20th century, this goods and agricultural products o to national and system now directly serves only the most densely- international markets. It has also underpinned the populated portion of the region. But where it continues provision of rail passenger services. to operate, Southwestern Ontario’s rail system has a substantial impact. 10 As an interline partner, the Ontario Southland Railway extends CP’s reach to shippers and receivers located throughout Oxford County. Photo by Walter E. Pfeerle 1.1 Today’s Southwestern Ontario Rail System The core of this system consists of the east-west main to several major U.S. markets, particularly in the lines owned and operated by Canadian National (CN) Midwest, and numerous connections with the ve U.S. and Canadian Pacic (CP), both of which are publicly- Class I railways. traded private corporations. Under the criteria set by Working in concert with the CN and CP systems are the U.S. Surface Transportation Board and employed the short line railways that act as feeders for both throughout the industry, CN and CP are classied originating and terminating trac in Southwestern as two of North America’s seven Class I railways. CN Ontario. These “rst and last mile” rail carriers have operates a 31,543 route-km network and CP’s system preserved and revived former Class I light-density covers 19,956 route-km; both include a substantial routes. While these lines no longer t within the amount of U.S. trackage. operating models of the Class I railways, their The CN and CP main lines through Southwestern continued operation has been made possible by the Ontario are the central segments of the two railways’ lower costs and operational exibility that short lines Montreal-Chicago corridors, which link the Canadian can provide. By preserving a low-cost rail option, and U.S. industrial heartlands to eastern ports these short lines assist in sustaining the shippers and and consumption markets. In turn, these routes receivers they serve, enabling them to maintain their are integrated components of the full CN and CP operations in Southwestern Ontario and other regions transcontinental systems, which not only provide across Canada. domestic service, but also cross-border service 11 Southwestern Ontario Rail System 2017 ! !( Newmarket !(! Aurora ! !( !(Whitchurch-Stouffville !( !(! King City Bowmanville Orangeville ! ! ! !( Whitby !( !( ! ! Wingham Caledon !( ! !( ! !( Richmond Hill !( Markham!( Ajax !( Oshawa !( ! !( ! !( ! !( Vaughan!( !( Pickering!( !( ! !( !( !(!( !( !( !( !( Goderich !( !( !( !( Brampton!(!( !( !( !( Toronto !( !( !(! Halton!( Hills !( P GO TransitMetrolinx – Huron East ! !( !( !( Clinton ! ! Mississauga !( !( Goderich-Exeter Railway !( !( !( !( !!( Guelph !( !( ! Seaforth (! Milton !( !( Lake Ontario ! Oakville Bluewater !( ! Waterloo ! !(!( !(! Kitchener Lake Huron !( !( !( New Hamburg Stratford ! Cambridge !( Canadian National Exeter !( !(! ! Canadian Pacific Burlington!( ! ! South Huron !( !( Bayview Junction Niagara-on-the-Lake St. Marys ! ! !(! !( Hamilton !( Paris ! St. ! Stoney Creek !( Catharines Parkhill Grimsby ! ! Brantford !( Woodstock !(! ! Lincoln !(! Thorold !( ! ! Forest !( !( ! Niagara Falls Michigan Ingersoll !( !(! Welland Niagara Sarnia London ! River ! ! !( Strathroy !( !( !( !( !( !( !(!( !( !(! !( Southern !( Fort Erie Dunnville ! Ontario Railway ! Port Colborne Petrolia ! ! Tillsonburg ! Simcoe OntarioRailway Southland Inc. ! St. Thomas ! Aylmer ! !( Canadian Pacific !( !( !( Canadian National !( Lake Canada-USA Border St. Clair Chatham Oxford County Boundary !!(!( Lake Erie Stations St. Clair !( Freight Windsor Beach !( Passenger ! !( ! ! VIA Rail Railways Tecumseh ! Belle River !( Short Line Railways ! Canadian National Lakeshore Canadian Pacific GO Transit – Metrolinx Goderich-Exeter Railway Amherstburg New York Ontario Southland Railway Inc. ! Southern Ontario Railway Kingsville ! VIA Rail ! Leamington 0 5 10 20 30 40 Pennsylvania Kilometers ³ Ohio 12 ! !( Newmarket !(! Aurora ! !( !(Whitchurch-Stouffville !( !(! King City Bowmanville Orangeville ! ! ! !( Whitby !( !( ! ! Wingham Caledon !( ! !( ! !( Richmond Hill !( Markham!( Ajax !( Oshawa !( ! !( ! !( ! !( Vaughan!( !( Pickering!( !( ! !( !( !(!( !( !( !( !( Goderich !( !( !( !( Brampton!(!( !( !( !( Toronto !( !( !(! Halton!( Hills !( P GO TransitMetrolinx – Huron East ! !( !( !( Clinton ! ! Mississauga !( !( Goderich-Exeter Railway !( !( !( !( !!( Guelph !( !( ! Seaforth (! Milton !( !( Lake Ontario ! Oakville Bluewater !( ! Waterloo ! !(!( !(! Kitchener Lake Huron !( !( !( New Hamburg Stratford ! Cambridge !( Canadian National Exeter !( !(! ! Canadian Pacific Burlington!( ! ! South Huron !( !( Bayview Junction Niagara-on-the-Lake St. Marys ! ! !(! !( Hamilton !( Paris ! St. ! Stoney Creek !( Catharines Parkhill Grimsby ! ! Brantford !( Woodstock !(! ! Lincoln !(! Thorold !( ! ! Forest !( !( ! Niagara Falls Michigan Ingersoll !( !(! Welland Niagara Sarnia London ! River ! ! !( Strathroy !( !( !( !( !( !( !(!( !( !(! !( Southern !( Fort Erie Dunnville ! Ontario Railway ! Port Colborne Petrolia ! ! As well, some lines formerly owned by the Tillsonburg ! Simcoe OntarioRailway Southland Inc. ! Class I freight railways, and on which freight St. Thomas demand has declined or vanished, have ! Aylmer ! !( been purchased by VIA Rail Canada and GO Transit’s parent, Metrolinx. This is due to their Canadian Pacific !( irreplaceable role in the provision of commuter !( and/or intercity passenger service. Where freight service is still required on these lines, !( Canadian National CN and CP have trackage rights to maintain !( Lake Canada-USA Border access to the remaining shippers. St. Clair Chatham Oxford County Boundary !!(!( Lake Erie Stations St. Clair !( Freight Windsor Beach !( Passenger ! !( ! ! VIA Rail Railways This network of Canadian Class I main lines, Tecumseh ! Belle River !( Short Line Railways short lines and passenger trackage is part of a ! Canadian National Lakeshore Canadian Pacific continent-wide rail grid that provides freight GO Transit – Metrolinx service over more than 300,000 route-km in Goderich-Exeter Railway Amherstburg New York Ontario Southland Railway Inc. Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. It is the world’s ! Southern Ontario Railway third largest railway system, transporting ! VIA Rail Kingsville Leamington ! the fourth largest volume of freight trac. It 0 5 10 20 30 40 Pennsylvania connects Southwestern Ontario to the world by Kilometers ³ providing domestic and cross-border services, as well as access to global markets through Ohio Atlantic, Pacic and Gulf ports. 1.2 Not Your Grandfather’s Railway Canada’s railways have been compelled to evolve to also been born through partnerships with the other meet the needs of shippers in an increasingly time- modes for certain types of trac, taking advantage sensitive, globalized trading environment. They have of the heavy-haul, long-distance attributes of rail for had to nd a niche in among the services provided by a portion of the total freight haul. other modes – particularly trucking – and adapt to major changes in the public policies and funding that The creation of intermodal service using truck have aected all forms of transportation. trailers on at cars by both CP and CN in 1952 and its evolution into a system using high-cube containers In this evolution, some markets have been lost, such doublestacked on trains of 150 cars or more is the as less-than-carload shipments of high value that most visible demonstration of the rail industry’s move short or medium distances. However, other attempt to remain relevant in a world of changing markets have expanded, particularly those built shipper needs and demands. Other less visible on a need to move large volumes of freight over transformations involving a number of commodities, longer distances at rates below those achievable equipment types and operating plans have emerged by trucking. Hybrid multi-modal solutions have and continue to evolve. 14 From trailers riding “piggyback” on at cars in the early 1950s to today’s doublestacked containers moving in trains of 150 or more cars, intermodal has become one of the shining stars of Canadian railroading. Photos courtesy CP 15 While trucking is now the dominant form of freight This national policy has led the railways to haulage in terms of revenue and the value of the adopt lean production principles to cut costs, shipments handled, rail still outpaces it nationally derive the maximum utility and value from their on a tonne-kilometre basis. The railways sell on self-funded assets, and increase the return on the basis of the volume- and distance-driven investment for shareholders. The result has been rates they can oer using a xed, privately-owned the abandonment of unprotable routes, the de- network that is operated on a scheduled basis. marketing of marginal services and the increased Truckers sell largely through the faster and more solicitation of high-volume, higher-yield trac exible service they can provide