CN Kingston Subdivision facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kingston Subdivision |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
.jpg)
CN on the Kingston Subdivision in October 1981
|
|
| Overview | |
| Status | Operational |
| Owner |  Canadian National Railway Metrolinx |
| Locale | Ontario and Quebec, Canada |
| Termini | Union Station Rail Corridor, Toronto Montreal |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| System | Canadian National Railway |
| Services |   Lakeshore East Toronto-Montreal Corridor Toronto-Ottawa Corridor |
| Operator(s) | Canadian National Railway (freight) GO Transit (passenger) Via Rail (passenger) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Signalling | Centralized traffic control |
The Kingston Subdivision, often called the Kingston Sub, is a very important railway line in Canada. It connects two of Canada's biggest cities, Toronto and Montreal. This railway line is used by many trains, especially those belonging to the Canadian National Railway (CN). It carries most of CN's freight (cargo) traffic between these two major cities.
This railway line was first built by the Grand Trunk Railway. It was their main route between Toronto and Montreal. Most of the Kingston Sub runs very close to the northern shore of Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River.
Contents
How the Kingston Sub Works
The Kingston Sub has two main tracks. Along these tracks, there are more than 50 special sections called crossover tracks. These crossovers let trains switch from one track to another very quickly.
Train Speeds and Control
Trains carrying large shipping containers can change tracks at speeds up to 45 miles per hour. Passenger trains, like those from Via Rail, can switch tracks at 60 miles per hour, and even 90 miles per hour in some areas.
The entire railway line is controlled by a system called CTC. This system uses signals to tell trains when they can move and where they can go. Since 1995, train conductors on the Kingston Sub don't need to fill out special forms to get permission to move. The CTC signals give them all the necessary instructions. This is how most main railway lines work for CN.
Connecting Lines and Ownership
Just east of Newcastle, near Toronto, another major railway line joins the Kingston Sub. This is the CP Belleville Subdivision, which belongs to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Both lines run side-by-side until east of Belleville. There, the Belleville Sub turns north towards Smiths Falls.
Not all parts of the Kingston Sub are still owned by CN. For example, CN's main freight trains in the Toronto area now use a different route, the York Sub, which goes north of the city. The section of the Kingston Sub between Pickering Junction and Union Station in downtown Toronto was sold to Metrolinx. Metrolinx uses this part for their GO Transit service, which is part of their Lakeshore East line.
Stations Along the Line
The original Grand Trunk Railway line, built in the 1850s, had 34 stations. Many of these old stations are no longer used or have been taken down. For example, the Lansdowne station was removed after CN stopped service there in 1966. An Iroquois station was also taken down by CN in 2002.
Here are some of the stations currently on the main railway line between Toronto and Montreal:
- Union Station (Toronto)
- GO Transit stations (no VIA Rail service) in Toronto: Danforth, Scarborough, Eglinton
- Guildwood
- Commuter stations for GO Transit (no VIA Rail service) in: Rouge Hill/Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby
- Oshawa GO Station
- Port Hope railway station
- Cobourg railway station
- Brighton (not in use, now part of the Memory Junction railway museum)
- Trenton Junction railway station
- Belleville station (Ontario)
- Napanee railway station
- Ernestown (not in use)
- Kingston railway station (Ontario)
- Kingston Outer Station (abandoned and in ruins)
- Gananoque railway station
- Brockville railway station
- Prescott (not in use, now a historical society)
- Near Morrisburg, two old stations from The Lost Villages were moved but not put back into service. New stations were built in Morrisburg and Long Sault in the 1950s, but trains no longer stop there.
- Cornwall railway station
- Dorval railway station (Via)
- The line used to end at Bonaventure Station in Montreal. Now, it ends at Montreal Central Station.
