Urban rail transit in Canada encompasses a broad range of rail mass transit systems, includingcommuter rail,rapid transit,light rail, andstreetcar systems.
Italics indicate a line under construction.
Calgary Transit'sCTrain network started operation on May 25, 1981. As of December 2023,[update] the CTrain has the second-highest weekday ridership of any light rail transit system in North America, surpassed only byGuadalajara light rail system in Mexico. The CTrain carried over 312,000 passengers per weekday in the fourth quarter of 2018. There are45 stations in operation in the 60-kilometre (37 mi) CTrain system.[8] After starting by running on one leg in 1981, the system has expanded and now has four legs radiating out into Calgary's suburbs in different directions. The legs have been organized into two routes (identified as the Red Line and the Blue Line) that connect the four legs via shared tracks in a downtowntransit mall. The existing four legs of the system, as built in chronological order, are the south leg (1981), the northeast leg (1985), the northwest leg (1987), and the west leg (2012).
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TheEdmonton Transit Service's LRT system consisted of only one line from its opening in 1978 to 2015. As of February 2024,[update] the system includes the originalCapital Line; theMetro Line, sharing part of their route; and theValley Line.
Extensions to the Capital, Metro, and Valley lines have been approved. The construction of two new lines, the Energy and Festival lines, has been proposed.[13]
Exo operates five commuter rail lines in Greater Montreal, including theIsland of Montreal,North Shore, andSouth Shore. Each line terminates atMontreal Central Station orLucien-L'Allier, both indowntown Montreal, with connections to the metro system. Most of the system is run onCanadian National orCanadian Pacific trackage. Exo formerly owned and operated theMount Royal Tunnel and theDeux-Montagnes line until service was ended in 2020.
TheRéseau express métropolitain (REM) is a light metro system that will consist of a single line running through downtown Montreal with three branches to the west. The first two phases opened in 2023 and 2025, while the last two phases are scheduled to open in 2026 and 2027. When completed, the REM will connect to Exo, the Montreal Metro, and theMontréal–Trudeau International Airport.
The Montreal Metro is Canada's second-busiest rail transit system. Drawing inspiration from theParis Métro, it usesrubber-tired metro technology, the only such system in Canada. The 69.2-kilometre (43.0 mi) system has 68 stations on four lines, which serve the north, east, and central portions of the Island of Montreal, as well as the suburbs ofLaval andLongueuil. The metro began in 1966 with the east–westGreen Line and the north–southOrange Line.[14] A series of expansions since 1966 have expanded the original lines and added theYellow andBlue lines.
An eastward extension of the Blue Line began construction in 2022.
TheO-Train began in 2001 as a light rail pilot project to supplement Ottawa'sTransitway bus rapid transit system. This original line, now known asLine 2, was relatively inexpensive to construct ($21 million) due to its single-track route along a little used freight-rail right-of-way and useddiesel multiple units (DMUs) to avoid the cost of buildingoverhead lines along the tracks. TheConfederation Line opened in September 2019, replacing portions of the Transitway with an underground tunnel through downtown.[15][16]
As of June 2025,[update] Stage 2 of Ottawa's O-Train expansion is under construction, which will expand Line 1 east and west.
GO Transit operates commuter rail services in the GreaterGolden Horseshoe, including the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener, Niagara, Oshawa, Barrie, and Guelph. Each of its seven lines terminate atUnion Station in downtown Toronto. With 217,500 average weekday riders, it is Canada's busiest commuter rail service, and the fifth-busiest in North America. As of March 2024,[update] theGO Expansion project is underway and will bring electrification, new trackage, bridges, and tunnels to the system, allowing for two-way all-day service with 15-minute frequencies to sections of five of its lines.
GO Transit's parent agency,Metrolinx, also operates theUnion Pearson Express, anairport rail link between Union Station andToronto Pearson International Airport. It opened in advance of the2015 Pan American Games, sharing most of its routing with GO'sKitchener line before travelling along a 3.3-kilometre (2.1 mi) rail spur to the airport. At the airport, the line connects with theTerminal Link, a free people mover transporting passenger between the airport's terminals and parking garage.
TheToronto Transit Commission's 99.4-kilometre (61.8 mi)subway is Canada's oldest rapid transit system, having opened as the "Yonge subway" in 1954.[18] It is also Canada's busiest system, with 1,603,300 average weekday riders.[19] It is an intermodal system, with three heavy-rail and two light rail lines providing service to a total of 109 stations, the most of any Canadian system. The system connects each of Toronto'sformer municipalities, as well as the suburb ofVaughan.
Line 3 Scarborough was a light metro line which was in service from 1985 to 2023.[20]
Toronto also operates astreetcar system. Unlike light rail, the majority of the ten routes operate in mixed traffic and all make frequent stops. Three routes operate in a dedicated right-of-way:
The central section of the504 King route runs along theKing Street Transit Priority Corridor. The proposedWaterfront East LRT would be a fourth streetcar line operating in a dedicated right-of-way.
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TheWest Coast Express is a commuter rail line operated byTransLink. The 69-kilometre (43 mi) line runs fromWaterfront station in downtown Vancouver toMission, with six stations in between. The line only operates during peak hours on weekdays, with five trains heading west in the morning rush hour and five heading east in the afternoon rush hour. It is Canada's least-used urban rail transit system.[19]
The SkyTrain isTransLink's fully-automatedmedium-capacity metro system. The system opened in 1985 forExpo 86. This original portion, now known as theExpo Line, had been joined by theMillennium andCanada lines, making it Canada's longest rapid transit system by track length, at 79.6 kilometres (49.5 mi). The system serves Vancouver and many of its surrounding municipalities in theMetro Vancouver Regional District.
The first phase of the 19-kilometre (12 mi) Ion LRT system runs fromConestoga station in the City ofWaterloo toFairway station inKitchener. It opened to the public on June 21, 2019.[23] The system operates in reserved lanes on public streets and on private rights-of-way.Waterloo Region, Ontario, has also approved plans for a light rail extension to theAinslie St. Transit Terminal inCambridge, as phase two of Ion.[24]
| City or region | Line | Construction start | Expected opening | Stations | Line length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary | Green Line | 2025 | 2031[25] | 12 | 16 km (9.9 mi) | Under construction[26] |
| Edmonton | Valley Line West | 2021 | 2028 | 16 | 14 km (8.7 mi) | Under construction[27] |
| Edmonton | Capital Line South (phase 1) | 2025 | 2029[28] | 2 | 4.5 km (2.8 mi) | Under construction[3] |
| Gatineau | Gatineau LRT | 2030 | 30 | 26 km (16 mi) | Proposed | |
| Hamilton | Hamilton LRT | 2024[29] | 17 | 14 km (8.7 mi) | Planned | |
| Montreal | Réseau express métropolitain[a] | 2018 | 2026–2027[c] | 25 | 67 km (42 mi) | Under construction |
| Montreal | Blue Line extension[a] | 2023[30] | 2031[31] | 5 | 6 km (3.7 mi) | Under construction |
| Ottawa | Confederation Line (Stage 2)[a] | 2019 | 2026–2027 | 16[d] | 26.5 km (16.5 mi)[e] | Under construction[32] |
| Peel Region | Hurontario LRT | 2020[33] | TBA[34] | 19 | 18 km (11 mi)[35] | Under construction |
| Quebec City | Quebec City Tramway | 2024[36] | 2029[36] | 29 | 19.3 km (12.0 mi) | Planned |
| Toronto | Line 5 (Eglinton West extension) | 2022[37] | 2031[38] | 7 | 9.2 km (5.7 mi) | Under construction |
| Toronto | Ontario Line[a] | 2023 | 2030[39] | 15 | 15 km (9.3 mi) | Under construction |
| Toronto | Line 2 (Scarborough extension)[a] | 2021 | 2030 | 3 | 7.8 km (4.8 mi) | Under construction[40] |
| Toronto | Line 1 (Richmond Hill extension)[a] | 2024 | 2032 | 5 | 8 km (5.0 mi) | Planned[41] |
| Vancouver | Millennium Line (Broadway extension)[a] | 2021 | 2027[42] | 6 | 5.7 km (3.5 mi) | Under construction[43] |
| Vancouver | Expo Line (Surrey–Langley extension)[a] | 2024 | 2029[44] | 8 | 16 km (9.9 mi)[45] | Under construction[46] |
The Green Line is a planned expansion of Calgary's light rail network that would run from 160 Avenue in North Calgary to Seton in Southeast Calgary. The initial segment of the line would run between Eau Claire and Lynnwood/Millican, and would be 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) long, with 7 stations. The full vision of the Green Line would be 46 kilometres (29 mi) long, with 29 stations.
On September 3, 2024, Calgary's city council received a letter from Alberta minister of Transportation and Economic CorridorsDevin Dreeshen where he announced that the province would no longer provide its $1.5 billion portion of funding for the project, citing cost concerns,[47] as well as offering to procure a new alignment, which the province claimed would cost less, while serving a greater area. The council, unable to complete the project without the province's contribution, voted to wind down the project on September 17, 2024, despite $1.3 billion having already being spent, as well as having to spend an additional $850 million to wind it down.[48]
On June 17, 2025, the City of Calgary's executive committee was advised that the Green Line was back on track, with official ground breaking occurring on June 26, 2025.[49] The initial section being built will run from Shepard station in the Southeast, ending at the Event Centre located just east of downtown. The alignment from the Event Centre to the downtown core was still going through functional planning at that time.[50]
Gatineau,Quebec is proposing a 26-kilometre (16 mi) LRT system that would connect with Ottawa's O-Train system.[51]
Hamilton's B-Line route, part of the region'sBLAST rapid transit network, was a proposed light rail line to run east–west alongKing andMain streets, withMcMaster University andEastgate Square as its termini.[52] However, in announcing the financing for the line, theGovernment of Ontario changed the eastern terminus toQueenston Circle instead of Eastgate Square but added a branch to the newWest Harbour GO Station.[53] After uncertainty among Hamilton's city council and poor ridership projections in provincially funded studies, the provincial government announced that they would abandon the spur line down James North and a previously announced BRT system along James in favour of reinstating Eastgate Square as the terminal station of the B-Line.[54] In December 2019, the Ontario government announced that the project would be abandoned, in part due to higher-than-anticipated costs.[55] In February 2021, the province reversed their decision and announced their re-commitment to the Hamilton light rail project, and in May 2021, federal funding was confirmed.[56]
In February 2020, the mayor ofLongueuil, Quebec, proposed building a tramway in stages running east to west, fromHôpital Pierre Boucher in Longueuil toLa Prairie. The proposed line would mostly run along a reconfiguredTaschereau Boulevard passingCégep Édouard-Montpetit,Longueuil station (terminus of theYellow Line of theMontreal Metro),Hôpital Charles-LeMoyne andPanama station of theRéseau express métropolitain inBrossard.[57]
TheRéseau express métropolitain is a light metro line under construction in Montreal. It is opening in phases, with the first section operating since July 2023. When completed, it will consist of a central section connecting to the Green, Orange, and Blue metro lines, with four branches with service to theNorth Shore,West Island,airport, andSouth Shore.[58]
The Hurontario LRT is a 17.6-kilometre (10.9 mi) light rail line under construction which is largely financed by Ontario provincial government. It will run on the surface alongHurontario Street fromPort Credit GO Station inMississauga to Steeles Avenue inBrampton. On October 28, 2015, Brampton City Council cancelled the proposed 5.6-kilometre (3.5 mi) section of the line along Main Street inBrampton toBrampton GO Station.[35] On March 21, 2019, Metrolinx announced that most of the downtown loop would be deferred to a later date due to financial restrictions, although a short spur to a stop atSquare One Shopping Centre would remain.[59]
The Quebec City Tramway is a proposed light rail transit line in Quebec City.[36] It would linkBeauport toCap Rouge, passing throughQuebec Parliament Hill. The 19-kilometre (12 mi) line would include a 1.8-kilometre (1.1 mi) underground segment, with the rest of the line being on the surface.[60]
Prior to the suspension, the municipal government had signed a contract for new trams fromAlstom and another contract with the organization CSiT for operating and mobility systems. The city was unable to source a consortium to build the line as the sole remaining candidate would not provide project financing. Thus, at the end of October 2023, the city proposed to become the project manager to run the project.[61] In early November 2023, the province of Quebec suspended the project in order to have theCaisse de dépôt et placement du Québec do a six-month study to determine whether the tramway or some other public transit option would be the best solution.[62]
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A 27-kilometre (17 mi) light rail network to consist of three lines radiating fromSkyTrain stations had been proposed for construction inSurrey, British Columbia. The planned lines were:[63][64]
The lines on 104 Avenue and King George Boulevard were to be built in seven years while the Surrey–Langley Line on the Fraser Highway would be finished five years later.[63] A report on the economic benefits of the project was produced by a consulting firm in May 2015.[65]
This project (among others major transit infrastructure initiatives, including the extension of the Millennium Line under Broadway inVancouver) was originally made contingent, by the governing BC Liberal party, on the approval, by plebiscite in 2015, of a sales tax increase to generate new funds for public transit. The electorate voted against the tax increase, leaving the project unfunded.[66] Subsequently, the project was included in the second phase ofTransLink's 10-Year Investment Plan, which was approved in late 2017.[67][68] However, in 2018, more than 80 percent of the city's residents objected to the line and potential problems, prompting several parties to adopt its cancellation as part of their platform during that year's civic election.[69] A mayor and council who objected to the LRT were elected and their first order of business was to vote unanimously to cancel the LRT line in favour of extending the existing SkyTrain line to Langley, despite the lack of funding to do so.[70] The LRT was "indefinitely suspended" by the regional Mayors' Council on November 15.[71]
TheJane LRT was a proposed 16.5-kilometre (10.3 mi) light rail transit line that would have run alongJane Street from Jane station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth to Pioneer Village station on Line 1 Yonge–University. It was cancelled by Rob Ford in December 2010.[72][73]
TheSheppard East LRT was a proposed 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) light rail transit line that would have run along the surface ofSheppard Avenue fromDon Mills subway station to east ofMorningside Avenue.[74] It was cancelled in April 2019 by the Ontario provincial government under Premier Doug Ford in favour of a Line 4 Sheppard subway extension.[75]
In August 2011,Victoria Regional Transit System announced that light rail transit was recommended as the preferred technology to connectVictoria toSaanich and theWest Shore communities.[76][77] In 2018, British Columbia premier John Horgan rejected the idea of light rail service in the Victoria area, arguing that the area's low population would not justify light rail.[78] Abus rapid transit system,Blink RapidBus, is being implemented instead.[79]
The first of the Flexity Freedom LRV are due to be delivered in mid-2016, and will be used on the 19km, 16-station line from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener. The $C 92.4m ($US 89.2m) contract will include an option for 16 additional vehicles.
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