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CN Kingston Subdivision

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Kingston Subdivision
CN Rail
CN on the Kingston Subdivision in October 1981
Overview
StatusOperational
Owner Canadian National Railway
Metrolinx
LocaleOntario and Quebec, Canada
Termini
Service
TypeHeavy rail
SystemCanadian 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 gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
SignallingCentralized traffic control

Canadian National Railway's Kingston Subdivision, or Kingston Sub for short, is a major railway line connecting Toronto with Montreal that carries the majority of CN traffic between these points. The line was originally the main trunk for the Grand Trunk Railway between these cities, although there has been some realignment of the route between these cities. The majority of the Kingston Sub runs close to the northern bank of Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River.

The infrastructure consists of twin tracks, on which over 50 pieces of interlocking crossover tracks are grafted all along the subdivision. The extra length of these crossover tracks allows for high speed track interchange. Low gravity intermodal container trains are allowed to change tracks at 45 miles per hour, and Via Rail's passenger trains, at 60, and in some areas, 90. The governing traffic control system is CTC. Since 1995, no OCS operation clearance forms need to be filled by train conductors on the Kingston Subdivision. CTC signals thus provide both permission and authorization for train movements, as is the situation with most main line operation at CN.

Just east of Newcastle, east of Toronto, the line is joined by the CP Belleville Subdivision, Canadian Pacific Railway's similar mainline route. The two remain nearly side-by-side to the east of Belleville, where the Belleville sub turns north to Smiths Falls. Sections of the Kingston Sub are no longer owned by CN. In particular, CN mainline freight traffic in the Toronto area no longer follows the Kingston Sub, and is re-directed north of the city along the York Sub. The section between Pickering Junction and Union Station in downtown Toronto has been sold to Metrolinx for GO Transit service, part of their Lakeshore East line.[1]

Via rail of Canada operates their corridor service along the entirety of the line. VIAs Toronto-Ottawa trains runs along the line to Brockville, where it splits off and heads north. The Toronto-Montreal train runs along the whole line. In fact, many say that VIA trains run along the line more than CN freight trains. The most used station on the line is Kingston, due to Montreal, and Toronto stations being on their own subdivisions.

Stations

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The 1850s Grand Trunk Railway mainline consisted of 34 stations, many of which have been removed from service or no longer exist. Lansdowne station was torn down soon after CN abandoned service to the village in 1966;[2] CN demolished an Iroquois station in 2002.[3]

Stations currently on the Toronto-Montréal mainline include:

References

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  1. ^ "Metrolinx acquires key commuter-rail segment of CN's Kingston Subdivision east of Toronto Union Station". News Articles. CN. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 3 March 2016. The rail line acquired by Metrolinx from CN is composed of the two- and three-track rail corridor east of Union Station in downtown Toronto to a junction near Whites Road in Pickering, Ont.
  2. ^ "Leeds &amp 1000 Islands Historical Society". Archived from the original on 2014-02-20. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  3. ^ "Existing Stations of the County of Dundas".
  4. ^ "Looking back in Brighton: Memory Junction railway station".
  5. ^ "The Old Grand Trunk Railway Station | Heritage Canada the National Trust". Archived from the original on 2014-05-25. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
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