On Trains & Buses

October 2026 VIA Rail Schedule Changes on the Quebec City to Windsor Corridor

Posted on September 20, 2026

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Twice a year VIA Rail reviews its schedules and passenger demand and adjusts services accordingly. This round brings some genuine losses alongside a couple of gains, so it is worth checking whether your usual journey is affected. The changes take effect on 25^th October.

The most significant change is the loss of the very earliest train from Ottawa to Toronto, the one leaving at 04:13 and arriving by 08:48. That departure is being scrapped. The next earliest Ottawa to Toronto train will move earlier to cover some of the gap, leaving at 04:56 instead of 05:21 and arriving in Toronto at 09:37. Anyone who relied on being in Toronto before nine has effectively lost that option.

Several afternoon services are being cut down sharply. A Toronto to Ottawa train running six days a week will, from 25th October, run only on Tuesdays. An Ottawa to Toronto departure running five days a week is being cut to Wednesdays only, while another Ottawa to Toronto service that runs on Fridays and Sundays will become Sunday only. The mid-morning Ottawa to Toronto train that runs on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays loses its Monday departure, continuing on Fridays and Sundays.

Two trains lose only a single day rather than most of the week. The late-morning Ottawa to Toronto train, leaving at 11:43, stops running on Saturdays but otherwise carries on as normal, while an early evening Toronto to Ottawa train, leaving at 17:38, stops running on Sundays and continues on the other six days.

There is some good news too. A Toronto to Ottawa service is being expanded from five days a week to daily, while an Ottawa to Toronto service that does not currently run is returning as a daily service, leaving Ottawa at 15:25 and arriving in Toronto at 20:18. Overall, though, VIA says the changes amount to an average of one fewer train a day between Ottawa and Toronto.

Finally, two Toronto-area stops are being dropped altogether. Trains will no longer call at Guildwood or Malton. VIA Rail says this will improve overall journey times, pointing to the stations’ proximity to Union Station and access to GO Transit and other local transport.