The ''International'' (formerly ''International Limited'') was a named passenger train operated between

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. It was originally an overnight train operated by the

Grand Trunk Railway of Canada The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rail ...

and its successors the Canadian National Railway and

Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company is an American subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad has been under CN's subsidiary holding ...

, running as far as Montreal. The train was cut back to Port Huron, Michigan, in 1970 and discontinued in 1971. In 1982,

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

and

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

revived the route by extending Amtrak's '' Blue Water Limited'' from Port Huron to Toronto. It was renamed as the ''International'' the next year. The service was initially successful but encountered numerous funding crises in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Substantial delays crossing the international border after the

September 11th attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, combined with freight congestion and the

2003 SARS outbreak 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, drastically reduced ridership. In 2004, the train was replaced with the ''

Blue Water Maritime geography is a collection of terms used by naval military units to loosely define three maritime regions: brown water, green water, and blue water. Definitions The elements of maritime geography are loosely defined and their meanings hav ...

'', which offered a better interstate schedule and higher reliability.

History

CN/GTW operation

The

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rail ...

opened its St. Clair Tunnel between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan in 1891, completing the first direct all-rail route from Chicago to Toronto and Montreal. The Canadian National Railway (CN) and

(GTW) introduced the ''International Limited'' on May 25, 1900. The train operated between Chicago's

Dearborn Station Dearborn Station (also referred to as Polk Street Depot) was, beginning in the late 1800s, one of six intercity train stations serving downtown Chicago, Illinois. It remained in operation until May 1, 1971. Built in 1883, it is located at ...

and Montreal's Bonaventure Station via Port Huron, with the overnight section between Chicago and Toronto. The trip was originally scheduled for 22 hours and 52 minutes – an average speed of . The "premier train of the Grand Trunk Railway System", it was assigned numbers 1/2. The Grand Trunk dropped all train names in 1907. In 1912, the Chicago–Montreal service was changed to numbers 14/15 to allow the Montreal– Prince Rupert ''Continental Limited'' to receive numbers 1/2. The ''International Limited'' name was restored in March 1919—the first GTW train to have a name since 1907. It remained the premier GTW train and received new equipment in 1929. After 1931, westbound train 15 was as much as 4.5 hours faster than its eastbound counterpart, which made local stops between Toronto and Montreal. The CN and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) began pooling equipment for their competing Montreal–Toronto services in 1933. The eastern half of the ''International Limited'' was jointly operated between the CN and CP; it included a CP through car, and train No. 15 departed from the CP Windsor Station. The train was split into Montreal–Toronto and Chicago–Toronto services - both carrying the same numbers - during pre-war service changes in 1939.

Montreal Central Station Montreal Central Station (french: Gare centrale de Montréal) is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Nearly 11 million rail passengers use the station every year, making it the second-bu ...

replaced Bonaventure Station as the CN terminus in 1943. In the 1940s, a typical ''International Limited'' had three sleeping cars, a buffet lounge, a dining car, and three or more coach cars. By the 1960s, the lounge only operated west of Port Huron, and the dining car only to the east. The ''International Limited'' was always the fastest Chicago–Montreal service; the westbound train made connections in Chicago to southern, western, and southwestern trains. Until 1964, the ''International Limited'' was one of three daily Chicago-Toronto trips on the GTW, along with the ''Inter-City Limited'' and ''La Salle''/''

Maple Leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along th ...

''. GTW and parent company CN used aggressive marketing, inexpensive fares, and on-board perks like free meals to attract riders. East Lansing station opened as an experimental stop for Michigan State University and proved successful. However, the Grand Trunk was still losing "staggering amounts of money" running the service. The eastbound ''Inter-City Limited'' was cut to Port Huron in November 1964, and cut entirely on October 29, 1967, along with the ''La Salle'' when the Chicago-Detroit ''Mohawk'' was added. In 1965, the pooling arrangement was terminated; in the ensuing rearrangements, only the Chicago–Toronto section (renumbered 155/156) retained the ''International Limited'' name. The ''International Limited'' was cut back to Port Huron on June 12, 1970, leaving the ''Maple Leaf'' (the westbound a 1966-renamed ''Inter-City Limited'') as the railroad's only Toronto train. The CN added local trains between Toronto and

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

approximating the former schedule. The Interstate Commerce Commission approved GTW plans in September 1970 to terminate the no-longer-international ''International'', but a judicial order and the pending takeover of intercity rail service in the United States by

kept the service operating. Amtrak did not retain any of the six GTW trains (the ''International Limited'', ''Maple Leaf'', and ''Mohawk''). They made their last runs on April 30, 1971; the ''International Limited'' was the last intercity train to depart from Dearborn Station.

Amtrak/Via operation

International Limited at Flint station, November 26, 1982

In 1974, Amtrak restored service over the GTW to Port Huron with the ''

'' (renamed the ''Blue Water Limited'' in 1975). After

took over Canadian intercity passenger services in 1978, Amtrak saw a chance to improve the ''Blue Water Limited''s financial performance by extending it to Toronto. Talks between the agencies began in late 1981. Negotiations soon reached a stalemate; Michigan desired a later Sunday schedule so that weekend travelers to Toronto could return late in the evening, but Via did not. Michigan was also worried about losing day trips to Chicago; supported primarily by ridership west of East Lansing, the ''Blue Water Limited'' was Amtrak's most-used state-supported route with only one daily round trip. The New York-Toronto ''

'', introduced in April 1981, had proved an immediate success, and Amtrak and Via soon reached an agreement to extend the ''Blue Water Limited'' to Toronto as well. Via accepted the later Sunday train and agreed to share equipment for the route. Michigan funded a Flint-Battle Creek bus, which connected with the westbound ''

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

'' and eastbound ''

Twilight Limited The ''Twilight Limited'' was a named passenger train in the United States which initially operated between Chicago, Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan. The New York Central Railroad introduced the train in 1926, and it continued until the formati ...

'', to preserve Flint-Chicago day trips. The ''International Limited'' began operations on October 31, 1982, replacing the ''Blue Water Limited''. In contrast to its predecessor, it used ex-

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

trackage west of Battle Creek, Michigan—in common with Amtrak's other Michigan trains—and ran on a daylight schedule. On June 13, 1983, Amtrak renamed the train the ''International'', which it carried until its discontinuance. International at Stratford, February 8, 2004

International at Stratford, February 8, 2004

On January 15, 1990, Via moved the ''International'' off its original CN route to a more northerly route between

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Toronto. The new route enabled it to service

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

, but added an hour to its running time. There were also several never-enacted proposals to reroute the train within Michigan. A 1984 state plan would have run the ''International'' through Grand Rapids; instead, the independent '' Pere Marquette'' was started using funds saved by the startup of the ''International Limited'' and the discontinuance of the '' Michigan Executive''. In 1995, during a funding crunch, Amtrak proposed routing the ''International'' through Durand, Pontiac, and Detroit, thus dropping Flint and Port Huron. In 2000, Amtrak proposed moving the train entirely to the Chicago–Detroit line later that year.

Detroit station Detroit station, also known as Baltimore Street station, is an intermodal transit station in Detroit, Michigan. It currently serves Amtrak. It also serves as a stop for Greyhound Lines, Detroit Department of Transportation buses, Suburban Mobilit ...

would have been skipped entirely; Amtrak would no longer have used state funds for the ''International'', though they may have been used for a replacement Port Huron train instead. Neither proposal was ultimately enacted.

Decline and discontinuance

International Limited signage - September 2016

Beginning in the late 1990s, Amtrak services in Michigan suffered a series of funding crises. The ''Pere Marquette'' was reduced to four times a week in April 1995; that September, a state commission voted to reduce the ''International'' to quad-weekly to restore daily operation on the ''Pere Marquette''. The commission elected to keep the daily ''International'' in January 1996; in 1997, the state and Amtrak agreed to an 18-month contract lasting through March 31, 1999. Despite an extension, Amtrak proposed to end the train on October 2, 2000. After negotiations proceeded well, the state approved $6.7 million on January 17, 2001, to continue funding for the ''International''. With ridership falling, state officials were reluctant to pursue a long-term funding solution, instead opting for small extensions often by diverting other rail funds. Until 2001, the ''International'' had a customs stop of about one hour, with U.S. officials conducting screenings on the train at Port Huron. After the September 11 attacks, security personnel were redeployed to the

Blue Water Bridge The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, United States, and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Water Bridge connects Highway 402 in Ontario with both Interstate 69 ...

, and U.S. Customs refused to continue on-board screenings. (On-board screenings continued on Amtrak's two of the three other border-crossing routes;

Amtrak Cascades The Amtrak ''Cascades'' is a passenger train corridor in the Pacific Northwest, operated by Amtrak in partnership with the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. It is named after the Cascade mountain range that the route parallels. The corr ...

uses preclearance instead) Westbound passengers had to be bussed with their luggage from Sarnia to Port Huron, costing Amtrak $27,000 a month. The security issues caused massive delays, even after on-board screening resumed on February 19, 2002, amid complaints from the state and both railroads. By this time, just 8 to 15 passengers crossed the border on a typical day. Delays caused by the border crossing and freight congestion continued to erode ridership, as did the 2003

SARS Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''seve ...

outbreak in Toronto. Ridership plunged from 125,126 in 1997 to just 88,045 in 2002. Amtrak suggested to Michigan that the ''International'' be truncated to Port Huron, which would allow for a more reliable trip on the former ''Blue Water Limited'' schedule, restore connections in Chicago, and allow day trips to Chicago. With state agreement, the final ''International'' ran eastbound on April 22, 2004, and westbound the next day (along with a Port Huron eastbound on the ''International'' schedule). On April 24, 2004, the Port Huron-Chicago ''

'' began operation. Via retained a single daily Toronto-Sarnia round trip that was merged into its Corridor service, but a planned Port Huron-Sarnia bus was never implemented.

Equipment

In its early years, the train usually consisted of two or three coaches and a food-service / custom-class car combination. Amtrak and Via alternated equipment: Amtrak used diesel locomotives and

Amfleet Amfleet is a fleet of single-level intercity railroad passenger cars built by the Budd Company for American company Amtrak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Budd based the Amfleet design on its earlier Metroliner electric multiple unit. An in ...

coaches, while Via used LRCs and Tempo coaches. Equipment assignments and allocations frequently changed; after the Via equipment was sidelined due to winter conditions in 1985, only Amtrak cars were used. On August 10, 1988, Via began using nine LRC passenger cars with the tilt mechanism removed (making them compatible with Amtrak cafe cars) pulled by F40PH locomotives. In November 1995, all trains began using four or five Amtrak Superliner and

Hi-Level The Hi-Level was a type of Bilevel rail car, bilevel intercity railroad passenger railroad car, passenger car used in the United States. Car types included coaches, dining cars, and lounge cars; a sleeping car variant was considered but never pr ...

cars, pulled by Via F40PH locomotives. The F40PHs were not compatible with the newly installed Incremental Train Control System, so they were replaced with Amtrak P32-8WH locomotives late in 1999. The

Horizon Fleet The Horizon is a type of single-level intercity railroad passenger car used by Amtrak, the national rail passenger carrier in the United States. Amtrak ordered the cars to supplement their existing fleet of Amfleet I single-level cars used on s ...

was substituted beginning in 2000 to allow the Superliners to add capacity to western trains, and Genesis locomotives were used in the final years.

Notes

References

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External links