The Toronto-Niagara Bike Train (known in short as "The Bike Train") is an initiative in

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...

allowing cyclists to travel by

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

to destinations across

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

including

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

, and North Bay, as well as the city of

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. 2009 saw an expansion of the Bike Train Initiative, with new routes and more weekends of service. The Bike Train initiative is independently coordinated, promoted, and ticketed service, utilizing existing

passenger trains, with an additional

baggage car A passenger railroad car or passenger car (American English), also called a passenger carriage, passenger coach (British English and International Union of Railways), or passenger bogie (Indian English) is a railroad car that is designed to c ...

containing bike racks for 56

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

s. Each passenger ticket for scheduled Bike Train departures includes both a passenger seat and a bike rack reservation. The Bike Train initiative was developed in response to the growing

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

demand and economic opportunity for improved transportation access for cyclists between Toronto and the Niagara Region.

History

Project founder Justin Lafontaine conceptualized the idea for the Toronto-Niagara Bike Train Initiative during a trip to the Niagara Region in April 2006. On that trip, he accompanied the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and several others from the region on their annual Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail cycle tour from

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York (state), New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the R ...

Grimsby, Ontario Grimsby is a town on Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. Grimsby is at the eastern end of the Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada, Census Met ...

. Impressed with the many

trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

, diverse landscapes, towns, cities and attractions, he began planning another trip to the region. When discussing the opportunities for cycle tourism with a fellow rider, Justin discovered that there was no convenient transportation option for cyclists between Toronto and the Niagara Region; the existing train service did not provide baggage capacity, and buses usually require bikes to be boxed prior to loading. This led him to Via Rail Canada and other partners to discuss the potential to introduce a Bike Train service – a concept that garnered support from government contacts, tourism organizations, small businesses, media and the public. A project proposal was subsequently developed for the

Ontario Ministry of Tourism Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it is home to 38.5% of the country's population, and is the second-largest province by ...

- Investment Development Office and funding for the Pilot Year of the Toronto-Niagara Bike Train Initiative was announced in January 2007. In 2008, The Bike Train received further funding support from the

Ontario Ministry of the Environment The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is an Ontario government ministry responsible for protecting and improving the quality of the environment in the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as coordinating Ontario's actions on c ...

and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. In 2009, with the support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and the

the Bike Train expanded to two new routes. The Ontario North route took passengers from

to North Bay using the

Ontario Northland The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), or simply Ontario Northland, is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for providing transportation services for passengers and goods in Northern Ontario. It reports to ...

's passenger rail service for a pilot weekend in August. The new

route provided daily service between Canada's two biggest cities.

Partners and supporters

Previous funding partners

*Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation *Ontario Trillium Foundation

Lead organizations

*Transportation Options *Waterfront Regeneration Trust *Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce *

Canada

Project partners

City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its structure and powers are set out in the ''City of Toron ...

Canada *

Ontario Northland Railway The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a Crown agency (Ontario), provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario. Originally built to develop the Lake Timiskaming ...

Promotional partners

*Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership *

Pedal Magazine A pedal (from the Latin '' pes'' ''pedis'', "foot") is a lever designed to be operated by foot and may refer to: Computers and other equipment * Footmouse, a foot-operated computer mouse * In medical transcription, a pedal is used to control ...

*Wine Council of Ontario

Legal advisor

*Michael Carey, Lawyer, Macdonald Sager Manis LLP Cabuna.com

Other supporters

Brock University Brock University is a public university, public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The ...

*City of

St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

*Cycle Ontario *Grimsby Chamber of Commerce *Grimsby Downtown Improvement Area *Grimsby Economic Development Committee *I Bike T.O. *Niagara Falls Downtown BIA *Niagara Falls Tourism *Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club *Niagara Fruit Education Centre *

Niagara Parks Commission The Niagara Parks Commission, commonly shortened to Niagara Parks, is an agency of the Government of Ontario which maintains the Ontario shoreline of the Niagara River. History The Commission was founded in 1885 and charged with preserving an ...

Regional Municipality of Niagara The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality in southern Ontario, Canada, which occupies most of the Niagara Peninsula. As of 2024, the region had an estimate ...

*Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee *

Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) was originally formed in 2006 as "Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation". The organization was renamed in 2011. The TCAT plan for active transportation emerged from consultation with environmental, ...

(TCAT) *

Toronto Cyclists Union Cycle Toronto is a Canadian cycling advocacy and charity organization based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 2008 as the Toronto Cyclists Union, the group adopted its current name in 2012 and became a registered charity in 2021. Cycle Toronto host ...

*Tourism Toronto

External links

Bike Train Website (biketrain.ca)

References

{{reflist Transport in Toronto Rail transport in the Regional Municipality of Niagara Cycling in Toronto