Where the Winnipeg–Churchill train actually is right now, how far behind it is running, and what VIA has posted about it.
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Where the train actually is, read from VIA Rail's own tracker every few minutes. Churchill has no road, so this is the line everything comes up on — and a scheduled 09:00 arrival is regularly hours out. The times below are VIA's own estimates, not ours.
Right now
Coming north to Churchill: got in at Thu 9:53 p.m., 1h 24m behind schedule.
Updated .
Got in at Thu 9:53 p.m., 1h 24m behind schedule.
Running CHURCHILL to THOMPSON.
| Stop | Timetable | Expected | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Churchill (here) | 8:30 p.m. | 9:53 p.m. | Called |
| Tidal | 8:52 p.m. | 10:21 p.m. | Called |
| Chesnaye | 9:38 p.m. | 11:11 p.m. | Called |
| M'Clintock | 10:54 p.m. | 12:27 a.m. | Called |
| O'Day | 11:39 p.m. | 1:12 a.m. | Called |
| Herchmer | 12:18 a.m. | 2:22 a.m. | Called |
| Thibaudeau | 1:44 a.m. | 4:25 a.m. | Called |
VIA is running this train today, but its board does not list this station. Read the notice below before travelling.
VIA is not reporting a position for this train.
Running THOMPSON to CHURCHILL.
| Stop | Timetable | Expected | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson | 5:00 p.m. | — | To come |
| Sipiwesk | 6:35 p.m. | — | To come |
| Pikwitonei | 7:02 p.m. | — | To come |
| Bridgar | 7:13 p.m. | — | To come |
| Pit Siding | 8:35 p.m. | — | To come |
| Ilford | 9:36 p.m. | — | To come |
There is no road to Churchill and there never has been. The Hudson Bay Railway is the only overland link: it carries the freight that stocks the Northern Store and Tamarack Foods, and the passenger service runs a few days a week over about 45 hours from Winnipeg. Flying is the alternative, and it costs several times as much for a person and many times as much per kilo for anything heavier.
This line crosses discontinuous permafrost and muskeg, and the track shifts as the ground thaws and refreezes. Most of the run is under a slow order for that reason, so the train loses time steadily rather than all at once. A few hours down is ordinary. Days, or a partial cancellation, usually means water — the May 2017 flood washed out around nineteen bridges and sections and left the town without a train for eighteen months, and food prices here have not been the same argument since.
VIA tracks the train by cellular signal and most of this route has none. An estimate can sit unchanged for hours and then jump when the train comes back into coverage. If the tracker has gone quiet, this page says so and says how long for, rather than pretending the last position is current.
This page reads the same data as VIA's own tracker and adds nothing to it. For a booking, a refund, or the reason behind a cancellation, VIA's customer centre is the only place that can answer.
VIA's own tracker, which this page reads.
The route page: timetable, fares and the current service notices.
1-888-VIA-RAIL. For deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-disabled callers, dial 711 and ask to be relayed to the same number.
Owns and maintains the Hudson Bay Railway itself. Track condition and washout repairs are theirs, not VIA's.