Winnipeg–Churchill train

Winnipeg–Churchill train
The Winnipeg–Churchill train at Churchill in 1997
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusOperating
LocaleManitoba, Canada
Current operator(s)Via Rail
Former operator(s)Canadian National Railway
Ridership428 weekly (FY 2023)
Annual ridership22,247 (FY 2023)
WebsiteWinnipeg - Churchill
Route
TerminiWinnipeg, Manitoba; The Pas, Manitoba
Churchill, Manitoba
Distance travelled1,710 km (1,063 mi)
Average journey time44 h 55 m to Churchill, 45 h 15 m to Winnipeg
Service frequency3 trains per week
Train number(s)693, 691 (northbound),
692, 690 (southbound)
On-board services
Class(es)Economy and sleeper class
Seating arrangementsCoach seat
Sleeping arrangementsSleepers (offering some "open sections")
Catering facilitiesDining car
Technical
Rolling stockF40PH locomotives
Skyline series
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Operating speed80 mph (128 km/h)
Track owner(s)CN, HBRY, KRC

The Winnipeg–Churchill train (formerly known as the Hudson Bay and, before that, Northern Spirits) is a twice weekly passenger train operated by Via Rail between Winnipeg and Churchill, Manitoba. It is the only dry-land connection between Churchill and the rest of Canada.

The service, which runs through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, travels on the Canadian National Railway line north to The Pas, where it transfers to the Hudson Bay Railway, passing through Wabowden, Manitoba, with a spur from Sipiwesk to Thompson, and Gillam on its way to the Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay.