Nova Scotia Trains

The province of Nova Scotia hosts one freight railway, one active shortline railway, and one passenger railway.

Nova Scotia Freight Railways

There is only one “class 1” freight railway in Nova Scotia – CN. The CN main line stretches from the New Brunswick border (near Amherst) through Truro to Halifax. The Dartmouth subdivision across the harbour serves several customers.

A CN train in Halifax, 2019
A CN train in Halifax, 2019

There is one active shortline railway, the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway. The CB&CNS is owned by the Genessee & Wyoming group and technically operates from Truro to Sydney, NS, although the eastern half of the railway is dormant.

The Windsor & Hantsport Railway technically still exists and most rail is in place. The railway used to operate between New Minas and Windsor Junction, where it interchanged with CN. The railway ceased operation in late 2011.

Nova Scotia Passenger Railways

Canada’s national passenger railway, VIA Rail, operates through Nova Scotia with the Ocean interprovincial train. The Ocean runs between Halifax and Montreal, and stops in Nova Scotia at Truro and Amherst, with a stop on request at Springhill Junction.

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