Urban rail transit in Canada encompasses a broad range of rail mass transit systems, including commuter rail, rapid transit, light rail, and streetcar systems.
Terminology
"Commuter rail" refers to urban passenger train service between a central city and its suburbs. Three such systems exist in Canada. "Airport rail link" refers to rail transport between a central city and a nearby international airport. The Union Pearson Express is the only dedicated airport rail link in Canada. The SkyTrain's Canada Line also serves as an airport rail link. "Subway" refers to a rapid transit system using heavy rail with steel wheels. The Toronto subway is the only such system in Canada. "Rubber-tired metro" refers to a rapid transit system using heavy rail with rubber tires. The Montreal Metro is the only such system in Canada. "Light metro" refers to a rapid transit system using intermediate or medium-capacity rail. The SkyTrain and the Réseau express métropolitain are the only full light metro systems in Canada. "Light rail" refers to a rail transit system using light rail vehicles in a dedicated right of way. Five such systems exist in Canada. "Diesel light rail" refers to a commuter rail system using lighter trains. The O-Train's Trillium Line is the only such system in Canada. "Streetcar" refers to a rail transit system using light rail vehicles entirely or mostly on streets providing local service in mixed traffic. The Toronto streetcar is the only such system in Canada. "People mover" refers to a small-scale automated guideway transit system. The Terminal Link is the only such system in Canada.
Existing systems
Italics indicate a line under construction.
RegionSystemAverage daily ridership ()TechnologyLinesIn operationUnder constructionStationsSystem lengthStationsSystem length Calgary, Alberta CTrain Light rail Red Line Blue Line 45 12 Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton LRT Light rail Capital Line Metro Line Valley Line 29 18 Greater Montreal, Quebec Exo commuter rail (2025) Commuter rail Vaudreuil–Hudson Saint-Jérôme Mont-Saint-Hilaire Candiac Mascouche 53 – – Montreal Metro Rubber-tired metro Green Line Orange Line Yellow Line Blue Line 68 5 Réseau express métropolitainLight metro Réseau express métropolitain232Ottawa, OntarioO-Train Light rail 2516 Diesel light rail Greater Toronto Area, Ontario GO Transit rail services Commuter rail Lakeshore West Lakeshore East Milton Kitchener Barrie Richmond Hill Stouffville 71 4 – Union Pearson Express (April 2019) Airport rail link UP Express 5 1 –Toronto subway Subway Line 4 Sheppard Ontario Line10926 Light rail Line 5 Eglinton Line 6 Finch West Toronto streetcar Streetcar 10 lines (list) 685 – – Terminal Link People mover – 3 – –Metro Vancouver, British Columbia West Coast Express Commuter rail West Coast Express 8 – – SkyTrain Light metro Expo Line Millennium Line Canada Line 54 13 Waterloo Region, Ontario Ion (2023, including weekends) Light rail Ion light rail 19 – –
Calgary
Calgary Transit's CTrain network started operation on May 25, 1981. As of the first quarter of 2026, the CTrain has the second-highest weekday ridership of any light rail transit system in North America, surpassed only by Guadalajara light rail system in Mexico, and narrowly edging out Los Angeles Metro Rail. The CTrain carried over 312,000 passengers per weekday in the fourth quarter of 2018. There are 45 stations in operation in the CTrain system. After starting by running on one leg in 1981, the system has expanded and now has four legs radiating out into Calgary's suburbs in different directions. The legs have been organized into two routes (identified as the Red Line and the Blue Line) that connect the four legs via shared tracks in a downtown transit mall. The existing four legs of the system, as built in chronological order, are the south leg (1981), the northeast leg (1985), the northwest leg (1987), and the west leg (2012).
The Downtown Transit Mall along 7th Avenue South is shared by the Red and Blue lines. The Red Line is a line that connects the south and northwest legs via the downtown transit mall. The Blue Line is a line that connects the northeast and west legs via the downtown transit mall.
Edmonton
The Edmonton Transit Service's LRT system consisted of only one line from its opening in 1978 to 2015. the system includes the original Capital Line; the Metro Line, sharing part of their route; and the Valley Line.
The Capital Line runs roughly north–south, between northeast Edmonton and the Century Park community, with a mix of tunnels and at-grade track. Six stations are underground, while the remaining nine are at-grade. The Metro Line is interlined with the Capital Line from Health Sciences/Jubilee and through the underground portions before branching northwest towards NAIT. The Valley Line was opened in 2023. The low-floor line travels southeast from downtown towards Mill Woods.
Extensions to the Capital, Metro, and Valley lines have been approved. The construction of two new lines, the Energy and Festival lines, has been proposed.
Montreal
Exo operates five commuter rail lines in Greater Montreal, including the Island of Montreal, North Shore, and South Shore. Each line terminates at Montreal Central Station or Lucien-L'Allier, both in downtown Montreal, with connections to the metro system. Most of the system is run on Canadian National or Canadian Pacific trackage. Exo formerly owned and operated the Mount Royal Tunnel and the Deux-Montagnes line until service was ended in 2020.
The Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is a light metro system that will consist of a single line running through downtown Montreal with three branches to the west. The first two phases opened in 2023 and 2025, while the last two phases are scheduled to open in 2026 and 2027. When completed, the REM will connect to Exo, the Montreal Metro, and the Montréal–Trudeau International Airport.
The Montreal Metro is Canada's second-busiest rail transit system. Drawing inspiration from the Paris Metro, it uses rubber-tired metro technology, the only such system in Canada. The system has 68 stations on four lines, which serve the north, east, and central portions of the Island of Montreal, as well as the suburbs of Laval and Longueuil. The metro began in 1966 with the east–west Green Line and the north–south Orange Line. A series of expansions since 1966 have expanded the original lines and added the Yellow and Blue lines.
The Green Line is a line that runs northeast to southwest between Angrignon and Honoré-Beaugrand. The two ends are connected through a central section that runs under De Maisonneuve Boulevard in downtown Montreal. The Orange Line is a U-shaped line. The central section runs through downtown Montreal, south of the Green Line's alignment. The two legs connect to Côte-Vertu in the northwest and Montmorency in Laval, northeast of Montreal. The Yellow Line is a line with three stations. It connects to the Green and Orange lines at Berri–UQAM station, the system's busiest station, and crosses under the Saint Lawrence River to connect Saint Helen's Island and Longueuil. The Blue Line is a line. It runs in a northeast to southwest alignment north of the Green Line, connecting the east island with both legs of the Orange Line.
An eastward extension of the Blue Line began construction in 2022.
Ottawa
The O-Train began in 2001 as a light rail pilot project to supplement Ottawa's Transitway bus rapid transit system. This original line, now known as Line 2, was relatively inexpensive to construct ($21 million) due to its single-track route along a little used freight-rail right-of-way and used diesel multiple units (DMUs) to avoid the cost of building overhead lines along the tracks. Line 2 was extended southward and added the Line 4 spur towards the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport in early 2025.
Line 1 opened in September 2019, which had replaced much of the central portion of the Transitway and added an underground tunnel through downtown. Eastern and western expansions of Line 1 and future Line 3 will add of rail to the O-Train system as part of the Stage 2 LRT project and also continue to largely replace or parallel the former Transitway network.
Line 1 is a light rail line which runs east–west from Blair to Tunney's Pasture connecting to the Transitway at each terminus and with Line 2 at Bayview. The line runs both underground and on the surface and is completely grade-separated. There is a tunnel downtown with three underground stations. Line 2 is a diesel light rail line running north to southwest from Bayview station to Limebank station, connecting with Line 1 at its northern terminus and Transitway services at its southern terminus. The line is partly double-tracked. Line 4 is a single tracked diesel rail line running between Airport station and South Keys station, where it connects with Line 2.
Toronto
GO Transit operates commuter rail services in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener, Niagara, Oshawa, Barrie, and Guelph. Each of its seven lines terminate at Union Station in downtown Toronto. With 217,500 average weekday riders, it is Canada's busiest commuter rail service, and the fifth-busiest in North America. the GO Expansion project is underway and will bring electrification, new trackage, bridges, and tunnels to the system, allowing for two-way all-day service with 15-minute frequencies to sections of five of its lines.
GO Transit's parent agency, Metrolinx, also operates the Union Pearson Express, an airport rail link between Union Station and Toronto Pearson International Airport. It opened in advance of the 2015 Pan American Games, sharing most of its routing with GO's Kitchener line before travelling along a rail spur to the airport. At the airport, the line connects with the Terminal Link, a free people mover transporting passenger between the airport's terminals and parking garage.
The Toronto Transit Commission's subway is Canada's oldest rapid transit system, having opened as the "Yonge subway" in 1954. It is also Canada's busiest system, with 1,603,300 average weekday riders. It is an intermodal system, with three heavy-rail and two light rail lines providing service to a total of 109 stations, the most of any Canadian system. The system connects each of Toronto's former municipalities, as well as the suburb of Vaughan.
Line 1 Yonge–University is Toronto's oldest, longest, and busiest heavy-rail line. It forms a U-shape, with Union station at its base, connecting to Toronto's intercity and commuter rail hub. The eastern leg travels north along Yonge Street to Finch. The western leg travels northwest, connecting to the University of Toronto and York University, before terminating at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Line 2 Bloor–Danforth is an east–west heavy-rail line, running primarily along its two namesakes, Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue. The line connects the east and western suburbs with Line 1 and downtown Toronto. Line 4 Sheppard is a heavy-rail line and the shortest line of the system, with five stations along Sheppard Avenue in North York. It connects to Line 1 at Sheppard–Yonge station. Line 5 Eglinton is a light rail line that runs in a mix of grade separated and street running operations. The 19-kilometre line runs along Eglinton Avenue and has connections to Line 1 and Line 2. Line 6 Finch West is a light rail line with 18 stations primarily located at-grade along Finch Avenue West. It connects to Line 1 at Finch West station.
Line 3 Scarborough was a light metro line which was in service from 1985 to 2023.
Toronto also operates a streetcar system. Unlike light rail, the majority of the ten routes operate in mixed traffic and all make frequent stops. Three routes operate in a dedicated right-of-way: