Destinations & day trips · 2026-09-21 · 8-minute read
VIA Rail from London, Ontario to Toronto runs from the station on York Street at Richmond to Union Station in two to two and a half hours several times a day on the Kitchener line and the Brantford line, with economy and business class, two checked cases, a table and Wi-Fi, at a per-seat fare on VIA's site that is lower than a chauffeured car's for one traveller and the honest choice for a solo passenger with one bag and time to spare - and LondonLimo.net says so. The car wins in six cases: a family, the luggage that the train's rack will not take, a meeting on a clock in a tower that is not Union, a hospital's return held open, the Friday the train is sold out, and the day the 401 is fine but the family's stroller and five cases are not; and the train wins on the one day the OPP closes the 401 and nothing on rubber moves. The Toronto page has the car's fare and this article the honest arithmetic.
The train, in a table
| VIA Rail, London to Union | The chauffeured car, London door to Toronto door | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 2-2.5 h on the train; 3-3.5 h door to door with the taxis | 2 h 15 door to door |
| Cost | Per seat on VIA's site; economy and business; higher at short notice | $320-380 sedan, $370-430 SUV, $580-680 Sprinter, fixed |
| Luggage | Two checked cases per passenger on most trains; the rack for the carry-on | Three cases in a sedan, six in an SUV, twelve in a Sprinter |
| The London end | The station on York Street; a taxi from Byron or Sunningdale | Your own door |
| The Toronto end | Union Station; a taxi or the subway to the address | The address |
| The schedule | Several departures a day; the last evening train is early | Any hour |
| The winter | Runs when the 401 closes | Does not move when the OPP closes the highway |
| Best for | One traveller, one bag, Union or the subway, time to spare | Two or more, luggage, a meeting, a hospital, a family |
LondonLimo.net planning figures before HST; VIA's fares and schedule are on its site and change by day.
The station, and the lines
London's VIA station sits on York Street at Richmond, a block from the core, with a taxi rank and a short-stay lot; the Kitchener line runs east through St. Marys, Stratford, Kitchener and Guelph to Union, and the Brantford line through Woodstock, Brantford and Aldershot; the Brantford line is the faster of the two on most departures. The venues page has the core around the station.
The classes, and the luggage
Economy has the seat, the table and the Wi-Fi; business has the wider seat, the meal and the lounge at Union; two checked cases per passenger on the trains that check them and the rack for the carry-on on the ones that do not; a stroller, a car seat and five cases are a different journey. The Pearson return article has that journey.
Union Station, and the last mile
Union's concourse to the subway, the PATH to the Financial District's towers, the taxi rank on Front Street; a passenger going to a Bay Street tower walks, one going to Sunnybrook takes a taxi twenty-five minutes north, and the Toronto page has the districts.
When the train wins
One traveller, one bag, Union or the subway at the far end, time to spare, and a fare on VIA's site that is a third of the sedan's; a student from Western to a Toronto home for the weekend; a reader who wants the two hours to work; the day the 401 closes. The desk books the seat through the travel desk on those days and says so.
When the car wins: the family
Two parents, two children, a stroller and five cases from Byron to a Scarborough grandmother: an SUV at $370-430 from the driveway to the driveway against four fares, two taxis and the concourse with the stroller; the Toronto article has the run.
When the car wins: the meeting
A 10 o'clock meeting at a tower on King West or a plant in Mississauga: the sedan at 7:30 from the door to the tower's loop at 9:45 with the papers on the seat and the chauffeur through the day by the hour, against the 7:05 train, the walk and the meeting's clock; the corporate page has the account.
When the car wins: the hospital
A Princess Margaret appointment at 11 with a return that depends on the clinic: the sedan to the entrance and the return held open by text, against the train's fixed departures and the taxi from Union with the patient tired; the out-of-town patients article has the reverse case.
When the car wins: the Friday, and the luggage
The Friday-afternoon trains sell out a week ahead and the last evening train leaves early; a passenger who decides on Thursday takes the car at the same fare as any day; and a golfer with the clubs, a musician with the cello or a family with the ski bags takes the car because the rack does not take them. The fleet page is honest about what fits.
The combination the desk suggests
The train to Union and the desk's Toronto partner car from Union to the address; or the car to London's station at the in-city fare and the train to Union for the solo traveller who lives in Byron; the network page has the Toronto partner and the rates page the in-city fare to the station.
Three journeys, as they went
A Western student home to North York, a Friday in October. The car to the station at 3:40 for the 4:05 train, Union at 6:20, the subway; the train won.
A Bay Street meeting, a Tuesday. The sedan at 7:30, the tower at 9:40, the day by the hour, home at 8; the car won.
A family of four to Scarborough, a Saturday. The SUV at 9, the grandmother's driveway at 11:20 with the stroller and five cases; the car won.
Booking it
The car is a fixed fare on the reservation engine; the train's seat is on VIA's site or through the desk's travel desk on the days it books it; the Toronto page has the destination.
Three questions the desk is asked about the train
Which line is faster? The Brantford line on most departures; the Kitchener line stops at Stratford, Kitchener and Guelph and takes the longer way; VIA's site shows each train's time.
Can I take a bicycle or skis? On some trains with a reservation and a fee, and not on others; the car takes both in the SUV's cargo, and the fleet page has the cargo.
Is business class worth it? For the wider seat, the meal and Union's lounge on a working morning, many say yes; the fare is on VIA's site and the FAQ has the rest.
The station on York Street, in detail
The station's building at York and Richmond with the waiting room, the ticket counter and the platform behind; the taxi rank at the door; the short-stay lot on the north side; a car from Byron or Sunningdale at the in-city fare on the rates page for the 6:20 departure, and the neighbourhoods page has the core around it.
The Kitchener line, in detail
London, St. Marys, Stratford, Kitchener, Guelph, Georgetown, Brampton, Malton and Union: the countryside of Perth County and the Grand River, the stops that add the time, and the Wi-Fi's gaps between St. Marys and Kitchener; a passenger going to Kitchener or Guelph takes this line and the Kitchener-Waterloo article has the car's alternative.
The Brantford line, in detail
London, Woodstock, Brantford, Aldershot and Union: the 401's corridor and the lake's shore from Aldershot, the faster line on most departures, and a passenger going to Hamilton changes at Aldershot for the GO; the Hamilton article has the car's run to McMaster.
Union Station, in detail
The concourse's arrivals level, the subway's Union stop for Yonge and University, the PATH's tunnels to the Financial District's towers, the taxi rank on Front Street and the UP Express for Pearson; a passenger who needs the last mile books the desk's Toronto partner on the network page or takes the rank.
When the train wins, in detail
The solo traveller with one bag and a Union or subway destination; the student home for the weekend; the reader; the passenger who leaves at 6:20 and returns on the 5:40; the day the OPP closes the 401 and the Ontario 511 site shows the red; the desk's travel desk books the seat and says so.
When the car wins, in detail
The family with the stroller and five cases at $370-430 for the SUV against four fares and two taxis; the Bay Street meeting at 10 with the papers on the seat; the Princess Margaret clinic's open return; the Friday afternoon's sold-out train; the golf clubs, the cello and the ski bags; and the passenger who wants the two hours to sleep. The Toronto article has the run.
The combination, in detail
The car to London's station at the in-city fare for the Byron passenger and the train to Union; the train to Union and the partner's car to Sunnybrook; the train up on Friday and the car home on Sunday with the family's cases; the travel desk books the seat and the desk the car on one file.
Booking checklist for train or car
The date; the numbers and the cases; the London address and the Toronto one; the time the meeting or the clinic needs; the return, fixed or open; the vehicle if the car. Six lines to the desk and the desk says which wins and books it.
The honest summary
The train for one with a bag and time; the car for a family, a meeting, a hospital, a Friday or a load; the train on the day the highway closes; the Toronto page has the car's fare and this article the honest arithmetic.
A worked example: the day the desk sent a client to the train
A Masonville executive with a Bay Street board meeting on a Tuesday in February called at 6 a.m. to find the 401 closed at Ingersoll by a squall; the desk's dispatcher checked the Ontario 511 cameras, said so, and the travel desk booked the 7:05 train's business-class seat while the sedan took the executive to the station at the in-city fare; Union at 9:30, the PATH to the tower, and the sedan met the 5:40 train's arrival in London with the highway reopened. The car took the station's two ends and the train took the middle, and the winter article has the rule.
The desk's rule of thumb
One with a bag, the train; a family, a meeting, a hospital, a Friday or a load, the car; the highway closed, the train and the car at each end; and the desk says which without being asked. The rates page has the car's fares.
Booking it, in one line
The car is a fixed fare on the reservation engine; the train's seat is on VIA's site or through the desk's travel desk on the days it books it, with the car to the station on the same file.
