Toronto to NY Train: A Step-by-Step Guide

Toronto to NY train at a glance

The Toronto to NY train is a single daily Amtrak service, the Maple Leaf, and the whole trip takes about 12 hours 30 minutes. Here are the steps in the order you will meet them.

Step 1: Check that the Toronto to NY train fits your trip

Yes, a train runs between Toronto and New York, and it is Amtrak's Maple Leaf. Amtrak's route page gives 12 hours 30 minutes and lists a "Daily Departure". It runs from Toronto Union Station to New York's Moynihan Train Hall, and you do not change trains. The same train runs the other way, so a search for "new york to toronto train" lands on the same route.

Amtrak lists 22 stations. In Ontario they are Oakville, Aldershot, Grimsby, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. Then comes Niagara Falls, New York, and two Buffalo stations, Depew and Exchange Street. After that the train stops at Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Albany-Rensselaer and a string of Hudson River towns before New York.

Amtrak sells Coach and Business Class seats. It lists Wi-Fi, with the note that amenities vary by train, and cafe service on board. The route page shows no fares, so your price depends on your date and class when you search.

A 2022 Amtrak press release on the restart of the service gave the southbound train as leaving Toronto at 8:20 a.m. and arriving in New York at 9:55 p.m. That is about 13 and a half hours. The northbound train in that release left New York at 7:16 a.m. and reached Toronto at 7:43 p.m. Times can change, so read the current timetable before you plan the day.

Key Takeaway The Maple Leaf is a through train with one daily departure and about 12 hours 30 minutes on Amtrak's route page, and it makes you leave the train once at Niagara Falls for the border check.

Union Station is in the middle of downtown. For the subway lines that serve it, see the TTC subway map, and for every other way to reach it, from a bus to a Toronto taxi, see the getting around guide.

Step 2: Compare the Toronto to NY train with the bus

The bus is faster than the train on paper, but not by much, and the fare is not the same kind of number. Two operators publish the route on their own pages.

Megabus says its fastest trip takes 11 hours 10 minutes, with up to four services a day. The first bus leaves Toronto at 8:00 a.m. and the last at 8:00 p.m. It arrives at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue. Its "From $2.00" is a starting fare, not a typical one.

FlixBus says the trip takes about 9.5 to 10 hours and shows 13 rides a day. Its Toronto stops include the Union Station Bus Terminal and Toronto Pearson Airport, Terminal 1. Its page says to bring a valid passport, and the New York Midtown stop asks you to arrive 30 minutes early for the passport check. The page shows "from $113.95" without naming the currency, so confirm the price at checkout.

Pick the bus if you need to be in New York sooner or want a stop at the airport. Pick the train if you want a cafe on board and a stop in Buffalo or Niagara Falls. Both are long days.

Step 3: Get your documents ready for the Toronto to NY train

Take a passport, because the train crosses the border and Amtrak says to pack one. Amtrak's border page lists what each traveller needs.

US citizens aged 16 and over need a US passport, a passport card or a Trusted Traveler Card such as NEXUS. Canadian citizens aged 16 and over need a Canadian passport or a Trusted Traveler Card. Both groups can use an enhanced driver's licence only from the states and provinces Amtrak names. A temporary licence is not accepted.

Travellers with neither citizenship are told by Amtrak to apply online for an I-94 Arrival Record up to seven days before your trip. If you travel under the Visa Waiver Program, it recommends applying for an ESTA at least 72 hours ahead. Check Canada's own entry rules for your passport as well, because Amtrak's page is about the US side.

Pro Tip Be at Union Station at least 30 minutes before departure, which is Amtrak's minimum for Toronto, and more than an hour early if you hold neither a US nor a Canadian passport.

Step 4: Plan the border stop at Niagara Falls

The border check on this train happens at Niagara Falls, and you get off the train for it. Amtrak's border page says inspections on trips to and from Toronto occur in Niagara Falls. Passengers "detrain with baggage at the border," show their reservation ID and then reboard the same train.

Amtrak warns that you may meet delays at the border. It says they usually come from US or Canadian customs and immigration, which Amtrak does not control. So do not book a tight connection for the same evening in New York. The page does not say how long the stop lasts.

Step 5: Decide whether to break the trip at Niagara Falls

Breaking the trip at Niagara Falls is easy to do by train, but because Amtrak lists one daily departure, it likely means a night in town. Amtrak's route page does not say how a stopover works on one ticket, so check that when you book.

You can also reach Niagara Falls without the Maple Leaf. VIA Rail lists a Toronto to Niagara Falls route of 132 km, about 2 hours, with 7 departures a week. GO Transit says it serves Niagara Falls all year, seven days a week. Neither page shows a fare. For the falls themselves, the Niagara Falls guide covers what to see.

Is a tour worth it here, or should you go alone? You can do the falls on your own if you like to set your own pace. A tour helps when you have one afternoon and want the main sights in order. This Niagara Falls tour lasts 3.5 to 4 hours and meets in the check-in lobby inside Skylon Tower, at 5200 Robinson Street, beside the Daredevil Exhibit. See Sight Tours runs it, and the listing says a small group is available. It costs from €103 per person.

GetYourGuide shows a rating of 4.7 from 2,066 reviews and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It includes Skylon Tower admission, Journey Behind the Falls and a guide with live commentary. The boat ride runs from May to December, and the listing swaps in another ride from January to April. Tips are not included. The listing does not say how to get from the station to Skylon Tower, so look that up before you go. Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide.

The Best Travel Destinations' count of GetYourGuide listings for the Toronto area in October 2026 found 182 listings, and 23 of them start in Niagara Falls, Ontario, a stop on the train line from New York.

Step 6: Use your time in Toronto around the train

Your first evening or morning in Toronto goes further with a plan. The northbound Maple Leaf in Amtrak's 2022 release arrived in Toronto at 7:43 p.m., so check your own timetable. If you get in after dark, the night double-decker bus tour is a light way to see the city. It lasts 1.5 hours, and Shop Dine Tour runs it from €32 per person. It meets at City Sightseeing Toronto, 1 Dundas St E. The listing shows a rating of 4.4 from 199 reviews and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It includes live commentary and a guaranteed upper-level seat. Hotel pickup, food and drinks are not included.

The next morning, the 3-hour highlights walk starts at Berczy Park, 35 Wellington St E. Toonie Tours runs it from €4.47 per person, with a rating of 4.7 from 622 reviews and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The guide's tips are optional and not included. It also covers the PATH, the underground walkway network. For other options, see the free walking tours of Toronto, and for a view from above, the CN Tower guide has the details. Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide.

Is a tour worth it, or can you do it alone? If you only want a walk, you can plan one yourself with a map. A tour is worth it when you want stories about what you see and a guide to pick the route. It is the wrong choice when you have only an hour before the train.

What the official pages do not say

Some answers are not published by Amtrak or the bus operators. Amtrak's route page shows no fares and no distance, so use its booking tool for your date. Neither the Maple Leaf page nor the border page says how long the border stop lasts. No official page says whether a rideshare driver will take you from Buffalo across the border. The Maple Leaf is the wrong pick when you must reach New York in time for a same-day evening event, because delays at the border can add time and there is only one daily train.

A long journey feels shorter when you know where the stops are.