How Rail Car Shipping Works

When you arrive at the origin terminal during your booked window, you are met by a Rail Auto Canada intake agent. The terminal is a secured, fenced rail yard — not a public parking lot. The exact address is only sent to you after booking is confirmed and paid.

Together with the agent, you walk around the full exterior of the vehicle and document its condition on the intake form — every existing scuff, dent, chip, or scratch is noted and photographed. This condition report is the official baseline for your shipment and is critical if a damage claim were ever needed.

You hand over one set of keys, sign the intake paperwork, and receive a copy for your records. The entire drop-off process takes approximately 15 to 30 minutes. Once complete, your vehicle enters the secure terminal yard and is assigned to the next scheduled train departure.

Your vehicle is held securely in the terminal yard until the next scheduled train is ready to load. On major corridors like Toronto to Vancouver, trains are loaded and depart every 7 to 10 days. On some shorter or less frequent routes, the schedule may vary — your booking confirmation will include the expected departure window.

Your car does not move during this time. It sits in the secured yard, untouched, until loading day. You will receive an automated notification the moment your vehicle is loaded onto the rail car and the train departs.

Your vehicle travels secured on an auto rack rail car on Canada's CN rail network — the same infrastructure that crosses the country coast to coast every day. Nobody drives your car. It never touches a highway. It is loaded once and unloaded once at the destination.

Rail transit times range from 3 to 5 days for shorter corridors (Vancouver to Calgary) up to 12 to 14 days for full cross-country routes (Vancouver to Montreal). You can track your shipment's live status in your client portal at shipmycar.railautocanada.ca at any time, and automated updates are sent at each milestone.

Once the train arrives at the destination terminal, you will receive a notification confirming arrival and letting you know that processing has begun.

After the train arrives, the destination terminal team unloads and processes all vehicles. This typically takes 2 to 3 days. Once your vehicle is ready for collection, you receive a pickup-ready notification by email and SMS. This notification includes your assigned pickup window, the terminal address, and access instructions.

Bring your government-issued photo ID and your job number. A terminal agent will meet you, walk around the vehicle with you to confirm its condition against the original intake report, and hand over your keys. You sign the release paperwork and the shipment is complete.

If you notice any damage that was not present at drop-off, you must note it on the release form before leaving the terminal. This is the window for submitting an insurance claim — it cannot be done after you have driven away. Claims must be submitted within 5 business days of delivery with your pre-shipment photos as evidence.

Your vehicle's odometer will show only a few hundred metres of movement — the short distance driven on and off the rail car at each terminal yard. No highway miles. No road wear.