Travelling Off Island
When the train system was completely abandoned in 1989, the idea was born to turn the railways into recreational trails. So today we have the T’railways, multi-purpose paths across the Province. Citizens and visitors alike enjoy nature while walking, jogging and cycling along the Trail.
In the past, transportation between the mainland and NL revolved around ferry systems. Some significant events have considerably increased the speed of transportation to and from the Island:
- In 1988 the railways were abandoned, in favour of more and better highways.
- Ferries between North Sydney, Nova Scotia and either Port aux Basques on the West Coast, or Argentia on the south west coast of the Avalon Peninsula.
Today, for travellers to or from NL, these are the options:
- Airplane
- Ferry
Airplane
There are identification requirements for air travel inside Canada. All passengers aged 12 and over are required to present one piece of valid government-issued photo ID showing their name, date of birth and gender.
There are several airports in NL. The largest, and busiest airport is in St. John’s. As well, there are airports in Gander, Deer lake, Stephenville, St. Anthony, Goose Bay, Churchill Falls, and Wabush. While St. John’s is the main international hub for Newfoundland and Labrador, major airlines fly from Toronto and Halifax to Deer Lake and Gander on a daily basis. It’s about 3.5 hours flying time from Toronto or New York to St. John’s, and just 1.5 hours from Halifax.
Ferry
NL has three ferry ports:
- Port aux Basques
- Argentia
- Burin (for St-Pierre-Miquelon)