TORONTO - Passengers aboard a Via Rail train involved in a health scare in northern Ontario were a little weary but in good spirits when they arrived in Toronto early Saturday - some 11 hours behind schedule after an onboard death and multiple reported illnesses triggered a full-scale biohazard response.

The train from Vancouver pulled into Union Station around 7:30 a.m. ET after spending nine hours quarantined in Foleyet, a tiny hamlet of just 380 people about 100 kilometres southwest of Timmins.

The bulk of the 264 passengers and 30 crew members on board debarked in Toronto, most of them anxious to simply get on with their journey.

Standing at the baggage carousel, Jeff Brisbois and his wife Jessica said they were looking forward to seeing their families and getting home to Halifax.

The seasoned travellers said they were never really nervous about what was happening despite having dined with a woman who was airlifted from the scene with breathing problems.

"We took it pretty much in stride," he said. "Some people were probably slightly anxious, but Via was very good and did their best to keep us informed."

"We had a lot of fun. We'd do it again in a heartbeat," Jessica Brisbois said of their cross-country train trip.

Medical teams in biohazard suits descended on the Vancouver-Toronto train Friday morning in Foleyet after an 86-year-old woman died in a washroom and six Australian tourists who boarded in Jasper, Alta., reported feeling ill with respiratory and flu-like symptoms.

Ontario health officials confirmed Saturday there was no outbreak of infectious disease aboard the train.

The woman's death is still under investigation, but an infectious disease has been ruled out, according to the Ministry of Health.

Four of the five passengers who were ill before they boarded the train in Jasper on Wednesday tested positive for seasonal flu, officials said. But none of the people seated near the group have shown flu symptoms.

Another passenger who experienced symptoms turned out to have a cold, the ministry said. Another woman who was airlifted to hospital with breathing problems is in stable condition but didn't test positive for flu or other respiratory illnesses.

The train was cleared to leave just before 7 p.m. ET on Friday following a rapid medical assessment of the remaining passengers, who were each handed an information sheet about the incident.

Passenger Cecilia Damico said there were times it felt the delay "was never going to end" but that she was pleased with how well the crew kept passengers informed and occupied.

"We were doing crossword puzzles and reading and they gave everybody champagne," she said.

"The crew was marvellous, they really were. They made sure that everybody was comfortable."

Even those waiting for loved ones to arrive said they were pleased with the way things were handled.

Waiting for her 88-year-old friend to arrive from Vancouver, Cecilia Tallack said she regularly phoned the Via Rail's emergency line to keep tabs on the situation.

"They kept me informed beautifully," she said. "They were very helpful."

The combination of different illnesses and symptoms "really brought the medical attention to that train," said Via Rail spokeswoman Catherine Kaloutsky.

But the assistance of a retired doctor who was also travelling on the train was essential, she noted.

"That being said, we're very, very pleased with how well things worked."

Still, some passengers who were further away from the incident - the massive train was about 30 cars long - felt they weren't kept as well informed of what was happening as they would have liked.

"We didn't really know what was going on and we were stopped for eight hours," said Elise Pettit, 19.

"They told us it was a medical emergency and we heard through word of mouth that someone passed away."

Marco Morosoli, a Swiss native who's been travelling throughout North America by train, said he remained in the dark for about the first four hours of the delay.

"It was upsetting and exhausting," said Lil Jamieson of Kelowna, B.C. "We're all day sitting there just looking out at the media and the ambulances."

Two crisis counsellors, a Health Canada representative and union officials were on hand to greet the passengers when they arrived and provide any necessary assistance.

While some have suggested the response was overblown, counsellor Bryan Prettie said it was appropriate.

"It's a post-SARS word so everybody is hyper-sensitive and tends to react on the side of caution," he said, adding the response was "probably a good thing."

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