r/ViaRail

I know I can leave a good amount of a buffer (E.g. 4 hours), including the up to one hour it takes to go from union to YYZ... but I am debating if before a flight to SE Asia, it might be more logical to take a bus directly to YYZ from Ottawa.... I would consider flights from MTL but they would have 2 stopovers vs. non in Toronto... and still end up costing an extra $300...

Taking a bus from Ottawa won't save me money, but I am trying to avoid worst case scenario risk (this is for late January... and I had a friend who was stuck on the train for over 3 hours last winter...).

In a station like Montréal, can I check my baggage say at around noon after leaving the hotel, for a departure at 6:30PM? Checking if someone knows the answer before calling.

Currently on a 4.5 hour train ride from Montreal to Toronto and on my car there is a family of four including a toddler that looks around 2 years old, another young child that’s slightly older (4 yo ish) plus their parents. We’re barely 2 hours in but the 2 kids will not stop screaming and screeching in an otherwise very quiet car. Tbh I don’t really blame the kids but rather the parents who do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about it… before the train even departed the older kid was running back and forth between the car, and since the car is half empty the other toddler is climbing to other empty seats and being quite disruptive while their parents just watch. Some passengers including myself look visibly annoyed but I don’t know what to do about it since I feel like raising concerns to the service attendant will make me look like an asshole. There’s 2.5 hours left to go and I cannot handle it… I booked business classes specifically to avoid this situation 😑

Hey all! So at the end of September il be going from PEI back to Toronto and ive settled on taking the train the entire way from Moncton NB, but even though i very rarley use VIA, i know about their infamous delays. My train is scheduled to arrive in Montréal at 09:59 or something like that, and my corridor train to Toronto leaves at 13:59 and that leaves me with a few questions, if anyone has one or all of the answers, id greatly appreciate a hand!

1. Do you think ive left myself enough time to make ny transfer, accounting for delays?

2. If i miss my train to Toronto because the Ocean train was late, will VIA help me? I am getting fully refundable transferrable tickets.

3. By the looks of it both trains leave from the same station, Gare Central, is that correct, if not, is it easy to walk from one station to the other?

Again, thank you if you leave an answer, i appreciate it, and have a great day!

Hi guys, on Saturday I traveled business class from Toronto to Montreal on via rail. Honestly, the highlight of the trip was meeting Suzanne, the train attendant who was so bubbly and chatty and sweet. I’d been having an awful day after missing my flight in the morning, and she honestly made the whole experience so much better. She told me she had adult kids and she had been a flight attendant for years. She was taking photos of the sunset through the window so she could watercolour paint the scene, later. Anyway, I hope this somehow gets back to her. Suzanne, thank you for the kindness. I really needed it on Saturday. Thank you, via rail!

Hi folks,

I'm currently on the Canadian in a one person room. For about 24 hours now the toilets on my car have been out of order. They tried to fix them in Edmonton and Saskatoon without success. Another passenger mentioned they heard they could get some kind of compensation for that. Any idea if that's true or how to go about it? Thanks!

Looking to do this as my big vacation next year. Read through a few of the posts, and have found good info.

- Buy on a Tuesday and/or [either] Thanksgiving week to save $$$.

- Do coach from Toronto to Winnipeg and then switch to a berth.

- Bring cards (and my travel cribbage board).

- Bring a good book for nights.

A couple questions though:

- what is/are the meals to absolutely get?

- what are the good/best things to do/eat within walking distance of long stops? Even if I'm being fed on board, there are always local specialities

- what are the odds of a winter cancelation of the trip? I'm from the Northeast US, so i know how bad winters can get, but lake effect snow may be a different beast than plains or Rockies snow.

- is there a cool enough way to get from Vancouver to Seattle to fly out of SEA-TAC, or should I bypass that and fly back from Vancouver?

Hello,

I currently booked my trip from Toronto to Winnipeg in Economy and Winnipeg to Vancouver in Berth. I'm contemplating upgrading the Economy portion of the trip to Berth just to have a great stress free experience throughout.

I have the following link thats been shared here so do think it's worth waiting in hopes of finding a cheap upgrade later or should I just pay the $588 on top of my Economy booking now?

https://traincar.info/sleeper

Appreciate any advice, thanks

I recently had my first ever ViaRail trip. My wife and I went business class. It was an all-day event, beginning with Train 35 from Quebec to Montreal and then transferring to Train 67 for Toronto.

The food was better than anything I’ve had on a plane, or on a European train, and it was hot! First breakfast on the 35, and then a nice salmon meal for lunch on the 67. The first train (35) was a morning run. I had a coffee in the lounge and then was repeatedly offered coffee before, during, and after the meal on the train. The conductor/server was very friendly, smiling and joking with us. I never felt afraid to ask for anything. The staff worked hard and were super receptive.

I had booked us in the face-to-face table, so I wonder if we were more visible to staff, but we had similar good service on the 67, beginning with the lounge where we were led to the train in a priority queue at boarding time, and we were offered drinks almost immediately. I noticed that the drink cart had Clamato, so I asked for a vodka and Clamato. The server told me that she could fix me a Bloody Caesar if I’d like. Yes, please! And it was quite good. Try to imagine such treatment on a plane.

For the second leg, both of us had pre-ordered salmon. The server confirmed this with us ahead of time, joking that it was fresh just for us. I teased him jokingly, “You caught it today on your way to work?” He replied, “Yes of course.” When he came by again later he quickly flashed us a photo he had on his phone of him holding a huge fish that he had actually caught. It was a nice bit of levity on a long voyage. The whole vibe was pleasant and light.

I have read about disappointments, and in most of those reports I wonder how much people expect. I think the experience I had was about as good as I could ask for on a train. The service was far better than anything I have experienced on an airplane, including premium economy (I’m way too cheap to fly business class). And it was better than my experiences on Eurostar or French trains.

Hey all,

I’m wondering if needing help with stairs costs more money - if I request help when buying a ticket?

Also, how does one go about getting a discount for travel in September or early October?

Any insight would be great!

Thanks in advance!

Companion review of the Maple Leaf can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ViaRail/comments/1vd7pll/review_of_the_maple_leaf/

So on my way back home I took the Adirondack from NYC to Montréal.  I have ridden the corridor many times, as well as the Canadian (once), and the Ocean (twice), but this is my second time on an Amtrak Train (after the Maple Leaf on the way in).

Overview

Unlike the Maple Leaf, which is a jointish operation between VIA and Amtrak, the Adirondack is a 100% American endeavor, VIA has absolutely nothing to do with it. VIA doesn't sell tickets, display it on its map, or even acknowledges its existence. It is an Amtrak train that operates into Canada. VIA's role is limited to placing the mini ramps / planks between the platform and the train and Gare Centrale.

As we will see below, VIA's lack of involvement is a key reason why the journey takes as long as it does

Ticketing

As stated above, you cannot purchase this ticket from VIA. Even in Montréal Gare Centrale, there is an Amtrak employee who sells tickets and provides other services related to this train. You have to buy from Amtrak in USD

NY Penn Station

So while the old grand Pennsylvania Station was inexcusably demolished in 1963 and replaced with a tacky arena, and the station moved to a grimy basement, there is good news. In 2021 the Old Post office building across the street was repurposed to serve as an annex to Penn Station and Amtrak trains now all stop there. Do not go into the main Penn Station, follow signs for Moynihan Train Hall. This hall is closer to A, C, and E trains on the 8th Av 34th Street–Penn Station subway station rather than the 1, 2, and 3 trains on the Broadway--7th Av 34th Street–Penn Station subway Station.

The Station has limited seating area unfortunately but lot of options to purchase coffee etc

Travelers to Canada will be asked to check in at a desk but this is more theatre / a pre-check than anything substantial. You can skip it if running late and just board the train when you see the platform called. At the check-in you will be told that you need a paper ticket if you are going to Canada. I had already printed mine out so they simply stamped it with the word "CANADA" written in large red letters. If you didn't have a paper ticket, you get sent to another desk where you will receive a cool boarding pass style ticket for them to stamp. You will also recieve luggage tags to attach to your bags, once again not needed no is checking them.

Train

The most shocking part for me is the lack of assigned seats. Apparently this is standard in the US. Instead, depending on your destination, you are assigned a coach and then you are asked to pick a seat. Economy is 2x2 and well you will likely end up with a seatmate at some point. Major downside, no arm rests acting as a dividing line so you likely end up rubbing elbows with a stranger

The train is an Amtrak train throughout. It is an old train so it is comfortable. This was a nice touch since VIA unfortunately, replaced all of their corridor fleet E of Toronto (where I ride the rails normally) with new plastic ones that aren't nearly as comfortable.

There is no business class on this train, it is economy only. For 12 hour journey this can get much. There is a café car. Unlike in Canada, where outside long distance economy trains, service involves staff periodically going up and down the aisles with a food cart; here there is a café car everyone can go to to purchase coffee, snacks, and meals

Also unlike Canadian trains, American trains seem to lack water. Canadian trains all have taps from which we can refill our water bottles while American trains don't. They also tend to use blue porta-potty liquid rather than water to flush their toilets. The upshot is that while Via provides people free water, Amtrak only provides bottles for crew, passengers are forced by overpriced waterbottles.

On the other hand, American trains have garbage cans unlike Canadian trains; so you can dispose of your trash as soon as possible

NYC - Albany

The Train operates out of NYC through a tunnel so there is no real view till Upper Manhattan. At that point the W side starts getting a view of the Hudson River as it runs on the same tracks as the Metro North Railroad's Hudson line. The part shared with Metro North is quite slow, presumably due to track congestion but after that it runs quite quickly to Albany. Wifi tends to work quite well here.

Albany--Rensselaer Station

NB Trains have a 45 minute scheduled smoke stop at Albany and since we were on time we got to have the full stop. We can exit the train, wander on the platform and even enter the station building. I did not see anyone exit onto the street but I am sure that it is theoretically possible. At the station you can stock up on food of a higher quality than the ultra-processed stuff sold on the train. You also get to use real washroom and fill up your water bottle for free a the fountain

Albany - Rousses Point

As we continue on towards Montréal, things start to change at Schenectady as we live the Central NY Mainline and head to the former Delaware & Hudson Railway trackage, now owned by CP Rail. The tracks run through the Adirondack mountains and hugs lake Champlain to the East (for a significant portion of the run). It was scenic, but unfortunately most people are phone addicts and failed to appreciate the view. Tour guides on board would make this section a lot better, and I figure that the view would be a lot better in the Winter.

Reception and wi-fi is spottier here and train moves considerably slower.

Canada-US Border

Crossing the border works differently on this train compared to the Maple Leaf in that we do not exit the train.

We were given Canadian customs declaration forms along the route (or at NY Penn if you checked in) so everyone should have had those prepared to hand over to the Canadian border patrol when they arrived. The whole process took 2hrs 45 mins and people were really starting to get restless especially the since Washrooms ran out of flushing liquid and the café car closed as we approached the border.

We slowly inched our train towards and across the border into Québec, Canada. The tracks cross the border right where US Route 11 turns into Québec route 223, right next to the Rouses Point–Lacolle 223 Border Crossing. About 6 officers from the inspection station began their rounds and I persume that there were officers outside inspecting the train. They split into groups, I was interviewed by a gorup of two. I also assume that the entire train was being X-rayed or something on the way in. Anyways they did not inspect / scan bags en masse but each person was intereviewed. For non-Canadians (which appeared to be the majority of the passengers) they focused on determining travel plans in Canada. For Canadians, such as myself, their focus was ensuring that people are not avoiding custom duties / import taxes.

During the 2 hours 45 mins we would leave our seat absent an emergency and needed to seek the permission to use the washroom though after the 2 hour mark people really stopped caring. I was shocked that how many people used the train to cross the border, unlike the Maple Leaf where a lot fewer people crossed the border via train. Considering that the train journeys are the same length or so, but Montréal is closer / quicker drive, I'd expect it to be the reverse.

Majority of the people who crossed the border were American, very few Canadians. Which checks out considering that VIA pretends that this train does not exist; Canadians do not know about it while Americans very much do. Maybe that is why customs took a long time, a disproportionate percentage of people are not citizens of the country. A few people were asked to come with their bags to what appeared to be a detailed screening and unlike a flight, the entire train gets delayed as a result. Unlike on The Cascades, where border patrol is in Vancouver so it operates like a flight, they do not have that in Montréal but since VIA has nothing to do with this train, they probably should cause right now we get the worst of all words. Border works like it is an international train but everything else about it works like it is an American train operating in Canada rather than a true international train (see more below)

Once we left, and non-Canadians got a very negative first impression of the country, the worsening continued thanks to VIA's non-involvement and Canada's freight rail prioritization

Rouses Point - Montréal

Oh boy do things get bad here. So at the border the track splits into two. The CP tracks go directly into Montréal while the CN tracks head over to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and then hook back towards Montréal. Now logic dictates taking the CP tracks but within Canada CP essentially forbids passenger rail from operating on its tracks absent certain cases; when it does it does so very begrudgingly and is worse actor than CN. And if you know CN, that is saying something; and it can be seen from how the train operates while in Canada.

Like in the US, the Canadian tracks are owned primarily by the freight companies. However, Canada remains the only country in the world to not have a law requiring freight companies to yield ROW to passenger trains. In fact in 2024 Transport Canada deemed that impacts on corporate profits would make this law a non-starter. I know that there are issues with enforcement in the US but things are worse north of the border and passenger trains many times have to sit and wait for freight. This happened on the Canadian section of the trip.

Even outside of delays, the train has a scheduled run time of 2 hrs 10 mins for the ~75 km of track (recall the track first heads to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu) between the border and Montréal. The reason it takes so long is because the CN has let the tracks fall into disrepair. Freight doesn't require much speed, especially if it is not a congested mainline. So as long as they are technically driveable, lot of tracks are in very poor condition.

Now in a typical capitalize the profits, socialize the losses, passenger rail authorities simply pay freight companies to fix the tracks. Instead of just buying them back (or never having privatized them in the case of CN rail), the public authority pays a profit bearing company to fix the tracks to standards.

But, Amtrak has (rightfully IMO) argued that it is not responsible for fixing the Adriondack tracks in Canada, and since VIA has nothing to do with the train, well they are not paying to fix it. Thus the tracks continue to detirioate.

Since Amtrak and not VIA is running the train, it doesn't serve Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu despite passing right through it as Amtrak is not going to provide intra-Canada services. But if it were a joint VIA-Amtrak train, the route would provide a crucial link between this city of 98,000 and Montréal, located 45 km to the North-East.

Since VIA does not run the train, services in Québec are also provided wholly in English, which is a violation of Québec language laws. Now railways are under federal jurisdiction, and thus language laws potentially do not apply, despite Québec claiming otherwise and federally regulated industries generally following the law anyways. VIA as a federal government agency does provide mandated bilingual services but Amtrak doesn't seem to bother, which is problematic for a train running in Québec.

Further, Amtrak continues to charge in USD in the café car, which is well illegal as they are in Canada. But Amtrak pretends that the train is in the US. In which case, they should be like The Cascades, and simply do clearance on the border. OR run it jointly with VIA allowing for Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to get service, tracks to get maintained, prices to be in CAD, and French language laws to be respected. Honestly, as a Canadian and a Québécois I am appalled that neither VIA Rail nor the Québec government is interested in a train running between America's largest city and Québec's largest (and Canada's second largest) city. It makes no sense, and this acting in bad faith is not winning us any favors.

I’m on a train traveling from Kingston to Ottawa. We are being held in Kingston for an undetermined amount of time due to an incident in the track that requires police intervention. Any have any info on what is going on?

Update: we’re about to get moving again. We heard the incident was caused by kids leaving their bikes on the tracks which was hit by another train.

Will join up the existing exo and via stations into one

VIA 42 returns, departs Toronto at 12:17, arrives in Ottawa at 17:16

VIA 55 returns, departs Ottawa at 3:25pm and arrives in Toronto at 20:18

They both stop at every station except Gananoque and Guildwood.

VIA 645 will adopt a full week schedule, instead of just 5 days.

Soon I will be taking my first ViaRail trip: Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto. Because I cannot get a pre-board seat assignment (Economy), and because the train looks to be nearly full, I’m concerned about how to get the best seat for so long a trip. I’m assuming there will be a mad rush to the Economy car at boarding. I’m traveling solo. Any tips?

Hi all! I'm traveling with my child from Argentina to Canada in September, taking VIA Rail Corridor trains (Toronto→Kingston→Ottawa). I contacted VIA Rail chat support and they confirmed that any carry-on item exceeding 154cm total linear dimensions (length+width+height) won't be accepted, no exceptions.

My suitcase is 78 x 53 x 31 cm (162cm linear total), and the limit is 76 x 48 x 30 cm (154cm linear total) — so I'm about 8cm over on the linear total, mainly due to width.

I don't want to break any rules, but since we're traveling all the way from Argentina for a few weeks, we do need a larger suitcase than usual. I'm traveling alone with my child, managing two smaller suitcases instead of one larger one would be really difficult for me.

Has anyone actually had a suitcase measured or rejected at the platform on Corridor trains? Is this enforced with an actual measuring tool, or is it more of a "guideline" that gate staff rarely check in practice? Trying to figure out if I really need to swap suitcases before the trip or if there's some real-world flexibility.

Thanks in advance for any first-hand experience!

I'm taking my 80yr mother on a trip from Van to Tor next spring. We've booked our sleeper room already. What kind of things would you suggest I bring to keep her comfortable? Our trip is in April. Is it chilly on the train still? I'm used to the Churchill train - is the Canadian much different accommodation wise?

My idea here is that the government doesn't create VIA but continues to subsidize the losses of both CN and CP without letting them cut routes. Could that arrangment have continued longer than 1978? What are your guy's thoughts.

I miss the old snacks. I don't dislike the new ones but wish we could choose. I wonder where they are sold.