# Can you take a train trip to Montreal from Chicago?



## Gingee (Jul 7, 2012)

Can you take the train trip to Montreal, Quebec? I couldn't find anything with Amtrak.


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## PerRock (Jul 7, 2012)

To or From Montreal? Either way you'd be on the Lake Shore Limited between Chicago &

Schenectady, NY
​
, then the Adirondack between

Schenectady, NY
​
& Montreal. I know it's a valid connection going MTR-CHI, I would think it would work going the other way as well.

peter


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## zephyr17 (Jul 7, 2012)

Gingee said:


> Can you take the train trip to Montreal, Quebec? I couldn't find anything with Amtrak.


There used to be a Chicago-Toronto train, "The International" but that has been gone for a few years now.

Now the only way is pretty much to go via New York state somewhere. You can take the Lake Shore to Buffalo, then take the Maple Leaf to Toronto with a 6 hour layover in Buffalo. There doesn't appear to be a same connection on to Montreal, it the latest Toronto-Montreal train leaves at 5:00 pm, well before the Maple Leaf's arrival.

The other option is to take the Lakeshore to any station Schenectady or beyond, then layover for the next day's Adirondack to Montreal, which is a more scenic ride than via Toronto.


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 7, 2012)

Gingee said:


> Can you take the train trip to Montreal, Quebec? I couldn't find anything with Amtrak.


Three ways to go here: Wolverine from Chicago to Detroit, self transfer to Windsor and ride VIA (Canadas Amtrak) from Windsor to Toronto, youd then have to spend the night in Toronto, catch a Corridor Train from Toronto to Montreal, its VIAs answer to Amtraks NEC!!

Second way is the Lake Shore to Rochester or Syracuse, change to the Maple Leaf to Toronto, spend the night and catch the VIA corridoir Train the next day to Montreal!

The third way is to take the Lake Shore Ltd. from CHI-NYP, spend the night in the Apple and ride the Adirondack from NYP to Montreal the next morning!

Returning is easier since you can catch the Lake Shore to CHI from the Adirondack in either Schenectady or Albany without an overnite!


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## Swadian Hardcore (Jul 7, 2012)

jimhudson said:


> Gingee said:
> 
> 
> > Can you take the train trip to Montreal, Quebec? I couldn't find anything with Amtrak.
> ...


I would choose the first or third option. You can also do the Port Huron/Sarnia version of the first one. Any train from Sarnia/Windsor to Montreal?

edit: error


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## the_traveler (Jul 7, 2012)

If I had to make a choice, I would take the Lake Shore Limited to either Schenectady or Albany. Much less for a hotel than NYC - plus you can sleep 2-3 hours later!






Returning it's a same day connection in Schenectady.


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## Gingee (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks for the ideas guys (and maybe girls).


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## VentureForth (Jul 8, 2012)

So the short answer is, no you can't book it like you would Westbound, but you can get there - you'll just need two itineraries and an overnight somewhere for your connection.


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## afigg (Jul 8, 2012)

VentureForth said:


> So the short answer is, no you can't book it like you would Westbound, but you can get there - you'll just need two itineraries and an overnight somewhere for your connection.


Right now, connecting to the northbound Adirondack from the eastbound LSL requires an overnight stay either at Albany or NYC (or Schenectady). Worth noting that might change in a year or two. The current schedule has the northbound #69 Adirondack departing NYP at 8:15 AM & Schenectady (SDY) at 11:29 AM and the eastbound #48 LSL arriving SDY at 2:00 PM.

In the Performance Improvement Plan for the LSL, it was recommended that the LSL be moved back to an earlier departure from CHI, perhaps as early as 6:30 PM CT, swapping place to an extent with the eastbound Capitol Limited. Can't do it until this fall at the earliest, but that is likely still in the plans. A 6:30 PM departure from CHI would have the LSL get to SDY at around 11 AM.

If US and Canadian Customs facility at the Montreal station gets built along with some other track improvements, 90 minutes or more could be taken off of the Adirondack trip time. I would think the Adirondack would be moved to a later departure from NYP, say 10 AM (which allows better connections from south of NYP). With some trip time improvements south of SDY, it might then arrive SDY at around 1 PM. Bingo, 2 hour connection window at SDY for anyone from CHI to Cleveland who want to go to upper state NY or Montreal.

However the lousy on-time performance in recent times of the eastbound Empire Builder and California Zephyr may cause Amtrak to hold off moving the #48 LSL to a 3 hour earlier departure until the situation gets better for those 2 trains. That could be a while.


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## railiner (Jul 8, 2012)

afigg said:


> VentureForth said:
> 
> 
> > So the short answer is, no you can't book it like you would Westbound, but you can get there - you'll just need two itineraries and an overnight somewhere for your connection.
> ...


I hope they reschedule the LSL as you said. Let the Capitol Limited handle the majority of the misconnects from the Western trains....


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## the_traveler (Jul 8, 2012)

I agree. There are better connections from the CL, plus there are more seats - and especially rooms - on the CL!


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## AlanB (Jul 8, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> I agree. There are better connections from the CL, plus there are more seats - and especially rooms - on the CL!


Actually, once the new bag/dorm cars arrive, it will be a mixed bag. The LSL will have more roomettes than the Cap, as well as 1 more H-Room. The Cap will have 4 more Bedrooms however, plus the 2 family rooms.


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## Gingee (Jul 8, 2012)

Wow. It all sounds confusing.


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## railiner (Jul 8, 2012)

As for 'misconnects' from late western conex at CHI, it is more direct to go to WAS, then northeast up the corridor, than to go to NYP, and then southwest down the corridor...


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## Gingee (Jul 8, 2012)

Maybe we will skip that cruise and just do a round trip Boston to Boston.


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## the_traveler (Jul 9, 2012)

If you want a cruise and a train trip, there are some that go between NYC or Boston (I forget which) and Montreal!


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## Gingee (Jul 9, 2012)

We booked our cruise today. Boston round trip. Now the trick is we are trying to see what the hours are of the train coming back from Boston. It just shows busses. I can understand problems due to storms but why can you take a train there and not back?


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## Eric S (Jul 9, 2012)

Gingee said:


> We booked our cruise today. Boston round trip. Now the trick is we are trying to see what the hours are of the train coming back from Boston. It just shows busses. I can understand problems due to storms but why can you take a train there and not back?


What dates and stations are you trying? As for stations, be sure it is CHI (Chicago Union Station) to/from BOS (Boston South Station). Trains 448 CHI-BOS and 449 BOS-CHI.


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## Gingee (Jul 10, 2012)

The trip isn't until next year. Can book a cruise now but not a train. Just wanted to see where some of the trains go.


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