# New Cross-Border Connection: Winnipeg-Grand Forks



## NS VIA Fan (Feb 22, 2015)

Northern Sparrow Shuttle: Not the most convenient times....but they do say they connect with Amtrak at Grand Forks ND and VIA in Winnipeg.

http://www.northernsparrow.com/home-1.html

Is this the only public transportation (land) cross-border connection in the 2500 miles between Windsor-Detroit and Vancouver-Blaine?


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## crabby_appleton1950 (Feb 22, 2015)

Interesting. Weird schedule hours though; and $105 round trip for a two hour ride each way. But, hey, if you want or need to go, how else will someone get there except by private car.


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## railiner (Feb 22, 2015)

There is this.... http://www.saultstemarie.com/international-bridge-bus-373/

Very limited operation.... http://is0.gaslightmedia.com/saulstemarie/_ORIGINAL_/fs18-1385483953-25896.pd

And this.... https://webstore.indiantrails.com/?d=&a=&t=1&wg=1&dtext=&atext=&dd=&rd=&tfa=1&tfs=0&tfc=0&_ga=1.146351668.1801950465.1424628228

edit: the second link doesn't seem to open, but it is a PDF you can click on when you open the first link.....


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## CCC1007 (Feb 22, 2015)

railiner said:


> There is this.... http://www.saultstemarie.com/international-bridge-bus-373/
> 
> Very limited operation.... http://is0.gaslightmedia.com/saulstemarie/_ORIGINAL_/fs18-1385483953-25896.pd
> 
> And this.... https://webstore.indiantrails.com/?d=&a=&t=1&wg=1&dtext=&atext=&dd=&rd=&tfa=1&tfs=0&tfc=0&_ga=1.146351668.1801950465.1424628228


it looks like you need to put an f at the end of the second link to make it active. it is supposed to be a pdf right, not a pd.


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## railiner (Feb 22, 2015)

CCC1007 said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > There is this.... http://www.saultstemarie.com/international-bridge-bus-373/
> ...


Tried that....still doesn't seem to open that way...but thanks for the suggestion....


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## railiner (Feb 22, 2015)

Here's another possible "solution" for getting across.... http://airportshuttleexpress.com/yellowstone.html

and http://airportshuttleexpress.com/waterton.htm


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## AmtrakBlue (Feb 22, 2015)

http://is0.gaslightmedia.com/saulstemarie/_ORIGINAL_/fs18-1385483953-25896.pdf

This works.


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## railiner (Feb 22, 2015)

In general, it is very difficult to find public ground transportation to cross the entire border, from Atlantic to Pacific, outside of the busiest corridors (Vancouver, Windsor, Niagara Falls, or Montreal). Many years ago, there were many more routes across, at least one from every state, but alas, the market has shrunk to the point where it is no longer sustainable....


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## Swadian Hardcore (Feb 22, 2015)

Jeez, that's not cheap at all. You might be able to get it done for less on a rental car, if you can get a good deal.

I was disappointed that Jefferson cut the service.


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## fairviewroad (Feb 23, 2015)

NS VIA Fan said:


> Northern Sparrow Shuttle: Not the most convenient times....but they do say they connect with Amtrak at Grand Forks ND and VIA in Winnipeg.
> 
> http://www.northernsparrow.com/home-1.html
> 
> Is this the only public transportation (land) cross-border connection in the 2500 miles between Windsor-Detroit and Vancouver-Blaine?


I don't see any reference to Amtrak other than the Amtrak logo on the home page (which I suspect is being used w/o permission).

I think they might do well as a weekend shoppers shuttle. Their service to GFK airport might work if timed well with Allegiant flights.

But as a connection to Amtrak, it's useless. Even if the driver deviated to the Amtrak station, the schedule doesn't even remotely

provide a connection to the EB.

(I suppose you could use a taxi between the GFK airport and the Amtrak station, but the schedules still don't work very well

for that.)


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## Bob Dylan (Feb 23, 2015)

Its a shame there is so few land connections between Canada and the US, especially up along the Hi- Line!

In 1982, my late wife and I rode the Canadian from Vancouver to Winnipeg, took a Greyhound from Winnipeg to Grand Forks ( EZ Border Crossing)and then took the Empire Builder to Chicago!

We also could have gone on to Thunder Bay, ON on the Canadian, taken a bus to the Twin Cities and then the EB to CHI!

Worked going North Bound also!( well, only on certain days since the Canadian wasn't daily, but can't remember the schedule!)


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## Swadian Hardcore (Feb 23, 2015)

It's time that Jefferson restores Winnipeg service. I do not understand why they cut it. Heck, Pembina and Winnipeg are home to some of the biggest bus manufacturing plants in North America.


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## NS VIA Fan (Feb 23, 2015)

As I said "Not the most convenient times" and if you read in the "about us" description....they do serve the train station and "other depots".....Greyhound? But at $54.99 for a 3 hour trip, I thing I’d take it even if I had to hang out at the Mall for a few hours or get a day room at Motel 6! compared to other options.


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## Eric S (Feb 24, 2015)

IIRC the Empire Builder PIP report from a few years ago suggested setting up a Thruway service between Grand Forks and Winnipeg and noted how the train schedules would potentially allow it to connect with both the Canadian in Winnipeg and the Empire Builder in Grand Forks.

I assume Jefferson Lines cut that service a few years ago due to somewhat low ridership? I wonder if adding Amtrak/VIA Rail connecting passengers to the then-existing bus passengers would be enough to support the service again.


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## fairviewroad (Feb 24, 2015)

NS VIA Fan said:


> if you read in the "about us" description....they do serve the train station and "other depots".....


Ah, I missed that. I read through there but was looking for the word "Amtrak". Still, the website doesn't explain how you

actually get to the Amtrak station--which by the way, is only open from midnight to 8 a.m.

Anyhow, having done the Winnipeg-Grand Forks shuffle many times over the past 8 years (and also having arranged travel

for relatives doing the same thing) I can tell you that the market for travel between Winnipeg and Grand Forks consists almost

exclusively of 'Peggers dipping down to Grand Forks for shopping excursions. Manitobans, IME, are virtually unaware that

Amtrak even exists (and who can blame them for ignoring an unreliable, once-daily train that stops in the middle of the night).

Lots of Manitobans do make the trip to GFK to catch cheap flights, but a shuttle service would have to run much more frequently

to be of use, unless it was timed specifically to meet vacation flights.

I think a Thruway service that explicitly serves the Amtrak/VIA stations and is explicitly timed to meet the Builder could do well, given

adequate publicity. But other than shopping, there's no natural affinity between the two cities. It's amazing, driving around Winnipeg,

how utterly few North Dakota license plates you see. In Grand Forks you do see plenty of Manitoba plates in the mall parking lot.


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## railiner (Feb 25, 2015)

I think if there were an Amtrak Thruway bus between Winnipeg and Grand Forks, it would benefit the Empire Builder a lot more than the Canadian....

It would offer those in Winnipeg daily service to the east and west ....and IINM cheaper than VIA....

In my experience, there are a lot more Canadian's travelling to and thru the US, than vice-versa....at least it is that way on buses between NY and Toronto or Montreal....

If the Thruway did get some business to or from the Canadian, that would be nice, too.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Feb 25, 2015)

I guess Americans that might want to ride the Hudson Bay could benefit from this as well.


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## railiner (Feb 25, 2015)

Right....most of those coming from the States, would be tourists going to ride VIA, while there would be more "visiting family" and "business" type travel coming from Canada....


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