# Toronto to Pittsburgh



## Sam (Mar 9, 2012)

Hi. I`m trying to find out how long and how much it would be to get from Toronto, ON to Pittsburgh, PA. I know there are stations in both these cities, but I got the ERROR ID: 108A. Does this mean I can`t travel only on Amtrak or do I have to set it up on VIA first?

Any help would be great. Thank you for your time.


----------



## WICT106 (Mar 9, 2012)

I looked at this itinerary as well. It appears as if the website will not allow, or is prevented from allowing, that city pair. Sorry to have to tell you this, but it looks like you can't make that trip by train.


----------



## fairviewroad (Mar 9, 2012)

The problem is that the only Amtrak train from Toronto (the Maple Leaf) arrives into New York at 9:45 p.m. and the connecting train to Pittsburgh (the Pennsylvanian) leaves New York at 10:50 *in the morning.* So, you can book the trip on Amtrak's website using the multi-city trip function if you are willing to spend the night in NYC on your own dime. Alternately, you could split up the trip in Albany which might yield a cheaper hotel room.

Or you could take the Maple Leaf from Toronto to Buffalo, wait 11 hours and catch the Lake Shore Limited to Cleveland, then wait 22 hours to catch the Capital Limited to Pittsburgh. Obviously that makes no sense, but it is theoretically possible.

All in all, Amtrak's route network isn't really set up to travel from Toronto to Pittsburgh, unfortunately.


----------



## Blackwolf (Mar 9, 2012)

Unfortunately, without getting overly creative and having to stay overnight in New York City, this is a routing that cannot be done. This is because the Maple Leaf, which travels between to/from Toronto, is a once-a-day train that does not get into New York Penn Station until 9:45 at night. The last train out of NYP is 11:35 in the morning.

Sorry there is not better news!


----------



## MikefromCrete (Mar 9, 2012)

It can be done, but not very conveniently:

Leave Toronto on Maple Leaf, 8:30 a.m., on a Monday (for example) arrive Buffalo, 12:35 p.m.; 11 hour, 24 minute layover in Buffalo; leave Buffalo on Lake Shore Limited, 11:59 p.m., arrive Cleveland, 3:27 a.m. on a Tuesday; 21 hour, 41 minute layover in Cleveland; leave Cleveland at 1:08 a.m. on a Wednesday, arrive Pittsburgh, 450 a.m.

OR

Leave Toronto on Maple Leaf, 8:30 a.m., on a Monday, arrive New York City, 9:45 p.m., overnight (11 hours, 5 minutes) in New York, leave New York at 10:50: a.m. on a Tuesday on the Pennsylvanian, arrive Pittsburgh at 8:05 p.m.

On a practical basis, you can't get there from here.


----------



## Trogdor (Mar 9, 2012)

The only way would be to go via New York and spend the night there. Not worth it.


----------



## the_traveler (Mar 9, 2012)

If you really wanted to do this by train, and not "stay overnight", here's how to do it! (You need to use the multi city booking.)


Take the Maple Leaf from Toronto to New York City. Arrive around 10 PM (if lucky).
Take #67 to Washington at 3 AM, arriving at 7 AM.
Wait until about 4 PM and take the Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh to arrive at midnight!

It's not the easiest, but "you can get there from here" - and no "staying overnight"!


----------



## Swadian Hardcore (Mar 9, 2012)

Inconvienient and expensive, IMHO. Greyhound does it for $55.80 and takes only 7 hours not including layovers, but you still have to tranfer in Buffalo and Erie, so 11 hours in total.

If I did it, I might take the GLI just for fun, but not seriously.


----------



## TML (Mar 10, 2012)

I agree with pretty much everyone else here. This itinerary would be impractical with Amtrak alone unless you want to include stays at intermediate cities (e.g. New York or Buffalo & Cleveland) in your itinerary.


----------



## railiner (Mar 10, 2012)

I tried looking for using Via to Windsor, then Amtrak form Detroit to Chicago to Pittsburgh, but unfortunately the earliest train gets to Windsor a short time after Amtrak leaves for Chicago, allowing a same day connection in Chicago. You could take a later train from Detroit to Chicago, but then would have to overnight at Chicago.

So I would recommend using either Greyhound or a combination of rail and Greyhound, or just simply catch a short flight, or drive....


----------



## Railroad Bill (Mar 10, 2012)

You could take train #73 from Toronto to Windsor and then take the Detroit to Toledo Ambus that leaves Detroit at 9:25pm and meets the eastbound Capitol Ltd in Toledo at 11pm. That would get you to PGH around 5:00am. Just a thought! :unsure:


----------



## Swadian Hardcore (Mar 10, 2012)

Railroad Bill said:


> You could take train #73 from Toronto to Windsor and then take the Detroit to Toledo Ambus that leaves Detroit at 9:25pm and meets the eastbound Capitol Ltd in Toledo at 11pm. That would get you to PGH around 5:00am. Just a thought! :unsure:


How can he get from Windsor to Detroit? I heard that one can just walk across?


----------



## Bob Dylan (Mar 10, 2012)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> Railroad Bill said:
> 
> 
> > You could take train #73 from Toronto to Windsor and then take the Detroit to Toledo Ambus that leaves Detroit at 9:25pm and meets the eastbound Capitol Ltd in Toledo at 11pm. That would get you to PGH around 5:00am. Just a thought! :unsure:
> ...


Walking across the Detroit River is NOT an Option! The Two ways you can cross from Windsor to Detroit are via the Tunnel and the Very Crowded with Trucks Peace Bridge!! There are Shuttle Busses that take you from Windsor to Detroit where you can snag a Taxi to Amtrak (the Station is not within Walking or Safety Distance!)or a Taxi that is Authorized to Cross the Border and take you from Windsor to the Amtrak Station! These Taxis are Expensive, Id suggest riding the Bus to Detroit, then take a Detroit Cab to the Station which is about 3 miles away and is Locked, has an Amtrak Policeman on Duty and Requuires a Ticket to Enter!!!! Detroit is NOT Safe @ Night and the the Amtrak Station and Bus Station have Posted Warning Signs about Safety!!


----------



## Texan Eagle (Mar 10, 2012)

Since Amtrak does not offer a suitable connection and Greyhound is, well, Greyhound, another option worth considering is Megabus. There are two services from Toronto to Buffalo, one departs at 6.00am and arrives at 09.00am and another departs at 03.00pm and arrives at 06.00pm. From Buffalo there is Megabus to Pittsburgh departing at 07.45pm and arriving Pittsburgh at 11.40pm. The total fare for both legs I checked for a random day this week comes to around $46, and with a 3.00pm departure from Toronto and 11.40pm arrival in Pittsburgh it beats Greyhound.

PS: For some reason currently the Megabus website is not showing reservations for Buffalo to Pittsburgh bus beyond Tue Mar 13. It might be a good idea to check back later to see what the deal is.


----------



## Gord (Mar 10, 2012)

Sam said:


> Hi. I`m trying to find out how long and how much it would be to get from Toronto, ON to Pittsburgh, PA. I know there are stations in both these cities, but I got the ERROR ID: 108A. Does this mean I can`t travel only on Amtrak or do I have to set it up on VIA first?
> 
> Any help would be great. Thank you for your time.


Another option.

Megabus from Toronto at 7pm arrives at Buffalo Airport about 10:00pm, cab 2 miles to Atk. Buffalo-Depew, LSL at 11:59pm, overnight to Chicago spend day in Chicago, CL at about 6:00pm to Pittsburgh, no hotels and a 7 hour layover in downtown Chicago, lots to see and do.

This is the connection I've used to go to NOL since the International was discontinued. I hate buses but waiting all day in Depew for the LSL just doesn't work for me.

Gord


----------



## Swadian Hardcore (Mar 10, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> Since Amtrak does not offer a suitable connection and Greyhound is, well, Greyhound, another option worth considering is Megabus. There are two services from Toronto to Buffalo, one departs at 6.00am and arrives at 09.00am and another departs at 03.00pm and arrives at 06.00pm. From Buffalo there is Megabus to Pittsburgh departing at 07.45pm and arriving Pittsburgh at 11.40pm. The total fare for both legs I checked for a random day this week comes to around $46, and with a 3.00pm departure from Toronto and 11.40pm arrival in Pittsburgh it beats Greyhound.
> 
> PS: For some reason currently the Megabus website is not showing reservations for Buffalo to Pittsburgh bus beyond Tue Mar 13. It might be a good idea to check back later to see what the deal is.


For a tradinational man like me, i prefer Greyhound to Megabus. I like riging a bus company that i've been riding for a long time, too long a time for me to switch. Besides, First Greyhound isn't that bad compared to others or the old Laidlaw Greyhound.


----------



## Donctor (Mar 10, 2012)

Gord said:


> Another option.
> 
> Megabus from Toronto at 7pm arrives at Buffalo Airport about 10:00pm, cab 2 miles to Atk. Buffalo-Depew, LSL at 11:59pm, overnight to Chicago spend day in Chicago, CL at about 6:00pm to Pittsburgh, no hotels and a 7 hour layover in downtown Chicago, lots to see and do.


That sounds absolutely terrible. I mean, as a railfan, that's totally something I would do, but it still sounds awful.


----------



## Swadian Hardcore (Mar 10, 2012)

Donctor said:


> Gord said:
> 
> 
> > Another option.
> ...


I stand with you. The OP has to backtrack CLE-CHI. Riding trains is fun, backtracking is not.


----------



## Bradley Bitzer (Mar 13, 2012)

The reason one can't book YYZ to PIT on the Megabus is that the service is being discontinued. It's rather tragic, honestly as the route was awesome with stops in Erie and Buffalo. Boo hiss.


----------

