about The International

[scott]

Hi guys,

I'll be taking the International from Chicago to Toronto. I looked under Viarail's website for the consist. Seems to have only one dining car and no lounge car. Has anyone you know been on the train? Are they Amtrak or Viarail cars? Thanks,

Scott

 

[Amfleet]

The train itself runs with Amtrak equipment, I believe Amfleet. Amtrak crews run the train up to the Canadian borders where VIA crews will take over for the trip to Toronto. Amtrak's website indicates only snack bar service is avalible on this train.

One other interesting note, from Chicago the Canadian border the trains number is 364, but once the train is taken over by VIA rail crews and enters Canada the trains number changes to 7088.

 

[Steve4031]

They have run horizon cars on this train in the past. Also, it is a snack car, not a full service diner. To me, if you schedule it carefully, it is better to go through Detroit and Windsor. Even though you have to chage trains and take a cab across the border, the trade of is that you ride the superior canadian LRC equipment. If you are truly lucky, you will ride on 1950's streamliner equipment.

 

[Amfleet]

Steves idea is probably more sensible. Horizon equipment is probably the most uncomfortable out of any equipment Amtrak owns. It's basiclly a "commuter" coach with hard and cramped seats.

 

[Superliner Diner]

The train itself runs with Amtrak equipment, I believe Amfleet. Amtrak crews run the train up to the Canadian borders where VIA crews will take over for the trip to Toronto. Amtrak's website indicates only snack bar service is avalible on this train.

Steve is right, it is Horizon equipment, the workhorse in the Midwest. Expect 3 or 4 Horizon coaches, and one Horizon food service car -- which is a snack car with probably half of it booth seating. No full diner service. Until the equipment shortage worsened last year, they were using Superliners on this run.

I did not ride the International, but I did observe it in Battle Creek, MI when I was there this past June. It shares the route with the Chicago-Detroit trains from Battle Creek to Chicago.

One other interesting note, from Chicago the Canadian border the trains number is 364, but once the train is taken over by VIA rail crews and enters Canada the trains number changes to 7088.

Not exactly. VIA Rail Canada's number for the eastbound train, what Amtrak calls #364, is #88. That's only if you used the train within Canada. Westbound Monday-Saturday train #365 is #85 on VIA, while the westbound Sunday train #367 is #685 on VIA. Now if you book a trip including travel in Canada through Amtrak, they treat the VIA portion like a Thruway connection (even though you don't get off the train), hence the 4-digit number. Amtrak calls it #7088 even though to them it's still #364. Likewise the westbound trains are #7085 and #7685.

So operationally, if you ride #364 from Chicago to Port Huron, go over the border into Sarnia, and continue onward through Ontario, you're now on VIA Rail Canada's Train #88. The 7xxx numbers are only used for ticketing purposes.

If you look at the Maple Leaf (Amtrak 63/64/65), there is a similar situation when the train enters Canada -- within Canada it's trains 96/97/98 but if you book through with Amtrak it becomes 7096, 7097, 7098.

Interestingly, the Cascades train that runs to Vancouver only has its Amtrak number throughout its trip.

Another sidelight to this, is that if you lived in Canada, and booked a trip to the United States on the International or the Maple Leaf, the portion in the USA is a different number since you're under VIA's numbering system.