Amtrak vs. VIA Booking Process

[rtabern]

I am off this coming Monday and Tuesday... and decided to do a daytrip on Amtrak over to Michigan... and then cross into Canada and do a little trip on VIA too. I've never taken the Wolverine all the way to Detroit before... and actually never rode VIA before (even though I am planning a cross-Canada trip with a friend in September) on the Ocean, Canadian, and Skeena.

Anyway, I was surprised how much more user friendly Amtrak was... atleast in the booking process.

I got a $55.50 round-trip from Chicago to Detroit on Amtrak (like 600 miles total)... while my little jaunt on VIA from Windsor to London round-trip on VIA was like $125.00. Granted one way on VIA was business class just so I can try it out, but still... $55 vs. $125 and the time I spend on Amtrak is a lot more than VIA. Their prices seemed pretty steep... esp since both dollars are about equal.

The other thing I didn't like about booking VIA was to get the lowest fare, you had to book a non-refundable fare. I didn't care for that at all. Almost like an airlines policy.

I book Amtrak trips months ahead of time to get low bucket and cancel if needed because there is no refund fee if you dont pick up the tickets.

Still looking forward to this get-a-way.

 

[me_little_me]

About 14 years ago, we did Windsor to Toronto. It was the most disappointing trip we made. If you are trying the trip to London for the fun of it, check and see if .it is better than it used to be.

No getting up and walking through the coaches. I tried doing that to stretch my legs and was told it was not permitted.

Seats are cramped.

We had the better class (don't know what it was called back then). Included lunch. I thought it was in a diner. No such thing - no diner. It was an airline meal brought to your seat and no choice of entrees.

I'd never do it again. Turned me off for VIA travel for years until I discovered the real long distance trains are not like that. Now it's a long way just to get to a starting point.

 

[rtabern]

About 14 years ago, we did Windsor to Toronto. It was the most disappointing trip we made. If you are trying the trip to London for the fun of it, check and see if .it is better than it used to be.

No getting up and walking through the coaches. I tried doing that to stretch my legs and was told it was not permitted.

Seats are cramped.

We had the better class (don't know what it was called back then). Included lunch. I thought it was in a diner. No such thing - no diner. It was an airline meal brought to your seat and no choice of entrees.

I'd never do it again. Turned me off for VIA travel for years until I discovered the real long distance trains are not like that. Now it's a long way just to get to a starting point.

Well, this time tomorrow night I should be on it... so I'll do a mini trip report and let you know.

I only have 2 days off... and Chicago to London, Ontario R/T is about the longest I could resonably pull off in the time period without taking vacation from work.

They won't let you get up and walk around the coaches?? WTF?? Wow... just lie and say you have cramps or something you need to walk off... or need to go to the lounge car. I hope that's not the case.

Basically, I leave Windsor at 5:30PM get to London at 7:15PM, leave London at 8:07PM and get back to Windsor by 9:59PM... Going east I got the business class which includes a meal and booze according to the website... we'll see what that ends up being.

I'll probably never do this again... just a little rail get-a-way to treat myself for the weekend... I'll let you know if I survive.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

I have ridden VIA for years and have never been told I couldnt get up and walk around. People do it all the time……visit with someone a couple of seats away etc. Perhaps in your case it was during a meal service and the cart was blocking the aisle. VIA has at seat meal/snack service……there are no café cars on corridor trains.

VIA Business Class is a First Class service similar to Acela First Class on Amtrak. A Hot Meal is included and you get a choice of two or three entrees + wine, beer and liquor. If you know the train number and date the menus are here and if you dont see what you like you can request a special meal but it has to be booked in advance:

http://www.viarail.ca/en/useful-info/onboard-train/meals/menus/toronto-windsor

Check out my Trip Report here in Business Class:

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/31101-where-business-class-first-class/page__p__214955__hl__ottawa__fromsearch__1#entry214955

 

[J-1 3235]

VIA “Business Class” is a First Class service similar to Acela First Class on Amtrak. A Hot Meal is included and you get a choice of two or three entrees + wine, beer and liquor.

Yes, it's like the Acela, but not quite as fast . Also, during my trip on the corridor the attendants started at one end of the car for the beverage orders, and the other end of the car for meals. So, if you're on the tail end of the meal orders, your choice is whatever is left. In other words, if there are 55 passengers, they load 55 meals. I lucked out as the only choice remaining was a shrimp dish, and I like shrimp.

I'll have another chance to enjoy VIA corridor travel this September. Maybe the meal orders will start with my end of the car

Mike

 

[Everydaymatters]

I didn't think everyone would want to read all the details, such as schedules, etc., but I do! I've sent you a PM asking for details.

This is the short trip I've been looking for! One question others might want to know is how do you cross into Canada to get the train from Windsor? Cab? Bus? Walk?

My only trip to Detroit was many years ago by car.

Betty

 

[NS VIA Fan]

........One question others might want to know is how do you cross into Canada to get the train from Windsor? Cab? Bus? Walk?

Here’s a Trip Report I found from 2007.....and I took their advice and did a similar crossing at Detroit-Windsor last year without any problems at all! The only change now is you need a Passport.

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/20841-a-tale-of-two-corridors/page__pid__89614#entry89614

 

[GPSTraveler]

Hello Everydaymatters,

Although I have not done this yet, I have been researching for months (for a future Canada trip). The easiest way from Detroit to Windsor is through the Tunnel. There are 2 options here. You can drive or take the Tunnel Bus. The Bus actually stops and you walk off the bus to enter customs on foot. If you must do Taxi, then only take the taxi to the Tunnel, ride the bus through the tunnel, then get a taxi on the other side to Windsor train station.

Now on to the advantages of riding Via in the corridor: The Via Rail Corridor is the equivalent of our NorthEast Corridor, except its NOT electrified. This is advantageous because there are MULTIPLE trains a day on each segment. Just like our NEC, the Via Rail corridor is the fastest stretch of track in Canada, especially between Toronto and Montreal. So you have more frequent trains and faster track, this is the first point.

The REAL time saver in my opinion is crossing the border. If you compare a Via Rail trip to an Amtrak trip TO Canada, the slowest part of the journey is crossing the border on the Adirondack or the Maple Leaf. And near the border, these trains travel on some of the slowest track in the entire Amtrak Network (compare the the fastest track in via rail network).

The next advantage of the Via Rail Corridor is the fast connections (because of multiple trains a day). You must factor waiting time into a US - Canada journey. There is a 6 hour delay in Buffalo Depew between the Lake Shore Limited going east and the Maple Leaf going north. And since the ML is NOT a corridor train it could also be hours late. To get the Adirondack the delay is even worse, almost 24 hours. Compare this to the delay between Windor-Toronto and Toronto-Montreal, which can be as little as 1 hour.

The final advantage of Via Rail is the Rennaisance equipment (if your train has it). If you can catch the twice daily express trains (the ones with the fewer stops), you are guaranteed to have the REN equipment. The Ren equipment is the former nightstar rolling stock from england, basically an overnight version of the Eurostar. If you travel first class on a Ren train, you will probably have a lounge car (a european one at that).

Final advantage is stopvovers (but least important)..... There is a massive las vegas casino in Windsor. Now even though I am not a gambler, I love casino rooms because they are subsidized by the casino. So for HALF the price of a motel in Albany, New York, you can stay in a palace in Windsor for a cheaper price and with a Las Vegas quality buffet for a meal. You need to factor in how nice (and cheap) the stopover is.

Now lets say you DO this stopover in Windsor, instead of further down the line.... You can then leave on the 6am Toronto train, make 2 connections, and be in Quebec City (on the opposite end of the corridor) by that evening.

Remember how frequent the trains are in the corridor, so if you combine your tickets into one itenarary (like on Amtrak), then your connections are guaranteed, meaning if the train is late, Via Rail must put you on the next train 2 hours later etc.

I actually called Via Rail and asked what would happen if I had all seperate tickets (express savers) and I miss a connection. She told me in most cases, they will still put you on the next train, But if you want to have 100 percent protection, combine your tickets into 1.

With this in mind, you can even risk the 45 minute connections if you dare.

To give you an idea of how slow crossing the border on the Maple Leaf is.... I calculated that if you are coming east on the LSL arriving in Buffalo Depew at 9am... You can get a taxi downtown to the bus station and take the Niagara Falls Bus to the border, walk across the Rainbow bridge, take another taxi to the via rail station, catch the earlier VIA Rail only train to Toronto, and arrive in Toronto 5 or 6 hours earlier than the Maple Leaf. Depending on the season, you can get a taxi to the airport a could of miles a way in Depew, and take a direct Niagara Falls bus to the border, even quicker.

Doing it the amtrak way, you must make a stopover in toronto because the maple leaf arrives at 8pm ish...... if you did the Windsor stopover instead, you can use the second half of the day to ride the complete corridor to QUEBEC. Sorry, I am assuing that Quebec is the final destination here because its the furthest station down the corridor (and its what I was planning to do).

 

[jis]

The other thing I didn't like about booking VIA was to get the lowest fare, you had to book a non-refundable fare. I didn't care for that at all. Almost like an airlines policy.

I book Amtrak trips months ahead of time to get low bucket and cancel if needed because there is no refund fee if you dont pick up the tickets.

Amtrak from time to time has had lower than lowest bucket fares on the NEC that were non-refundable, and such fares were never identified as such on the web site, so it was easy to land a non-refundable fare without knowing what you were getting. But the fare was always usable for another itinerary. It is just that you could never get it back.

 

[rrdude]

I am off this coming Monday and Tuesday... and decided to do a daytrip on Amtrak over to Michigan... and then cross into Canada and do a little trip on VIA too. I've never taken the Wolverine all the way to Detroit before... and actually never rode VIA before (even though I am planning a cross-Canada trip with a friend in September) on the Ocean, Canadian, and Skeena.

Anyway, I was surprised how much more user friendly Amtrak was... atleast in the booking process.

I got a $55.50 round-trip from Chicago to Detroit on Amtrak (like 600 miles total)... while my little jaunt on VIA from Windsor to London round-trip on VIA was like $125.00. Granted one way on VIA was business class just so I can try it out, but still... $55 vs. $125 and the time I spend on Amtrak is a lot more than VIA. Their prices seemed pretty steep... esp since both dollars are about equal.

The other thing I didn't like about booking VIA was to get the lowest fare, you had to book a non-refundable fare. I didn't care for that at all. Almost like an airlines policy.

I book Amtrak trips months ahead of time to get low bucket and cancel if needed because there is no refund fee if you dont pick up the tickets.

Still looking forward to this get-a-way.

You "...May not care for that........" but that is exactly what Amtrak should do. Oh I wouldn't like it IF they did, but it would probably help their bottom line........

 

[amamba]

VIA “Business Class” is a First Class service similar to Acela First Class on Amtrak. A Hot Meal is included and you get a choice of two or three entrees + wine, beer and liquor.

Yes, it's like the Acela, but not quite as fast . Also, during my trip on the corridor the attendants started at one end of the car for the beverage orders, and the other end of the car for meals. So, if you're on the tail end of the meal orders, your choice is whatever is left. In other words, if there are 55 passengers, they load 55 meals. I lucked out as the only choice remaining was a shrimp dish, and I like shrimp.

I'll have another chance to enjoy VIA corridor travel this September. Maybe the meal orders will start with my end of the car

Mike

While they do have more meals than passengers in the car on acela, if the car is sold out it is quite possible that you won't get your first choice of food item in the FC car.

 

[Gord]

Hello Everydaymatters,

Although I have not done this yet, I have been researching for months (for a future Canada trip). The easiest way from Detroit to Windsor is through the Tunnel. There are 2 options here. You can drive or take the Tunnel Bus. The Bus actually stops and you walk off the bus to enter customs on foot. If you must do Taxi, then only take the taxi to the Tunnel, ride the bus through the tunnel, then get a taxi on the other side to Windsor train station.

Now on to the advantages of riding Via in the corridor: The Via Rail Corridor is the equivalent of our NorthEast Corridor, except its NOT electrified. This is advantageous because there are MULTIPLE trains a day on each segment. Just like our NEC, the Via Rail corridor is the fastest stretch of track in Canada, especially between Toronto and Montreal. So you have more frequent trains and faster track, this is the first point.

The REAL time saver in my opinion is crossing the border. If you compare a Via Rail trip to an Amtrak trip TO Canada, the slowest part of the journey is crossing the border on the Adirondack or the Maple Leaf. And near the border, these trains travel on some of the slowest track in the entire Amtrak Network (compare the the fastest track in via rail network).

The next advantage of the Via Rail Corridor is the fast connections (because of multiple trains a day). You must factor waiting time into a US - Canada journey. There is a 6 hour delay in Buffalo Depew between the Lake Shore Limited going east and the Maple Leaf going north. And since the ML is NOT a corridor train it could also be hours late. To get the Adirondack the delay is even worse, almost 24 hours. Compare this to the delay between Windor-Toronto and Toronto-Montreal, which can be as little as 1 hour.

The final advantage of Via Rail is the Rennaisance equipment (if your train has it). If you can catch the twice daily express trains (the ones with the fewer stops), you are guaranteed to have the REN equipment. The Ren equipment is the former nightstar rolling stock from england, basically an overnight version of the Eurostar. If you travel first class on a Ren train, you will probably have a lounge car (a european one at that).

Final advantage is stopvovers (but least important)..... There is a massive las vegas casino in Windsor. Now even though I am not a gambler, I love casino rooms because they are subsidized by the casino. So for HALF the price of a motel in Albany, New York, you can stay in a palace in Windsor for a cheaper price and with a Las Vegas quality buffet for a meal. You need to factor in how nice (and cheap) the stopover is.

Now lets say you DO this stopover in Windsor, instead of further down the line.... You can then leave on the 6am Toronto train, make 2 connections, and be in Quebec City (on the opposite end of the corridor) by that evening.

Remember how frequent the trains are in the corridor, so if you combine your tickets into one itenarary (like on Amtrak), then your connections are guaranteed, meaning if the train is late, Via Rail must put you on the next train 2 hours later etc.

I actually called Via Rail and asked what would happen if I had all seperate tickets (express savers) and I miss a connection. She told me in most cases, they will still put you on the next train, But if you want to have 100 percent protection, combine your tickets into 1.

With this in mind, you can even risk the 45 minute connections if you dare.

To give you an idea of how slow crossing the border on the Maple Leaf is.... I calculated that if you are coming east on the LSL arriving in Buffalo Depew at 9am... You can get a taxi downtown to the bus station and take the Niagara Falls Bus to the border, walk across the Rainbow bridge, take another taxi to the via rail station, catch the earlier VIA Rail only train to Toronto, and arrive in Toronto 5 or 6 hours earlier than the Maple Leaf. Depending on the season, you can get a taxi to the airport a could of miles a way in Depew, and take a direct Niagara Falls bus to the border, even quicker.

Doing it the amtrak way, you must make a stopover in toronto because the maple leaf arrives at 8pm ish...... if you did the Windsor stopover instead, you can use the second half of the day to ride the complete corridor to QUEBEC. Sorry, I am assuing that Quebec is the final destination here because its the furthest station down the corridor (and its what I was planning to do).

Or catch the one of the morning buses at Buffalo Airport and ride directly to downtown Toronto, arriving around 2:00 p,m, many hours ahead of the ML. The bus usually takes 30 to 40 nins., to clear customs, far better than the ML at 2+ hours. I make my living on rail and hate buses but rail service to and from the US to Canada's largest city, Toronto, is pathetic.

Gord