VIA rail in Canada

All I know is that Amtrak is always a lot more expensive than I expect it to be.

expensive? really? compared to what? it's a bit more expensive than Greyhound, but having lots of legroom and a power outlet to plug my laptop into is well worth the extra $10 or so per trip, to me.

Ach, that was wrong, I had the dates different when I checked it. So it's $50-$60 more to take Amtrak from New York to Boston round trip on the same days departing at around the same time with trips of similar duration. It's only $20 more than Amtrak to fly on Jet Blue.

I took the train from from Toronto to Ottawa a couple years ago. The train was right on schedule (and this was right around Christmas) and the ride was incredibly comfortable.

Where are you traveling and what class ticket were you looking at? I know some of the routes can be pretty expensive.

I only have the one experience with Via and it was fantastic. Comfortable, quick, on time. I don't think as many people take Via as Amtrak.

back when the north american rail pass was available (RIP), I took to a trip all over the continent.

my trip from SF to Seattle left on time but arrived to seattle 12 hours late. you can imagine how that ruined my seattle plans. And that's not even too long a trip! the amount of time they were losing percentage-wise was insane. That was the worst, but it was common to amtrak throughout the trip. (not always. but maybe 1/2 my trains fell behind)

yet my trip from Vancouver to Toronto got in almost an hour early. Please keep in mind, that was a 3 day train trip. In the late december. Through the Canadian Rockies. Amazing.

Then i had poutine for the first time.

For contrast, my Greyhound trip from Vancouver to Edmonton in November (I think it was supposed to be about 11 hours) ended up being three hours late.

And there was no poutine at the end.

I once had a seat right by a floorboard air duct and it made my ankles cold all the way from Toronto to Ottawa.

hm, i suppose. i guess i just really enjoy the train, so the delays and extra cost are worth it to me. i mean, last time i took a trip to NYC, i was able to bang out what would have otherwise been a week's worth of writing.

I took a via rail train from Edmonton to Toronto last Summer, it was about a half hour late when I got on but it's a three day trip, so really wasn't a big deal. The food was good, the unit I shared with my sister was tiny but clean and fine. The attendant comes during the day and folds up the beds and puts them back down in the evening. It was all older people besides me and my sister.

Alot less Canadians use trains. It's not like the USA where you can take a train for two or three hours. Only in Ontario and parts of Quebec they might have that kind of infrastructure. Mostly you either fly or Greyhound it if you can't drive. It's just alot less practical and accessible for us to use trains much.