VIA RAIL Canada

My husband and I went from Vancouver to Toronto. We each had a single sleeper. We were across the hall from each other. When I say across the hall it was so narrow that I could reach out and touch his door! The shower down the hall was nice and roomy. The bed that folded down during the day was so comfy, I ended up just lying in it and leaving it down! The food in the dining car was outstanding. The only drawback is no TV, so I downloaded enough movies from my Kindle and I pad it never was an issue. We were Nine hours late when we arrived in Toronto. We heard the train always runs late so don’t plan anything the day of arrival.

Took the Canadian and paid a great deal of $ for what was advertised as a luxury train voyage. Not. Meals advertised as gourmet. Gourmet meals do not feature a cake desert that is still cold in the center from not being properly defrosted. Gourmet does not mean frozen anything. Meals were better than amtrak. Faint praise. The staff was nearly civil but not truly. The scenery was unremarkable. Hour after after of Northern Ont, the oil patch and so forth. Spectacular mts very scarce. I am an asthmatic and so the fact that the couple in the next bedroom smoked repeatedly and the smoke got in our room was an issue. I complained repeatedly; finally the last nite our room was changed. I was assured by the on board service rep that I would be compensated for my inconvenience. When I got home and made the call, via could find no record of any issues. We were treated as exactly what we were, foreign tourists with little or no recourse. Oh yes, I was offered a $ 100 voucher good within one year for future travel. The 1955 consist was a lot of fun for a rail fan; turning the clock back. This train is advertised as the longest train trip in north america. It is by some 20 odd miles. If u want a scenic train trip try Amtrak’s California Zephyr. The price will be much less, the staff amenable to pleasantness and, the meals, while far from gourmet r edible. The Canadian is called the trip of a life time for good reason. Once is more than enuf. There is supposedly a Japanese adage to the effect that the wise man climbs Mount Fuji once in this lifetime and only the fool climbs it twice. I would suggest that the same applies here.

Took VIA Rail’s Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto, and loved it. What’s not to love about 2700 miles of Canada — from the high desert of BC (yep) to the Canadian Rockies, Mt Robson, and Jasper National Park. We took the train at the end of October, so the endless wheat fields of Saskatchewan were dull and barren. Winnipeg is really beautiful, even late at night, and northern Ontario has more lakes than people, with each lake more beautiful than the last. The food was excellent and service and accommodations were very good in sleeper class. The dome cars (3) were great. The big shock was how beat up the trackbed is from all the freight trains. We were rockin’ and rollin’ from Kamloops to Saskatoon to Washago. Really. It’s NOT a smooth ride. And there’s no wi-​fi at all and sometimes no cell service out there in God’s country. Also, I recommend you go at the end of June, when days are long and you can see so much more of the scenery. I’m really glad I did the trip, and may actually do it again around the summer solstice.

Train travel in Canada is certainly not cheap, but it did depart and arrive on time, safely, so I can’t complain much! I booked a Business Class ticket a week or so before my trip since the price had dropped. I felt very lucky in that I didn’t have a seat mate for the entire 6 hour trip, which meant I got to spread out a bit.
One big negative: no power outlets, despite assurances when booking that the train was equipped (especially in Business). For a six hour trip, that did become a problem.
Service from the attendants was great — absolutely no complaints. The food is certainly nothing to write home about (see pics), but at least it was there — too much, actually. We had lunch around noon, and then a cheese or meat plate around 3pm. I packed up pretty much everything on my cheese plate and plan to sample it another day.
For a six+ hour trip, it would be nice if at least one station platform permitted smoking. I don’t care if you make me walk 50 yards away — no problem — and it’s on me to be back on time. There were a couple stops at which more than enough time passed for a quick break. Not allowing that does just seem punitive.

If you’re used to travelling on European intercity trains, you’ll be largely disappointed in Via, but it’s still pretty good.
I travel regularly on the Corridor (which is what the Windsor-​Quebec City line is called. This is the busiest part of Via’s services, the only really profitable part as well.
The first thing that one should understand is that with minimal exceptions, Via doesn’t own any of the tracks — they’re customers of Canadian National or Canadian Pacific, and they’re NOT the priority. If there are freight trains on the line, then you’re going to to pull into a siding and stop. For the last several years, though, Via has been acquiring its own trackage, and these problems are improving along the Corridor.
On other routes, though, this is a big factor. Trains 1 and 2 (the Canadian, running Toronto-​Vancouver) can be hours late as a result. When you’re on a four day train trip, short delays do add up.
Via’s Preference program is a pretty good reward program, so good that my commuting pass’ cost and ineligibility for the transit tax credit is well offset by the reward travel.
Book early online for some great prices («Escape Fares»). On short trips along the corridor, business class isn’t really worth if unless you plan to take full advantage of free drinks. Economy seats are comfortable with lots of legroom, and the internet service is the same throughout. There’s no issue at all bringing your own food and drink on the train as well, the onboard café sells some things, but the prices are not great. Longer hauls, business class can be more worthwhile, especially when it’s on sale.

There is no internet on Via Rail trains. It’s fake. You can try to log on for hours and it still won’t work. I tried it out in many trains and on many different occasions. It’s the most pathetic internet service there is.

On the train today
Business class
Drinks wine salad course with goat cheese
Nice main
Desserts are v good
Liqueurs
Friendly service
Updated car
Timeliness uneven

I took a short jaunt to Guelph the other day. Service was fantastic the entire way through. I bought my tickets online, which saved me about $ 10. Awesome. I’m not really familiar with train travel, so I love the fact that there were VIA Rail people all over the place directing you where to go. I definitely would have gotten lost otherwise. They all had big smiles, too, which is just great.
The seating is very comfortable and WAY more spacious than an airplane. I’m not a big person, but I appreciated the leg room. 10 minutes into our journey, there was a snack cart with juice, pop, sandwiches, beer and wine. They didn’t come back, but it was only an hour ride.
The scenery isn’t amazing, but it’s a much more relaxing trip than driving yourself (that Etobicoke — Mississauga stretch on the 401 is ridiculous). Lots of people in Georgetown have pools, apparently. You can also spy some pretty neat graffiti.
I think it’s definitely worth it for the price, but it actually doubled the travel time for me, having to go all the way to Union, then on the train to Guelph. It’s a good option if I’m ever without a car again, and apparently the only option on weekends, short of hitchhiking.
I’ll probably be on the lookout for cheap deals to Montréal now.

This review is based on my experience between Toronto and Montréal.
$ 35 each way if you are flexible and willing to book a few weeks in advance!
The ride itself was quite uneventful but the WIFI was working well as I was able to Unilocal a little, uploaded some photos and just listen to the Live streaming of some of my favourite radio stations.
I would suggest just skip the food! Just have a light meal before boarding will be a lot more ideal!
$ 35 each way?! I want to go and visit Montréal again and again. :)

I traveled between Toronto/​Montréal and Quebec City — their slogan says it all «A more human way to travel».
I love taking the train, it’s on time, it’s convenient, it’s stress free, feels safe and comfortable. Beats driving or taking the bus that’s for sure, plus you get to enjoy beautiful scenery.
I’ve only ever traveled economy class– the lack of free drinks or snacks is why I’m not rating it 5 stars. For the price paid, I think throwing in a can of pop or bag of pretzels wouldn’t hurt.
Very pleased with the free wifi and outlets, worked seamlessly. Seats are spacious, they recline more than in the airplane just to give a comparison.
Service is friendly, and the travel is reliable. Via Rail all the way!