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Kuga, you've done a great video, and I'm glad to see that you tried out VIA Rail and took the Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver. I'd like to see you come back to Canada (specifically Southern Ontario/Toronto), and check out GO Transit by taking a trip from Toronto to Niagara Falls on it, making a video as you do so.
The fact that Canada's "most modern" passenger rolling stock is almost a quarter century old should tell you a lot about train travel in this country. Add the insane cost of almost $1000 dollars for an overnight trip. VIA Rail has a stranglehold on passenger train travel and I think it's time they were either reorganized or that a competitor is allowed to operate and provide a better option.
Actually VIA's most modern rolling stock is brand new and just entering service this year and next year - the new Siemens built trains for the Corridor service (Windsor - Toronto - Ottawa -Montreal - Quebec City) It is true the sleeper trains are old (Ocean is about 25 years, the equipment on the Canadian is from 1954) but they have been refurbished over the years. But it is up to the Canadian Government to provide the money to VIA to buy newer equipment, and so far the Government hasn't done so. As for the idea of competition - not going to happen because there is no potential profit (the only profitable service is already being done by Rocky Mountaineer, and if you don't like VIA's prices then you really won't like theirs). In 2022 the Ocean lost C$40 million, no private operator is going to try and compete against a service that loses that much money - and it is doubtful CN would allow anyone else on their tracks as they don't like passenger stuff getting in the way of their freight trains. (for anyone interested VIA Rail has their annual reports on their website that lists the financials for the various routes)
Given VIA's gimmicky legal status, essentially created by an equivalent to an executive order, it could in theory be revoked, which would return to CN and CP their passenger service obligations. Yes, the government of Canada must provide funds for a new LD fleet, ideally also for daily service and restoration of some sort of service along the former CP route. I had forgotten about the Ventures, though they are stunning and hopefully will serve well.@@mattjones366
The strange car that is mostly empty is because it is needed as a bridge between the different technologies. The newer cars use different couplers and power systems. The adapter car (that is mostly empty with the flags) goes from one system to the other. This is primarily so they can have the famous "Park Car" at the end of the train with its observation dome, and the bullet lounge in the very end.
Thank you Kuga San for another amazing railway adventure. Thanks to you I can visit places I will never see in my life. I really appreciate the effort you take in creating this amazing video's. Can't wait to see where your next journey will bring you (and me) Saying hi from the Netherlands. 🤗 🇳🇱
_This_ comment from you is the kind of comment that I like to see on a video like this one about a trip on VIA Rail; older people like you actually _appreciate_ what's done instead of complaining about train trips (which Kuga doesn't even do.)
Whenever I see train meals in the US or Canada, I can't help thinking: "You could've done better with a self-heating ekiben from Japan." I respect the silent suffering of your tastebuds...
I was on this train when there was a dome car and it was friggin amazing. But it also went past Halifax all the way to Digby NS. I will be on this train in a cabin in exactly 2 weeks. Looking forward to it. Been a very long time.
What you saw on the wall in the hallway were the flags representing each province in Canada very good educational tip for travelers from the United States and other countries thanks to the presentation
Whilst considerably better than the toilet-on-the-floor jalopy you previously travelled on, your room nevertheless did look a little ‘tired’ (bumps and scrapes on the walls, broken monitor etc). Still, another fabulous adventure expertly presented - thanks!
I love that you came to Canada! I've been watching your Japanese videos for years. I used to ride The Canadian from Calgary to Vancouver a lot in the early '80s, before they rerouted it through Edmonton. I miss Via a lot. This was a wonderful reminder 😊
I used to be one of the people in Halifax making the food for those trains, years ago. I hope you enjoyed your stay in my home city and your time in Canada in general. I enjoy your videos very much :)
Terrific video, thank you! I did this trip in 2015 and stayed in the same sleeper car. Its unfortunate that you didn’t have the dome car as it was a nice place to spend time. I hope to do the Canadian journey soon.
24:47 😄😄😄😄😄 The hamlet of Rivière-Trois-Pistoles (part of the municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, belting the town of Trois-Pistoles), my hometown! Thank God for that 3-hour delay, the train usually stops well into the night at the station there! You saw basically the small church (where I was baptized, FTR), and the bridge carrying Quebec Route 132, still the main road between Montréal and Gaspé because the mainline of Autoroute 20 still hasn't yet to cross the river... Side note: Have you tried the new Via trainsets for the Corridor service, namely the Siemens Charger/Venture units?
The tracks at the Halifax station used to be covered. There were multiple trains before, and the Ocean wasn't the only one. There was also service to Sydney, NS Via RDC Budd car, service to St. John, NB with RDC Budd Car and service to Yarmouth, NS via RDC Budd car. There was also a train called The Atlantic Limited that went through Maine to get to Montréal. All of those days are gone.
Thank you for posting your recent North American rail videos. I feel like I'm right there! I live on the Amtrak Cascades line and I'm encouraged to travel again by rail. Always interesting and a pleasure to watch.
I would like your life of agony lol 😆 I Love 💕 how you Thank Everything. I enjoy seeing you more. Your hands are so like my sons..it is very precious to me 😊❤
for anybody wondering why this is so expensive, this is the best cabin you can hae on the train. If you want a cheaper accomodation you can do sleeper class for around $500 dollars in a berth.
@@Neville60001 Yeah I did it and booking a long way ahead I got the same room as Kuga san for CAD500 on an advance discount fare. It's not that bad when you consider it's not just transport, but also a night's accommodation, and meals. I guarantee Paul is only comparing against say a flight tkt, and not including a night's hotel accommodation (which from my experience of Toronto and Montreal city centres especially, was very steep - like average CAD500-700 a night even booking months ahead and was probs the most shocking thing about my US and Canada trip).
that explains why its expensive, not why its overpriced, to answer that question you have to accept the fact that both Canadian and American economies are designed to leech out as much money from its citizens while providing the least amount of services, the cheapest quality of goods possible. most North Americans dont realize this till they move to Europe and Asia.
Mmmmm ! Timbits ! Nice trip. I always take the deluxe room with shower. It makes for a comfortable trip even if the train is late which happens often because the rails we ride on belong to the freight carrier. We do not get priority. Train staff is usually exceptional, meals ok. Next you should try the train to Churchill.
I did this trip years ago! On the older train cars. It had a viewing car with glass ceiling then (I think you referred to it as a dome?). The sleeper cabins were similar in layout. The dining car and service honestly felt quite luxurious, or maybe that's just due to the fog of memory haha. Tho another comment says they removed the kitchen from the Ocean, so maybe it impacted quality...Too bad. It was honestly a really lovely trip.
Actualy I jast bought same ticket just for 375 CAD. The same cabin. 3 weeks before travel. I had a 900 CAD ticket, which I bought 4 month ago. Then, I found sale, I cancel my ticket for a free and bought a new one almost 3 times cheaper)))
Thank you, Mr. Kuga, for your enjoyable travel videos by train in Canada and Australia. I have enjoyed them all. The next time you visit eastern Canada, I would like to meet you. Enjoy your travels and continue to be safe and enthusiastic.
Hello from Halifax. I hope you enjoyed your time here. I apologize for the sorry state of our rail service. I hope it gets better in the future, but I don't have much hope of that.
I have a lot more hope than I did a couple of years ago, with new, rather impressive rolling stock now in use in the Québec-Windsor corridor, and rumours of more goodies to come.
@@juliansmith4295 Sadly the Quebec-Windsor corridor gets most of the attention because it's got the population density to warrant it (and political pull). It's not just the rolling stock that's ancient, the lines through NB are decrepit, but they're owned by CN and they're still good enough for freight. It means Via trains have to slow down dramatically, and freight priority along the whole line mean multi-hour delays (the 3 hour late arrival in this video is actually on the light side... 8+ is not uncommon). When the Halifax turntable was destroyed in a fire a few years back, Via considered just cancelling the service altogether rather than replacing it, but ultimately just decided to shuffle the car layout instead as a workaround. Passenger rail isn't going to improve in this part of the country (or out west) without significant federal investment and an alternative CN ownership of all the lines (or higher standards being regulated for passenger service, and deprioritization/rescheduling of freight service to off-peak hours) ...Sorry, ranting at this point, but it's a sore spot for me.
@ArmouredPhalanx, there's _nothing_ wrong with the _Canadian_ ,and Kuga didn't have a problem with it and enjoyed it; why are you sorry on his behalf for?
@@Neville60001 I'm afraid I strongly disagree. If you compare the rail service available in Canada to just about any other developed country in Europe or Asia, it's generally inferior. Outside of the central Ontario/Quebec corridor, it's treated pretty much purely as a sightseeing attraction for tourists, and not a serious means of moving people around. The rolling stock is antiquated and overdue for replacement. The infrastructure in most places is 'shared' with freight, but in reality Via owns almost nothing and freight has priority. This has a couple of knock-on effects: in many places the rails are maintained to freight standards. Freight trains generally travel at slower speeds. There are places (New Brunswick, for example) where the train has to travel at ~40-50kph because the rails are poorly maintained, but it's good enough for freight, so CN has no incentive to fix/upgrade them. The other impact of freight priority is that passenger trains frequently have to weight for passing freight trains to clear the line. This means that both the Ocean and Canadian are frequently HOURS late. Anywhere from 2-24h (depending on which side of the country you're on, which direction you're travelling in, and how far you're travelling). This is not good, this should not be the norm. This also means that the service is unreliable. Another effect of freight priority is that Via doesn't get to choose the communities it serves. The line it runs on is meant to serve freight, which means that several large towns/small cities that may be viable passenger rail destinations are bypassed (again, thinking of New Brunswick, but it applies elsewhere in Canada, too). We need to flip the priority if we actually want a serious national passenger rail service (and I certainly do). Passenger rail should be the priority, with infrastructure built and maintained with those standards in mind. Freight is vital for the economy, but there's no reason it can't run at higher frequency during off peak passenger hours or scheduled around passenger services. Building all new, dedicated coast-to-coast passenger infrastructure would be great, but the price and time involved make it a non-starter, so making the existing infrastructure passenger priority means a net-benefit for all - more practical service for passengers, higher standard of infrastructure for for freight.
@@ArmouredPhalanx, I coadd (and _do_ ) care less about all of that; the attraction for many people who take both (and their American counterparts) is the looking at the scenery of Canada on this train's particular route, not speeding through it to get someplace quickly. That's why both routes are the way they are, and why people from across the nation and from all over the globe like Kuga (and Thiebaut[?] the guy who runs the Simply Railway channel on UA-cam), come here to take it. They _don't_ need you to be sorry on their behalf for Canada not having HSR between Toronto and Vancouver/Montreal and Halifax, and neither do I or anybody else in Canada who watches this channel. Why not just be happy that Kuga came to Canada and rode the Canadian, warts and all, rather than be a 'nattering nabob of negativity' as Richard Nixon once said about people he detested? If you or anybody else 'sorry' for Kuga want to see any improvements, you and they need to get together and _work_ to make them happen (and that means forming PAC's [Political Action Committees] Super PAC's, or any other kind of lobby group, getting off of your [metaphorical] asses, doing door-to-door knocking, phone canvassing/robo-calling, issuing out press notices, setting up websites and social media pages, and putting support behind the _two_ parties that really and truly are the _only_ ones who want to and can make it happen [Liberal and NDP], _not_ behind the Green Party or any other fringe party that's the darling of the emoprogressive left in Canada who don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting power to do it and who have to work their way up the ladder to major party status with local and then regional gains by actually winning elections.) Until then, I still stand by what I said before-aside from VIA getting all new rolling stock for the _Canadian_ , there's _nothing_ wrong with it or the _Ocean_ .
The train used to be turned around on a loop track in Halifax, the loop is now gone. With that, it would be hard to have the dome on as it would need to be turned each time the train arrived in Halifax. Nearest place to turn it around would be the "Y" track in Truro, about an hour out of Halifax. This way they just have to run the locomotives around the consist at each end destination.
Hi wow how amazing your trip is going so many wonderful places you seen on all the train’s that you mean on through Canada 🇨🇦 ,you look back one day in your life and think what a big adventure wow what you can do with one life and that’s just one memory what’s next’s who knows,keep on having this amazing journey and can’t wait to see what next’s take care of yourself and have lots of fun.xx💕💕🤗🤗xx(🇬🇧)
Those coaches are SO UK! Way off the ground to work with our quirky high level platforms (a remnant of steam and 3rd rail electric). The punch card door locks are very 1970s :P
Yeah I took it last month. I was immediately reminded of the Cornish Night Riviera by the narrowness of the corridor indicating the UK gauge limitations 😄
Enjoyed your video! Very pleasant and informative... The compartment is similar to those of the Amtrak trains on which I've traveled here in the US. Often late and connections are by a stroke of luck but still enjoyable travel with decent meals (meals on trains have changed for the worse since the early 1970s but, unlike airlines, at least they're still offered and are palatable lol).
When I took this train in the other direction, it was three hours late, too. I told the attendant that as a train buff, I was happy that I just got more for my money, which she scoffed at.
Interesting fact, I worked at the Halifax Station back in 2010 back then we used to have 6 trains each way and a layover. On the days the Station was busy I got a fair share of cab rides and even started a few locomotives. One night the train was in late and had to be turned around I arrived on shift and one of the crew told me I was needed in the head end power (Lead Locomotive) little did I know we wore head out to Windsor Jct to turn the train at the wye. good times in them days was one of my found memories at VIA.
Hi Kuga! I liked The Canadian train trip you did better. Of course this is a shorter route and different than The Canadian. Thanks for sharing the details of the trip. I live in Montreal and hope to do this trip to Halifax now after watching your video. I hope you were able to stay in Montreal and enjoyed it. Where will you go next? Hmmm. I don't know. I also have to say I agree with a post by swilkobarfingtoniii1642 and his opinion of VIA Rail. Did you also know that the headquarters of Air Canada is in Montreal too? Happy travels.
Congratulations for this journey and also for your full series this past Summer. Really well done and inspiring. Also want to congratulate you for experiencing the rich Canadian cultural experience, that is Tim Hortons. You are a true Canadian now !! With apologies for the on-board food, they can do better.
WAIT!!!!!! There's no toilet on the floor???!!! I love you, man! I think the broken monitor thing was intended to provide journey information. The weird empty car looks suspiciously like a converted wagon. I'm going to geuss that there are differences between the equipment on old and new cars, so this would be a sensible way ( if ungainly) to accomodate that.
This is my 1st time watching your channel. It's is very nice. I love train travel. I live in the USA and mostly ride amtrak on the East Coast. I live in NC. So I either ride it up to NYC or down to FL. And I see your Canadian Rails run late also. Nice video. 😊
A few years ago Via used the Renaissance sleepers for an overnight service between Toronto and Montreal. Not that long normally, so if parked in Kingston half way for a few hours.
The VIA train map is old, pre 2011. The Malahat route on vancouver island has been closed since 2011. There are people who wish to see it running again as the island is beautiful and train travel would be beneficial but its unlikely we will see that happen.
I am guessing (and hoping) the next train you ride is the Maple Leaf and you go see Niagara Falls! Thanks for all the lovely journeys over the year since I found your channel! I’m still digging through the old videos but I am enjoying them all. Keep up the good work! :)
It has been decades since I took the train. I have been across Canada, from Vancouver to Montreal, by train, but not in one trip. I'll have to complete the traversal on the Ocean one day. Vancouver to Winnipeg (sleeper), 1966 Sudbury to Montreal (coach), 1966 and back, 1967 Ontario Northland, Toronto to North Bay, 1981 Sudbury to Edmonton and back (sleeper), 1981
As someone who's Chinese specifically from Guangzhou.. that's not char sui. Hope you can find a good china town one day and try the real thing. Also its not anything like the char siu you have on ramen, we barbecue it for a long time.
Commenting on the "Open Sesame Street" caption in your video when the doors opened at the train station: for a long time, I thought "Open Sesame!" was supposed to be a magical saying to open locked portals. Much later I realized it was someone saying "open, says a me!" :)
Please consider a train trip from Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba, either during the summer or ideally, during the month of October, to be able to see migration of Polar bears to Hudson Bay. The other great train trip you could consider is the train from Jasper to Prince Rupert, a seasonal tourist train, operational in summer.
The railcar at 15:30 with the Provincial flags is known as the Transition Car, the purpose for which is to act as a link between the stainless steel 1950s Budd coaches and 1990s Renaissance coaches as neither type can directly couple with the other
Yes, the old models with the toilets under your bed were from a different time when people didn't fuss so much, I wouldn't like it either however at any time. lol. That connector car is probably because the old cars and the new cars are not compatible to be linked. ;)
At 0:55 you say that Halifax is the most easternly station of VIA rail. But if you look at a map you will see that the train station at Truro Nova Scotia (your first stop on the Ocean) is actually more east than the Halifax station. Fun fact and I love your videos.
Thanks for watching as always!
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28:59
the shower is perfect for when you shit ya pants from the putrid food
The fare is quite expensive, are meals included? But the food look very sad though...
Kuga, you've done a great video, and I'm glad to see that you tried out VIA Rail and took the Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver. I'd like to see you come back to Canada (specifically Southern Ontario/Toronto), and check out GO Transit by taking a trip from Toronto to Niagara Falls on it, making a video as you do so.
The fact that Canada's "most modern" passenger rolling stock is almost a quarter century old should tell you a lot about train travel in this country. Add the insane cost of almost $1000 dollars for an overnight trip. VIA Rail has a stranglehold on passenger train travel and I think it's time they were either reorganized or that a competitor is allowed to operate and provide a better option.
Is air travel much cheaper?
What VIA needs is a legislative mandate and some serious investment to let them purchase new rolling stock and operate on a daily basis.
Actually VIA's most modern rolling stock is brand new and just entering service this year and next year - the new Siemens built trains for the Corridor service (Windsor - Toronto - Ottawa -Montreal - Quebec City)
It is true the sleeper trains are old (Ocean is about 25 years, the equipment on the Canadian is from 1954) but they have been refurbished over the years. But it is up to the Canadian Government to provide the money to VIA to buy newer equipment, and so far the Government hasn't done so.
As for the idea of competition - not going to happen because there is no potential profit (the only profitable service is already being done by Rocky Mountaineer, and if you don't like VIA's prices then you really won't like theirs). In 2022 the Ocean lost C$40 million, no private operator is going to try and compete against a service that loses that much money - and it is doubtful CN would allow anyone else on their tracks as they don't like passenger stuff getting in the way of their freight trains.
(for anyone interested VIA Rail has their annual reports on their website that lists the financials for the various routes)
@@jamescollins3647 quick check reveals current prices mid-December of about $200
Given VIA's gimmicky legal status, essentially created by an equivalent to an executive order, it could in theory be revoked, which would return to CN and CP their passenger service obligations. Yes, the government of Canada must provide funds for a new LD fleet, ideally also for daily service and restoration of some sort of service along the former CP route. I had forgotten about the Ventures, though they are stunning and hopefully will serve well.@@mattjones366
The strange car that is mostly empty is because it is needed as a bridge between the different technologies. The newer cars use different couplers and power systems. The adapter car (that is mostly empty with the flags) goes from one system to the other. This is primarily so they can have the famous "Park Car" at the end of the train with its observation dome, and the bullet lounge in the very end.
I once explained it to someone as "It's like a USB-A to USB-C cable for train cars"
FYI, the "domes" are gone from this route. For a few years now.
MVP! Thanks!
If they put a few lounge chairs in it at least it would have some utility for passengers
@@CB-sx8xh They were converted from luggage cars, so their windows, as you can see in the video are underwhelming.
I’ve spent years touring Japan with you and now you were in my city of Halifax! I hope you enjoyed your stay in our modest little ocean city
Thank you Kuga for sharing your journey with us, really enjoy your videos.
Thank you Kuga San for another amazing railway adventure.
Thanks to you I can visit places I will never see in my life.
I really appreciate the effort you take in creating this amazing video's.
Can't wait to see where your next journey will bring you (and me)
Saying hi from the Netherlands. 🤗 🇳🇱
Thanks for watching from the Netherlands!🤝
_This_ comment from you is the kind of comment that I like to see on a video like this one about a trip on VIA Rail; older people like you actually _appreciate_ what's done instead of complaining about train trips (which Kuga doesn't even do.)
i'm going back to watch all of your videos now. there is an elegance in their simplicity that i enjoy, thank you.
Whenever I see train meals in the US or Canada, I can't help thinking: "You could've done better with a self-heating ekiben from Japan." I respect the silent suffering of your tastebuds...
I was on this train when there was a dome car and it was friggin amazing. But it also went past Halifax all the way to Digby NS. I will be on this train in a cabin in exactly 2 weeks. Looking forward to it. Been a very long time.
Great video...your comments, and dry sense of humor are priceless...:)...
What you saw on the wall in the hallway were the flags representing each province in Canada very good educational tip for travelers from the United States and other countries thanks to the presentation
Welcome to Montreal!
I'm S.Korean who staying in Montreal, and I enjoy watching your video.
I'm looking forward to watching your next trip 😄
Another great video. I love your sense of humor, and I like that we get to see a little more of you.
Whilst considerably better than the toilet-on-the-floor jalopy you previously travelled on, your room nevertheless did look a little ‘tired’ (bumps and scrapes on the walls, broken monitor etc). Still, another fabulous adventure expertly presented - thanks!
I went on the same train a month ago. The room was absolutely fine.
“We are somewhere in Canada.” 😂
Love all your train videos! 👍
You were here in Halifax! I'm glad the weather cooperated! ❤
Always such a nice and chill ride-along with you.
I hope that you enjoyed your time in my home town of Halifax.
Kuga so glad you made it to our part of the world! I will enjoy following you on your journey.
I love that you came to Canada! I've been watching your Japanese videos for years.
I used to ride The Canadian from Calgary to Vancouver a lot in the early '80s, before they rerouted it through Edmonton.
I miss Via a lot. This was a wonderful reminder 😊
I used to be one of the people in Halifax making the food for those trains, years ago. I hope you enjoyed your stay in my home city and your time in Canada in general. I enjoy your videos very much :)
Timbits, what a treat...
Terrific video, thank you! I did this trip in 2015 and stayed in the same sleeper car. Its unfortunate that you didn’t have the dome car as it was a nice place to spend time. I hope to do the Canadian journey soon.
I like your video. Some comments you made was funny, especially about life. Lol
You are a very polite and gracious traveler. Thank you for being kind.
24:47 😄😄😄😄😄 The hamlet of Rivière-Trois-Pistoles (part of the municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, belting the town of Trois-Pistoles), my hometown! Thank God for that 3-hour delay, the train usually stops well into the night at the station there! You saw basically the small church (where I was baptized, FTR), and the bridge carrying Quebec Route 132, still the main road between Montréal and Gaspé because the mainline of Autoroute 20 still hasn't yet to cross the river...
Side note: Have you tried the new Via trainsets for the Corridor service, namely the Siemens Charger/Venture units?
The tracks at the Halifax station used to be covered. There were multiple trains before, and the Ocean wasn't the only one. There was also service to Sydney, NS Via RDC Budd car, service to St. John, NB with RDC Budd Car and service to Yarmouth, NS via RDC Budd car. There was also a train called The Atlantic Limited that went through Maine to get to Montréal. All of those days are gone.
Thanks for the video. Good to see a cameo appearance of the toilet in the room again!
Thank you for posting your recent North American rail videos. I feel like I'm right there! I live on the Amtrak Cascades line and I'm encouraged to travel again by rail. Always interesting and a pleasure to watch.
I would like your life of agony lol 😆 I Love 💕 how you Thank Everything. I enjoy seeing you more. Your hands are so like my sons..it is very precious to me 😊❤
for anybody wondering why this is so expensive, this is the best cabin you can hae on the train. If you want a cheaper accomodation you can do sleeper class for around $500 dollars in a berth.
Still an absurd amount 😬
@@paulthiel5145, not really, and there's a lot of people who do it.
@@Neville60001 Yeah I did it and booking a long way ahead I got the same room as Kuga san for CAD500 on an advance discount fare. It's not that bad when you consider it's not just transport, but also a night's accommodation, and meals. I guarantee Paul is only comparing against say a flight tkt, and not including a night's hotel accommodation (which from my experience of Toronto and Montreal city centres especially, was very steep - like average CAD500-700 a night even booking months ahead and was probs the most shocking thing about my US and Canada trip).
that explains why its expensive, not why its overpriced, to answer that question you have to accept the fact that both Canadian and American economies are designed to leech out as much money from its citizens while providing the least amount of services, the cheapest quality of goods possible. most North Americans dont realize this till they move to Europe and Asia.
@@yt_hatesfreespeech amen
This one’s better than the other one……. No toilet on the floor 😂 luv your travels 👍❤️
Looks like a great trip. 👌 Thanks for taking us with you. 🙏
Thank you From the Window Seat!
I will be visiting Australia again soon!
@@kugastravel5180 Great to hear! I just got back from Japan, which I loved! 😍
Mmmmm ! Timbits ! Nice trip. I always take the deluxe room with shower. It makes for a comfortable trip even if the train is late which happens often because the rails we ride on belong to the freight carrier. We do not get priority. Train staff is usually exceptional, meals ok. Next you should try the train to Churchill.
I also took the train to Churchill on this trip, check it out!😉
ua-cam.com/video/r0VdNky5fI0/v-deo.html
I did this trip years ago! On the older train cars. It had a viewing car with glass ceiling then (I think you referred to it as a dome?). The sleeper cabins were similar in layout. The dining car and service honestly felt quite luxurious, or maybe that's just due to the fog of memory haha. Tho another comment says they removed the kitchen from the Ocean, so maybe it impacted quality...Too bad. It was honestly a really lovely trip.
Actualy I jast bought same ticket just for 375 CAD. The same cabin. 3 weeks before travel. I had a 900 CAD ticket, which I bought 4 month ago. Then, I found sale, I cancel my ticket for a free and bought a new one almost 3 times cheaper)))
Lmfaoooooo I just left my job in Halifax and saw the notification for this 😊
3 hours late? That’s the Ocean Limited, I remember from 60 years ago. Somehow it is comforting to know that in Canada some things never change.
Thank you, Mr. Kuga, for your enjoyable travel videos by train in Canada and Australia. I have enjoyed them all. The next time you visit eastern Canada, I would like to meet you. Enjoy your travels and continue to be safe and enthusiastic.
Hello from Halifax. I hope you enjoyed your time here. I apologize for the sorry state of our rail service. I hope it gets better in the future, but I don't have much hope of that.
I have a lot more hope than I did a couple of years ago, with new, rather impressive rolling stock now in use in the Québec-Windsor corridor, and rumours of more goodies to come.
@@juliansmith4295 Sadly the Quebec-Windsor corridor gets most of the attention because it's got the population density to warrant it (and political pull). It's not just the rolling stock that's ancient, the lines through NB are decrepit, but they're owned by CN and they're still good enough for freight. It means Via trains have to slow down dramatically, and freight priority along the whole line mean multi-hour delays (the 3 hour late arrival in this video is actually on the light side... 8+ is not uncommon). When the Halifax turntable was destroyed in a fire a few years back, Via considered just cancelling the service altogether rather than replacing it, but ultimately just decided to shuffle the car layout instead as a workaround. Passenger rail isn't going to improve in this part of the country (or out west) without significant federal investment and an alternative CN ownership of all the lines (or higher standards being regulated for passenger service, and deprioritization/rescheduling of freight service to off-peak hours) ...Sorry, ranting at this point, but it's a sore spot for me.
@ArmouredPhalanx, there's _nothing_ wrong with the _Canadian_ ,and Kuga didn't have a problem with it and enjoyed it; why are you sorry on his behalf for?
@@Neville60001 I'm afraid I strongly disagree. If you compare the rail service available in Canada to just about any other developed country in Europe or Asia, it's generally inferior. Outside of the central Ontario/Quebec corridor, it's treated pretty much purely as a sightseeing attraction for tourists, and not a serious means of moving people around. The rolling stock is antiquated and overdue for replacement.
The infrastructure in most places is 'shared' with freight, but in reality Via owns almost nothing and freight has priority. This has a couple of knock-on effects: in many places the rails are maintained to freight standards. Freight trains generally travel at slower speeds. There are places (New Brunswick, for example) where the train has to travel at ~40-50kph because the rails are poorly maintained, but it's good enough for freight, so CN has no incentive to fix/upgrade them. The other impact of freight priority is that passenger trains frequently have to weight for passing freight trains to clear the line. This means that both the Ocean and Canadian are frequently HOURS late. Anywhere from 2-24h (depending on which side of the country you're on, which direction you're travelling in, and how far you're travelling). This is not good, this should not be the norm. This also means that the service is unreliable. Another effect of freight priority is that Via doesn't get to choose the communities it serves. The line it runs on is meant to serve freight, which means that several large towns/small cities that may be viable passenger rail destinations are bypassed (again, thinking of New Brunswick, but it applies elsewhere in Canada, too).
We need to flip the priority if we actually want a serious national passenger rail service (and I certainly do). Passenger rail should be the priority, with infrastructure built and maintained with those standards in mind. Freight is vital for the economy, but there's no reason it can't run at higher frequency during off peak passenger hours or scheduled around passenger services. Building all new, dedicated coast-to-coast passenger infrastructure would be great, but the price and time involved make it a non-starter, so making the existing infrastructure passenger priority means a net-benefit for all - more practical service for passengers, higher standard of infrastructure for for freight.
@@ArmouredPhalanx, I coadd (and _do_ ) care less about all of that; the attraction for many people who take both (and their American counterparts) is the looking at the scenery of Canada on this train's particular route, not speeding through it to get someplace quickly. That's why both routes are the way they are, and why people from across the nation and from all over the globe like Kuga (and Thiebaut[?] the guy who runs the Simply Railway channel on UA-cam), come here to take it. They _don't_ need you to be sorry on their behalf for Canada not having HSR between Toronto and Vancouver/Montreal and Halifax, and neither do I or anybody else in Canada who watches this channel. Why not just be happy that Kuga came to Canada and rode the Canadian, warts and all, rather than be a 'nattering nabob of negativity' as Richard Nixon once said about people he detested?
If you or anybody else 'sorry' for Kuga want to see any improvements, you and they need to get together and _work_ to make them happen (and that means forming PAC's [Political Action Committees] Super PAC's, or any other kind of lobby group, getting off of your [metaphorical] asses, doing door-to-door knocking, phone canvassing/robo-calling, issuing out press notices, setting up websites and social media pages, and putting support behind the _two_ parties that really and truly are the _only_ ones who want to and can make it happen [Liberal and NDP], _not_ behind the Green Party or any other fringe party that's the darling of the emoprogressive left in Canada who don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting power to do it and who have to work their way up the ladder to major party status with local and then regional gains by actually winning elections.) Until then, I still stand by what I said before-aside from VIA getting all new rolling stock for the _Canadian_ , there's _nothing_ wrong with it or the _Ocean_ .
Without the dome car, it is a bit sad. When I travelled in 2017, other then sleeping or eating I was in the dome car !!
Thank you for doing all these videos!!! I feel like we get to come along with you on each journey!!!! Amazing job!!!!
The train used to be turned around on a loop track in Halifax, the loop is now gone. With that, it would be hard to have the dome on as it would need to be turned each time the train arrived in Halifax. Nearest place to turn it around would be the "Y" track in Truro, about an hour out of Halifax. This way they just have to run the locomotives around the consist at each end destination.
Why don't you just install reversible seats in the dome car? Situation solved 🤷♂️
Thank you for your adventure-filled videos they are simple but filled with interesting things.
Hi wow how amazing your trip is going so many wonderful places you seen on all the train’s that you mean on through Canada 🇨🇦 ,you look back one day in your life and think what a big adventure wow what you can do with one life and that’s just one memory what’s next’s who knows,keep on having this amazing journey and can’t wait to see what next’s take care of yourself and have lots of fun.xx💕💕🤗🤗xx(🇬🇧)
Those coaches are SO UK! Way off the ground to work with our quirky high level platforms (a remnant of steam and 3rd rail electric).
The punch card door locks are very 1970s :P
UK has a much smaller loading gauge also. That's why coaches are so small.
I'm actually really sad we never got sleeper trains to Europe, that would have been so cool! I was but a wee lass when it happened, but still!
The coaches worked fine for quite a while.
Yeah I took it last month. I was immediately reminded of the Cornish Night Riviera by the narrowness of the corridor indicating the UK gauge limitations 😄
Based on the BR mk 3 coaches that are used on our HST 125 trains
Trains are so expensive! Thanks for sharing your journeys. So enjoyable to watch.😊
Probably, the best review on UA-cam. Thank you!
That was delightful, Kuga! Thank you.
Enjoyed your video! Very pleasant and informative... The compartment is similar to those of the Amtrak trains on which I've traveled here in the US. Often late and connections are by a stroke of luck but still enjoyable travel with decent meals (meals on trains have changed for the worse since the early 1970s but, unlike airlines, at least they're still offered and are palatable lol).
I hope everybody was kind to you! Thank you for visiting Canada.
When I took this train in the other direction, it was three hours late, too. I told the attendant that as a train buff, I was happy that I just got more for my money, which she scoffed at.
That was exactly my attitude when mine was 3hrs late. I never want good train rides to end!
Haha, it's rather funny to me watching scenery that I see on a daily basis in one of your videos. 😀
good ole Via rail. If your not late by at least an hour, then your still on time.
Thanks
Thank you!🤝
This looks a whole lot better than previous ones plus dining car too! Shorter journey but much better facilities.
Interesting fact, I worked at the Halifax Station back in 2010 back then we used to have 6 trains each way and a layover. On the days the Station was busy I got a fair share of cab rides and even started a few locomotives. One night the train was in late and had to be turned around I arrived on shift and one of the crew told me I was needed in the head end power (Lead Locomotive) little did I know we wore head out to Windsor Jct to turn the train at the wye. good times in them days was one of my found memories at VIA.
Thank you for sharing the video. I think I will take this train as part of journey in Canada next time when visiting this country.
Thanks for the consistently excellent vlogs, Kuga! The best ones on UA-cam, IMHO!
Hi Kuga! I liked The Canadian train trip you did better. Of course this is a shorter route and different than The Canadian. Thanks for sharing the details of the trip. I live in Montreal and hope to do this trip to Halifax now after watching your video. I hope you were able to stay in Montreal and enjoyed it. Where will you go next? Hmmm. I don't know. I also have to say I agree with a post by swilkobarfingtoniii1642 and his opinion of VIA Rail. Did you also know that the headquarters of Air Canada is in Montreal too? Happy travels.
As always I enjoy your videos and your sense of humour. I sure hope you enjoyed your visit to Canada 🇨🇦
thanks for visiting my country!
Great trip. The room is great and yeah no toilet disturbing your legroom.
me encanta todos tus videos ! viajo contigo siempre ! Gracias por dejarme conocer el mundo por los trenes que me fascinan!!!
Gracias!
Thank you Kuga, your videos are very relaxing to watch
The -hallway- car is called a transition car, like the name implies it exists purely to connect the older equipment to the newer equipment.
Congratulations for this journey and also for your full series this past Summer. Really well done and inspiring. Also want to congratulate you for experiencing the rich Canadian cultural experience, that is Tim Hortons. You are a true Canadian now !!
With apologies for the on-board food, they can do better.
The food wasn't that bad.
WAIT!!!!!!
There's no toilet on the floor???!!!
I love you, man!
I think the broken monitor thing was intended to provide journey information.
The weird empty car looks suspiciously like a converted wagon. I'm going to geuss that there are differences between the equipment on old and new cars, so this would be a sensible way ( if ungainly) to accomodate that.
Thanks!
Thank you!🤝
This is my 1st time watching your channel. It's is very nice. I love train travel. I live in the USA and mostly ride amtrak on the East Coast. I live in NC. So I either ride it up to NYC or down to FL. And I see your Canadian Rails run late also. Nice video. 😊
Compare the price for one night, and what you get, to the price, per night, for a balcony on a cruise ship. OUCH !!
You enjoyed a happy journey , man 🎉
Wow, the way that door opens as you approach the train station, it would be perfect to make a grand entrance
congratulations for the wonderful clips with the trains and for adding Romanian translation to the cc section
A few years ago Via used the Renaissance sleepers for an overnight service between Toronto and Montreal. Not that long normally, so if parked in Kingston half way for a few hours.
Looking great kuga ❤❤❤❤
Good morning , mice video ✌️
I wish you good health and a nice day 🌞☕
Greetings Janusz from Warsaw, 🇵🇱 🖐️Poland ✌️
21:56 'Ta-DAHHH!' 🤣🤣🤣🙌🙌🙌🙌
The VIA train map is old, pre 2011. The Malahat route on vancouver island has been closed since 2011. There are people who wish to see it running again as the island is beautiful and train travel would be beneficial but its unlikely we will see that happen.
Poor Kuga-san, Gaijin Char-siu and fried rice . But this train is very spacious.
I am guessing (and hoping) the next train you ride is the Maple Leaf and you go see Niagara Falls!
Thanks for all the lovely journeys over the year since I found your channel! I’m still digging through the old videos but I am enjoying them all. Keep up the good work! :)
It has been decades since I took the train. I have been across Canada, from Vancouver to Montreal, by train, but not in one trip. I'll have to complete the traversal on the Ocean one day.
Vancouver to Winnipeg (sleeper), 1966
Sudbury to Montreal (coach), 1966 and back, 1967
Ontario Northland, Toronto to North Bay, 1981
Sudbury to Edmonton and back (sleeper), 1981
VIA RAIL HAS NOT LOST ANY OF ITS CHARM!
I've traveled on the Oceania, but from Montreal to Halifax. I enjoyed it.
Another great video. Thanks for making the trip.
As someone who's Chinese specifically from Guangzhou.. that's not char sui. Hope you can find a good china town one day and try the real thing. Also its not anything like the char siu you have on ramen, we barbecue it for a long time.
Commenting on the "Open Sesame Street" caption in your video when the doors opened at the train station: for a long time, I thought "Open Sesame!" was supposed to be a magical saying to open locked portals. Much later I realized it was someone saying "open, says a me!" :)
Please consider a train trip from Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba, either during the summer or ideally, during the month of October, to be able to see migration of Polar bears to Hudson Bay. The other great train trip you could consider is the train from Jasper to Prince Rupert, a seasonal tourist train, operational in summer.
He actually did the Winnipeg to Churchill trip recently.
Arigato gozaimasu from a subscriber from Russia. Great videos.
The railcar at 15:30 with the Provincial flags is known as the Transition Car, the purpose for which is to act as a link between the stainless steel 1950s Budd coaches and 1990s Renaissance coaches as neither type can directly couple with the other
Very bad that they removed the dome car , it was fun to hangout there, and why they don't put seats or something in the empty car ... ?
Thank you for the interesting journey.
Me encanta verte que hermoso paisajes
A 3 hour delay is not bad, actually. I once had a 15hr delay going the other way.
Have you been on the Orient Express yet? 3 days, 2 nights across Italy in a cabin room? I really enjoy your videos. Thanks!
I think you have seen more of Canada than me, born and raised in BC😂
Looks like you had a better time in part 3. 😊
あなたの英語はとても上手です。私が感銘を受けた。あなたのビデオをとても楽しんでいます!
Yes, the old models with the toilets under your bed were from a different time when people didn't fuss so much, I wouldn't like it either however at any time. lol. That connector car is probably because the old cars and the new cars are not compatible to be linked. ;)
At 0:55 you say that Halifax is the most easternly station of VIA rail. But if you look at a map you will see that the train station at Truro Nova Scotia (your first stop on the Ocean) is actually more east than the Halifax station. Fun fact and I love your videos.