VIA Rail Canada's surprisingly good main corridor from Montréal to Toronto by train!
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Twitter: / jegerpizza
Today we are checking out the main rail link between Canadas largest cities Montréal and Toronto onboard Via Rail Canadas Windsor - Québec corridor.
Come along as i share my thoughts on rail travel in Canada from a european perspective. Is the train a good option for getting to Montréal and Toronto or should you just fly instead?
Train type: P42 912 VIA RAIL + 5 coaches
Route: Montréal Gare Centrale to Toronto Union Station
Train: 61
Distance: 540km
Journey time: 5h12m
Average speed: 103 km/h
Price: 59 CAD
Music:
Alexi Action - Synthwave 80's
EvgenyBardyuzha - Outstripping the light
05:47 Oh my good friend, those are the same seats as used in OeBB Railjet First Class, right down to the same colour scheme too! 😁
You're right! I guess nice of VIA to also put them in standard
@@Simon-Andersen Sure is!
DB do the same, as do some others.
They were train sets for the chunnel that were adapted to Canadian standards
@@bradjames6748those are used on the Ocean train running from Montréal to Halifax, not on the corridor trains seen here.
They should use Railjet's Business ClAss seit instead ...
What a lovely video Mr Simon, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mr Albs 🤠
Great video, thanks for sharing! I think the reason for a galley/food preparation area in every car is because there were rarely fixed consists in historical North American railroading. Cars would be mixed and matched, or trains lengthened when needed.
Also, when the Montreal-Toronto route was operated with tilting trains, a nearly non-stop service ran once a day from Sunday to Friday that only took 3 hours 59 minutes! They departed both endpoints at 17:00. The car you were on used to have tilting capabilities but that was turned off when the matching locomotives were retired some years ago, IIRC. That entire series of cars was called LRC - short for light, rapid and comfortable.
Oo intresting! I would never have thought they were tilting trains. Shame the journey now takes 1h longer with it no longer operating like that.
It was a great Bombardier Design of Montreal Locomotive Works - even now after 40 years they Look modern and stylish. Passenger travel demand follows rhe 3 hours rule: if scheduled Journey time is less than three hours ok - but for modal choice of an individual traveller it makes no Real Difference to stay 4 or 5 hours on the train and Hydraulic tilting Devices are expensive to operate and even more exoensive to mantain - on both sides: rail exactness and wheelsets checked.
@@Simon-Andersen The LRC train sets were pretty slick considering the period they came out. All that is left are these carriages with non functional tilting mechanisms. 😢
@@jamesbuchan416 Amtrak even purchased upgraded Bombardier LRCs, although built with steel instead of aluminum, the Acela train sets...
I have done every railway line in Canada except Churchill. All of VIA Rail Canada, Rocky Mountaineer (including Banff to Calgary), Ontario Northland (including the Toronto to Cochrane), Tshuietin, West Coast Express, Skytrain, GO Transit, AMT Montreal, White Pass and Yukon, and several heritage lines. My wife and I love Canadian trains, Canada and the Canadians. For long distance (3+ hours) it is worth upgrading to VIA1, just for the superb hot food and wines, beers and spirits. On one trip to Quebec City we had a few single malts, after the stewardess filled my glass to the brim. "Say when." I did not. So she kept filling it up to it was full ! Happy days ! Our first trip to Canada was for our honeymoon where we did The Canadian (Vancouver to Toronto). Kind regards from London, England.
I believe the reason for the airport style boarding is the narrow train platforms. I know that Union Station in Toronto has just started to rebuild theirs to much wider platforms.
Also, Montreal-Toronto is limited to six trains per day because of freight rail traffic. The railway companies that operate the freight rail also own the tracks. The federal government has supposedly committed to separating passenger and freight rail between Toronto and Quebec City. Because of increasing freight traffic in this corridor, the federal government realizes that they can't put this off any longer.
Thanks for the insight Paul! Lets hope they can do something to change these things, there is great potential for this service especially if the goverment can take over some portions of the service to ensure it gets priority :-)
@@Simon-Andersen, as much as I want to see modern-high speed rail transit between Toronto and Montreal, what we're getting in the form of the new Siemens sets is a great upgrade, and is better than having *_no passenger train at all_* as in Mexico.
The opposite has occured. The tracks and freight trains are owned by a private railway that was once state-owned but was devested in the 90s.
Expect the Siemens loco to damage the track and be unreliable. P42DC and even the F40PH-2 is better in my opinion.
@@vicsams4431 The P42DC and the F40PH-2 are the older trains that the Siemens are replacing. As those trains age, they will become more expensive to maintain. One of the benefits of the Siemens over the older trains is that it will reduce emissions by 90%. The Siemens trainsets are both smoother and quieter, so that doesn't suggest they will damage the tracks. If anything, the freight trains largely cause the degradation of the tracks. Top speed is 125 mph for Siemens vs. 110 mph for P42DC.
As the Siemens Chargers are fairly new to both Amtrak and VIA I expect that there will be some kinks to work out, but I don't get the impression that they're unreliable from the ones that are already in service other than some kinks that have or will be worked out if any arise.
This route is much as it was when I frequently used it in the 1980s. The real star in Ontario is the GO Train system of commuter train lines that is always expanding. Inter-city bus lines have died and local shuttle bus lines, with funding from counties and municipalities, are filling in some of the gap.
Ontario Northland has ordered some new Siemens Venture trains to bring their north-south service between Toronto and Timmins/Cochrane (with connection to the Polar Bear Express) through Muskoka and North Bay. Perhaps 2026?
A group of us from the UK and the Netherlands did Toronto to Moosonee with overnight in Cochrane. So sad to see the ONR Northlander train go. That was the prettiest part of the route.
What we call the Quebec-Windsor corridor including Ottawa is really the only quick train route in Canada. The main benefit is downtown-to-downtown. Its main competitor is Toronto Island airport which is near downtown. No one goes to Pearson from Montreal to visit Toronto. A cheaper bus service also exists
I was surprised by the island airport in toronto its so close. Ill take a trip on a train over a flight on a Q400 any day!
@@Simon-Andersen Right now you have to make a rather long streetcar hop to downtown form YTZ but the subway will get to that aera in like 10 years.
@@phil1625 Porter Airlines operates a complementary shuttle between the west entrance of the Royal York Hotel (which is across the street from Union Station) and the island airport.
@@phil1625, I hope that it doesn't; we don't need any more more subway lines in Toronto, the streetcar works just fine.
The UP has very much improved the Pearson connection at least
Business class has more room , better food. And no kids and pets (at least the last time I was on it).
Biz class is much more roomy (2+1 vs 2+2), delicious meals and all drinks included along with great service. Silly to say it's basically the same and not worth the upgrade - it's totally different from economy class. Do your homework.
Michael, the problem with this particular UA-camr is he doesn't/didn't want to do his homework; he arrogantly ASSumes that rail in (North) America is just like rail where he comes from, and that everything's the same as far as pricing's concerned, so instead of getting the Business Class seat like he should've, he got the other one.
Business class Montreal to Toronto is excellent with a choice of meals and wine. Much better than regular coach. Yes, Simon should have done his homework ….
Great video! Brings back memories of trips from Ottawa to Toronto before the pandemic with the views of Lake Ontario (the line from Ottawa joins the main line to Toronto at Brockville). For your comment about the seats in Business Class at 7:12 minutes.... they use the same actual seats, but you'll see there's a bit of a gap between the seats on the double-seat side because there's a little table between the two seats in addition to the fold-down tray, and the single-seat side has a table between the window and the seat. The main advantage of Business Class is not the seat itselfe but rather it is access to the lounge, priority boarding, and an airline-style meal along with free beverage service (they typically do four services on the 4-hour run between Ottawa and Toronto) with beer, wine, spirits or non-alcoholic drinks.
Thats kinda the reverse of europe, better seat but anything more than free coffee is rarely included. But having a meal on a journey like this sounds nice!
@@Simon-Andersen The food is quite decent as well! Served on China, proper cutlery, etc. A nice treat if you can budget it.
@@Simon-Andersen that's not entirely true, quite a few countries have some catering included for their first/business class passengers. Often, it's nothing moe than a snack and a drink, like on Renfe or Trenitalia's high-speed services, but some give actually full meals, especially the UK's long-distance operators have quite a decent food game. Eurostar follows this tradition, you get either a complementary light meal in Standard Premier or a hot meal in Business Premier. On Thalys, it's only in Business Premier, nowadays...
And it may have changed, but DSB and the Norwegian trains (NSB at the time) had at least a complimentary coffee corner, last I was on a train there.
The beverage service has been reduced to 1x per train ride every 4 hours now in business class! Best to stock up with a juice and a pop from the lounge if you want something to drink on the train. 🎉
Believe it or not, Turbo did the run in 3 hours 59 minutes back in the sixties.
Well done; this can be an official PR video by VIA.
Q: are large luggage secure on the shelves?
I have had no problems. Done every railway in Canada except Churchill.
I am so excited for my first train trip in canada on 22nd june 2024
Have a great trip!
An antiquated train bumping along the rails...
How much the price ticket to way
Stated that 2+1 configuration is not worth the upgrade. Must be used to Amtrak where you get a free soft drink in Business class. He should try it out, meals and beverages included.
Welcome to Toronto!
Thanks! I enjoyed my stay there :-)
Business class cars have more legroom because of fewer seats per car. VIA 1 is worth it ; next trip try it !
This is very beautiful video 📸📷📸📷
Please do the amtrak maple leaf soon. Im doing that journey on the 27th. Would love to watch.
I won't have it out by then unfortunately, but im sure you will enjoy it as much as i did :)
@@Simon-Andersen oh man. I was hoping you would. Well actually this is my first train journey. I do go to New York a lot via plane. But this time im doing the Amtrak maple leaf because well i love trains. Lol.
The train takes 13 hours, but it is far more civilised. You get to see great scenery and my wife and I had lunch and dinner on the train.
Nice report. Gare Centrale’s terminal building used to be visible outside, and has some nice art deco designs. However, too many buildings have been added onto it over the years.
Thanks for sharing
Nice video! Trolley service = beer cart! Lol! Also, the seats on the new trains are not comfy, especially for short people! Plus, the ride is rough! It used to be that we got proper comfy seats on the older trains! Too bad that they took that away.
I warned people not to buy Siemens. They may be cheap, but they damage the track causing speed restrictions and their diesel locos are unreliable.
Looking forward to the new train sets and HFR (and electrification). A dedicated right of way is what they need so they’re not sharing tracks with CNs freight trains. 🎉
Same here! Looking forward to coming back to this line in a few years
I finally upgrade worth it. You got your meal included which is fairly nice. Plus alcohol is included and there's no shortage of that. Especially when you go from the Montreal to Toronto route. You can be very tipsy by the time you arrive. So if you can get a deal on business class well worth it on VIA good meal good service and lots of free alcohol
I agree. The stewardess said "Say when" whilst pouring my single malt, so I stayed silent. She continued pouring. I ignored her. It filled to the brim of the glass, nearly overflowing, I said "When." Happy days !
Probably not worth it for the 90 minutes Montreal to Ottawa. The meal gets a bit rushed.
Regards from London, England.
Personally, I'm not at all a fan of the Railjet seats that they recently installed in the LRC coaches. The old seats that the cars used to have (a few unrebuilt cars still have them) are much more comfortable, IMO.
50 dollars not Bad Price BUT 5 hours on the trip,,,I just have ONE HOURS or less for that trip lol,,WILL IT BE POSSIBLE IN THE FUTURE,,and before de World Cup games 2026 PLEASE
@ze da Cruja, can you say, 'Not going to happen?' Because it won't, at least not in 2026; it will take a lot of time to build, and there are a lot of obstacles in the way to getting it built (environmental and political.) It won't be an easy slog, and it would've been better if we had bullet trains, but we don't (and even if we did, a trip between Toronto and Vancouver, even by bullet train, would take at least 10 hours, the same distance as a trip between New York and Los Angeles by bullet train [although it _could_ be mitigated by building said routes with maglev instead of standard steel rail HSR.])
AFAIK, the Wold Cup should be held in Canada solely, and should be held only in Toronto and Montreal (with an all new high-speed electric route built between both cities, and with new stations at each end in each city that can be open 24/7 to accommodate all of the people that have come to Canada to see the World Cup.) But that's just me, unfortunately; I'm not a politician, nor am I the overlord of Canada and the United States (or even the Prime Minister/POTUS [President of the United States]), and I can't wave a magic wand to get it built, either.
Its " Dorval " spell checker please
You should try the new Venture trains Via got, I just rode them between Ottawa and Quebec City, and it was a very pleasant experience.
Train travel in Canada is not as practical as it is in some other countries. It'll take you a week to get across the country by train - in a straight line - when you can drive it in 3 days or take a 6 hour flight. That said, the rustic look and feel, combined with the freindly and professional staff and the spectacular scenery makes for a great vacation!
I was so glad 🙂 today while i was traveling with via rail in train 🚊 number 54 in car number 4 from oshawa to ottawa
To see your lovely lady worker I forget her name she was So happy 😀 of serving the riders on bord
With lovely happy smile and cheering all
I told her i was missing this since long time with Via rall workeres
Iam so glad 🙂 that Via Rall
Have such Employee. On bord
All workers in car 🚗 4 so nice and gentle
Iam proud 🥲 of them
Plse thank
Them in my behalf
Regards
In Montreal you have access to the underground city from the Central station ... shopping malls , hotels , restaurants etc
The look on my face while reading that title having lived in Toronto for 17 years with family in Ottawa 😂. At Christmas there was a train that was 25 hours late on a 4.5 hour journey and they didn't have water. I've taken the trip 20+ times and my average is probably 45 minutes late on a 4.5 hour trip.
I went in with the expectation of what you describe with a long delay and lack of everything 😄 Maybe I set them too low 😅
I have done every railway line in Canada except Churchill. Most ram to time, but The Canadian was 6 hours late, which bearing in mind it is 4 days, I thought was not too bad, plus they fed us an extra free meal.
That delay was a combination of weather, a tree down on the tracks, and multiple power outages. CP24 has the full story online (Dec. 24, 2022). That's not typical rail service.
@@amandaregis313 "I've taken the trip 20+ times and my average is probably 45 minutes late on a 4.5 hour trip."
@SamEllens , I've probably taken that run 20+ times, meeting my grandfather "under the clocks" from 1968 to 1975 (I would have been 7 to 15 and traveling on my own). Granted, they were often not on time, but that and having the train personnel telling me "next car" when asking "is this car for Toronto?" or any other city, which The Royal Canadian Airfarce poked much fun at, it was looked at as normal having to walk past 6 or 7 cars before being able to board. I have traveled multiple times after that, and while some trips had delays, I can honestly say it has gotten better. What I made mention of was an entirely different set of circumstances (tree down in the middle of nowhere, during a blizzard).
How Horus from Montreal to Ontario
Hate the food trolley which blocks the aisle. VIA should been tax dollars on a decent cafe car. Journey time between Montreal and Toronto was less than 4 hours by Turbo in the 70's and those noisy polluting diesels have got to go. I can't decide which is worst, Amtrak or VIA?
I love both. But whilst I have done every railway line in Canada except Churchill, I have only done the Maple Leaf, the Vermonter, plus the Alaska Railroad and the White Pass and Yukon in America. Regards from London England.
You think the current diesels are bad, The Turbo was worse, it was basically the same as an Aircraft with how loud the Sikorsky turbofan was.
Hello, did you have any stops on your ticket
I'm not sure what you mean? It was a direct train with one ticket yes
Well put together video. Liked the map of the route
Thank you 😊
Do the guys really check how many baggage’s you are carrying at Montreal train station
I doubt it
I had never rided with Via rail.
You have missed a lot. I have done every railway line in Canada except Churchill. Regards from London England.
@@vicsams4431 Via rail is more expensive than bus 🚌.
If cost is your only consideration, you could cycle or walk. LOL.
@vicsams4431 Bus 🚌 is more frequent than a train 🚆 on some routes like, for example, between Montreal and Quebec city.
@@Ahuntsicspotter Yes. I know. Lots of Canada has a train only once every other day. I have even been to Schefferville, Quebec which only has one northbound train on Mondays and Thursdays, and one southbound train on Tuesdays and Fridays (there are no trains on Wednesdays, Saturdays or Sundays - unless a train is 12+ hours late) ! Here in London, England I have a train every 45 seconds, on most tracks, and there are 14 large termini.
I have done Montreal to Quebec City many times. It is a lovely journey. Especially across the Quebec Bridge. Quebec Gare Du Palais is a fine building too. I have done the funicular in Quebec City, and I have done the line from Chute Montmorency to La Malbaie, plus Montreal to Senneterre and Montreal to Jonquiere. Plus the Metro, plus the suburban lines to Candiac, Vaudreuil, St Jerome, Deux Montagne etc. There is not a line, I have not done.
Schefferville, Quebec has no roads the 357 miles from Sept Iles, so your only options are train, plane, walk etc. I even managed to ride on the locomotive, courtesy of the Tshiuetin Railway.
VIAs corridor trains all have at-seat attendant service for food and beverage (just like an airplane), so all cars have galley storage area. The use of separate cafe cars on local Ontario / Quebec trains ended a long time ago (nearly 50 years).
Can o' duhhhhh, wherefrom Alberta & Quebec oughtta be freed.......
crappiest! inter-city wherein the junk cart bears more priority than even a eldery passenger eagerly headed to the nearby loo...even the gossip of how to revamp that corridor hails backwardness of queersomely outdated strains........