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Customs bill meant to benefit ‘Adirondack’ passengers
Its to bad they don’t think of the US not just centered on New York. This bill could benefit every US/Canadian border crossing that requires a customs inspection.
Mr. Haws, this type of agreement has been sought for a long time for Vancouver to Seattle Amtrak trains and has recently been put in place there. And most airline flights have some form of this in place.
Will this legislation accelerate the VERMONTER being extended to Montreal?
This bill is just an act of shameless showboating and pandering by Chuckie Schumer. Kirsten Gillibrand, Chuckie’s political sister fails far western New York as well. Why not make matters easier for passengers on the Eastbound “Maple Leaf”, who sit for two hours, while customs and immigration checks are laboriously performed? Why not revive the “International”? (For those of you too young The “International” ran Toronto-Chicago, on a CN-GTW-MC/NYC/PC route) Why not revive service between The Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN) and Winnipeg? No, we cannot be so fiscally irresponsible, can we?
Chuck Schumer was quick with the press release, but it’s Vermont’s Senator Lahey who has taken the lead on this. The Vermont Rail Action Network has been working with the Seantor’s office for a long time now. Yes, Bill, this bill is essential in the return of the Vermonter to Montrealer.
there is not even any bus service between Winnipeg and anywhere in the US, most of all not ND or MN
Sorry, probably billions spent I Canada and Caribbean Islands for US Customs and Immigration pre clearance but working something out between Eastern Canadian and USA for passenger trains is just not feasible. What a sad and creuel joke. I said billions when one figures in buildings and US government employees living and working in such diverse spots as Aruba and Calgary!
Peter Benham is right about the need to reduce waiting times at Niagara Falls for train passengers. He is wrong about the route of the International Limited. I rode on it several times and it was on Canadian National rails all the way from Toronto to Dearborn Station in Chicago. It crossed the border through the tunnel between Sarnia and Port Huron.
As one who rides the Adirondack and used to ride the Montrealer, before it was shortened to St. Albans and renamed, may I say that this sort of thing is well overdue. Further, it is ridiculous that one doesn’t have to wait for Canadian customs northbound – they get on the train at the border and seem to be able to do the necessary work (which is just as thorough, believe me) while the train is on its way to Montreal. Not the US folks. The train stops and just sits there while they take their time wandering through the train. The longest hold I have hit was three hours, but two hours is common. There would be ample time for them to manage an inspection before the first southbound US station stop in Plattsburgh, but no…
This bill would affect only the trains operating out of Montreal with the first stop in the US (Plattsburgh for the Adirondack and St. Albans for the Montrealer, if it comes back). It would have no effect on trains at Niagara Falls or Windsor.
Frankly, I’ve never understood why Amtrak trains go into Canada, but VIA trains don’t come into the U.S.
Richard, VIA used to operate the Atlantic from Montreal to Halifax through northern Maine, but that was cut in the early 1990s. Amtrak operates these trains for multiple reasons: 1) not all VIA equipment is cleared by the FRA to operate in the United States, particularly the LRC and Renaissance fleets and 2) every current route and most potential routes crossing the US/Canadian border spends the vast majority of its time in the USA. The International from Toronto to Chicago formerly ran with VIA locomotives and Amtrak Superliners and, like the Maple Leaf, was operated as a VIA train on the Canadian side of the border. VIA has fewer spare P42s than Amtrak does, so it’s more efficient to operate Amtrak P42s west of Albany on the Maple Leaf. VIA HEP1 and HEP2 equipment cannot run into Penn Station because the retention tanks for the toilets are placed crossways, which would not clear the third rails south of Croton. That is the primary reason why when the Adirondack was running VIA equipment in 2012 over Thanksgiving weekend, passengers were required to change trains at Albany.
Socialism does not extend south of the Canadian line.
These politicos need to get their act together. I can understand “Chuckie-Say-Cheese” at the forefront of a photo-op, but what say Leahy, Sanders, and Welch of Vermont? We need this agreement fast-tracked so that the “Montrealer” can be restored, as well as alleviating delays on the “Maple Leaf” at Niagara Falls, NY-ON and restoring MI-ON thru service, CHI-TOR/MTR. I used to travel on the “Gull” (ME-NB). The customs delay was tolerable, as we made a ‘meal stop’ at McAdam, NB. Even had time to walk the dog, who was confined in the baggage car. Later, the “Border N*zis” made the crossing delays intolerable, especially ME-QC, in both directions.
Why don’t they also address the one hour plus scheduled stop at the Niagara Falls, N,Y. border for the East Bound AMTRAK ’ Maple Leaf ’ ???