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Senators push for Montreal customs clearance center
I suppose it would be too much to ask for US Customs to adopt the same procedure that has been used for international trains in Europe since at least the 1960s: All checks are carried out in the train, while it is moving at normal speed.
And I’ve seen people get apprehended and hauled off the train on those checks, so not just a formality.
Last time I drove across the border US-Canada, the process was quite quick. So why does a train need to stop for 2 hours at the border?
(These days, thanks to the Schengen agreement, many borders in Europe are completely open, with no checks, but even toward Canada, that would seemingly be unthinkable.)
It will be nice to avoid the long, boring customs inspections at the U.S. border, but if it means having to arrive at Central Station an hour early and stand a long, boring line there, what’s the point? An alternative might be to do inspections en route, with customs agents getting on and off at Montreal and the border.
I do hope the Vermonter is extended to Montreal. It makes no sense to stop it in St. Alban’s, pop. 6392, when a short hop away is a city of 3.8 million. Even better would be an overnight train to New York and Washington with sleeping cars and a bistro. We could call it “The Montrealer”. Wait…
It’s worse than this. If you take the train from Seattle to Vancouver BC, the Canadian agents handle you as you get off the train. On the return, however, the US agents handle you before you board. That’s pretty simple. But, then, even though the train runs non-stop to the US, they stop the train and US agents get on and go through the entire train, inspecting documents, AGAIN!
I suppose one is “customs” and the other “immigration”, but they seem to combo them if you are driving…
The delay problem is horrendous. But so is the highway crossing which varies so much that we drive around Lake Erie to get Michigan. No more Amtrak to Toronto which used to be a carefree ride avoiding traffic on the on the gridlocked QEW. Under Obama’s terrorist “protection joke” the Arabs have won and citizens of the USA are subjected belitteling out of control US customs thugs; they even stopped the Lakeshore between Rochester and Buffalo because even though it does not cross the border but is within 100 miles they thought it was their right. Even if the TSA is bad, try a visit to the hallowed World Trade Center open plaza memorial, DON’T, I have never been so degraded by five searches that I welled back tears. Montreal? don"t hold your breath as we have lost our freedom.
If its done at the border
If its done at the border employees must be paid to sit and the equipment is tied up. If its done at the station the equipment will be in use two less hours. While it might take two hours to clear a whole train if its done at the station most people will be cleared more quickly. delays today affect all parties. Obviously clearance while the train is moving is also acceptable butthis is clearly an improvement.
Sounds like there are other issues that need to be dealt with as well regarding border crossings for trains. When I rode to Montreal when I was 8 and rode from Toronto to Chicago on the same trip, they did customs inspections while the trains were moving.
Won’t take the Adirondack again due to the customs delays. Seems like airline travel, a lot is done at the point of booking. The immigration forces figure out, in advance, whether you deserve scrutiny or not. The same could be done on international trains here. And, in NY State, one can opt for an “enhanced” drivers license to promote swift border crossings. So, in short, check in advance; check en route; get ID in advance to facilitate crossing. But, protect our borders, please! Oh, yeah, that’s right, lots of folks just sneak in…
The USA has built facilities and stationed American personnel at most all Canadian and Caribbean Island AIRPORTS for years. Some of these airports have few flights to the USA requiring the services of the agents stationed there to “pre-clear” so that the flights can use domestic facilities and go to any USA mainland airport. Plenty of funding for the facility and personnel for the airlines but this is a real hardship for passenger trains.
Now why Cascade trains with “pre-cleared” passengers would have to stop again at the border to repeat the process appears to be a real boondoggle!!
Nothing is being done to speed the passage of Amtrak 64, the “Maple Leaf” at Niagara Falls, NY. No word on the fate of the Whirlpool Rapids bridge, either. CN has said it will not rebuild both of their bridges across the Niagara River, both of which are in need of replacement. The Niagara region is dying as a crossing between the US and Canada, thanks to the area’s awful political representatives at all levels of government.
It’s done with success at some Canadian airports, so why not try out preclearance for international rail passengers?
More pork barrel spending. Nothing changes. Spend 2 hours at the station or 2 hours at the border. Now why 2 hours? Because that is about how long it takes to inspect. Ask any border agent. The quota must be maintained. I was told this by a border agent a few years ago, right to my face after I spent 8 hours trying to get across because it was the end of the month and the quota was short. Of course this was not on Amtrak. If they really wanted to speed up border crossings, His Oneness just has to deem it so and it is so. His Oneness has trampled over everything else. Why stop now? All those other politicians are nothing but puff and fluff. And the voters who voted for them? More puff and fluff.
Jeffrey’s comments are insulting to this voter and military veteran who does his duty to vote in each election and cares about the nation he was born in. I don’t need egomaniac dictators in office who are more concerned about wealth than they are people. Greed and prejudices are destroying our nation.
If streamlining crossing the border is fine for automobiles, trucks, and airplanes, let’s do the same for trains, both passenger and freight! If Jeffrey is so concerned about costs, let’s do away with NEXUS and FASTcards and see how long he enjoys waiting to cross the border.