What is VIA rail, or what does it stand for. I (as I’m sure most of you have) see those Canadian travel agents in virtually every trains mag. telling you to take a via excursion behind some VIA F40PHs. Does VIA opperate any schedualled, NON excursion trains, like the Empire builder? or are they solely excursion. Do they have any Bi level coaches. Does Mexico have an Amtrak equivilent?
Check out VIA Rail’s website: http://www.viarail.ca/
That site should provide all the questions you have. It is primarily a tourist train, at least in the west. Travel by rail is more expensive than travel by air so only those keen on the rail experience would still choose to go via Via rail. Eg a trip from Toronto to Vancouver by rail is $428 (plus meals, dinner in the first class dinning car is $20-$30, snack bar burger is $7.50) whereas a flight can often be had for about $220-$320 depending on seat sales (one meal included) - these are one way fares, and this is in “comfort class” on the VIA which is their Economy class. Still pretty nice though. All prices Canadian $ (about 80 cents US/CDN$)
As for the name, VIA is a word that exists the same in french and english (Canada’s official languages) which mean the way you get somewhere. (“I went to Washington via New York”). I don’t think is stands for anything other than that. Via Rail means to go by rail, tres simple no?
I have travelled by Via rail in the past but not recently. They do have dome cars but don’t think they have the full length skylight style cars. The Rocky Mountaineer - a line that exists only for tourists (very expensive travel option) does have these cars that are designed for viewing the mountain scenery. http://www.rockymountaineer.com/
Forkentdad gave you a great, very well informed response… but I do have to take issue with one thing… calling VIA primarily a tourist train.
VIA is essentially the Canadian Amtrak. Sure, the long distance trains are used by tourists, but they are scheduled passenger trains that you can buy tickets on directly from the railroad without buying into a tour of any kind.
VIA’s Montreal to Toronto Corridor (which includes many other cities), is probably as busy as anything in the USA except for the Northeast Corridor.
I’ll try this again and if it shows up twice I appologize, I was replying and just passed my hand over my laptop and it jumped to another site.
The train you are referring to is the Canadian. It is not a tourist train but a regularily scheduled passenger train that is used by a lot of tourists in the summer, up to 30 cars long.
Because the Canadian government does not properly fund Via Rail Canada and tourists are willing to pay the price, it is a very expensive train, especially in Silver and Blue sleeper class. The rest of Via trains are regularily priced and Via provides a good quality of service. The LRC’s (Light, Rapid, Comfortable) in the Quebec City to Windsor corridor are as smooth as any high speed train in Europe and have the highest average speed of any line in North America that use tracks shared with freight trains. Accella Express is now faster.
Barry, Regina, Sk. (catching the Canadian on Monday)
Mexico for many years had an extensive network of passenger trains until the government-owned railways were privatized in the period 1995-99. Other than a few very basic local services, all that’s left now is the “Chepe” line from Chihuahua, Chih., to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, which has two trains a day each way, one service is tourist-oriented, the other an “all-stops” service more economically-priced. This is the very scenic Copper Canyon route. Check out their website at http://www.chepe.com.mx/ing_html/index.html.
I don’t really have anything to add that hasn’t already been said, but I’ll pipe in anyway.
The easiest way to think about VIA is the Canadian equivalent of Amtrak. It was formed in much the same way (merging Canadian National and Canadian Pacific passenger services into a government controlled entity) but a few years later. VIA isn’t anymore a “tourist” operation than Air Canada is. Both are certainly used by tourists, but the purpose is to get people from point A to point B.
Depends on where you travel. I traveled from Halifax, Nova Scotia to a town near Quebec City, and it was cheaper than flying…and that was with a double deluxe sleeper. The trip was 16 hours which for many business people would be unacceptable. However from my point of view the first 8 hours are basically sleeping then showering (which I would be doing anyways), and the next 8 hours are 100% productive as I very comfortably do my work on my laptop PC with a tea or beer on my table. Try getting real produtive work done when doing air travel!
And even if i’m not doing productive work, and you have time and money to kill, I would chose train travel over plane travel any time. I feel safer for some reason.
I stand corrected on the reference to Via as a Tourist Line.
Sounds like VIA in the eastern half of Canada is quite different than VIA in the west. Given the traffic on the #2 highway between Edmonton and Calgary I wish there was a high speed commuter VIA between the two cities of Alberta. If they provided that kind of service that would be more like Amtrak but you cannot take a train between Edmonton and Calgary.
When I consider taking the train from Edmonton to Vancouver it costs $230.00 compared to $99 on Westjet. (as per their websites today). I don’t see it as a cost efficient way to travel to get from point A to point B. Also the train only runs every other day - you don’t want to miss the departure and have to catch the next train. The fare quoted is their regular priced Comfort (economy) class. A lower berth will cost you $592 one way. The trip is 23 hours through the Canadian Rockies with a stop in Jasper - an absolutely beautiful trip and I am sure worth the costs but not exactly inter-city commuting.
I checked on VIA’s specials. Seems a little eastern bias there too. The only western special is the “Snow Train” going from Edmoton to Jasper (a weekend ski trip). $93 one way for a trip covering 225 miles. Compare that to a seat sale in Ontario from Toronto to Montreal for $59 for a trip of 335 miles. Having said this, there is no regular flight into Jasper and if you can’t drive there (or don’t want to drive in the winter) the only other option is the bus ($59). Mind you a meal is included on the Snow Train which I am sure is absolutely wonderful.
If I could I would take the train.
Barry I didn’t know the Canadian even went through Regina? Learn something new everyday.
Do take some pictures to share of your trip. BTW which travel class did you choose? As I read it now economy (comfort class) travellers do not get access to the dome cars? Let us know if this is true please.
Have a great trip.
FKD wrote-- I didn’t know via went through Regina.
It doesn’t, we have to drive to Saskatoon to catch it. Comfort Class (coach) have access to the skyline car on the Canadian, which we are in. I wish we were in a sleeper as it is really nice, especially the meals.
I don’t take digital pictures. I have taken slides forever and don’t want to change now. We don’t want to drive in the mountains in the winter. The Trans Canada highway has been blocked by washouts as has the CP line in the Thompson canyon and 2 derailments and washouts on the Mountain sub. CN had trouble on the Albreda, Robson and Yale subs. but was open the last I heard.
Barry, Regina