Trip Report: September 22 to October 19, 2003
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
Fall Colors Coast to Coast - by Land and Sea
VIA RAIL CANADA AN INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE
Ted on the verandah and Sylvia on the poop deck
Montreal, October 6, 2003
The Crystal Symphony's itinerary gives passengers two days with two overnights in Montreal to enjoy the city's many sightseeing options.
Having seen the city, we call Tom L, our Montreal contact at VIA Rail Canada, and arrange to meet him at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel. This upscale property, managed by the company formerly called CP Hotels, is decorated in classic Art Deco style, and is connected to the Montreal station. The bellman at the Queen Elizabeth can arrange for guest's luggage to be transferred to the train station.
VIA Rail, supported by the federal government of Canada, is like Amtrak a political football. But Via is riding high under the current administration as both the Prime Minister and Transport Minister are train enthusiasts.
VIA'S NEW EQUIPMENT.
Tom is VIA's manager of marketing development for the U.S., and arranges to take us aboard one of the corridor trains (the Montreal/Ottawa/Toronto corridor is the Canadian equivalent of the busy Northeast Corridor in the US, and used primarily for business travel).
The train uses the new Renaissance equipment, which we've not yet seen. VIA purchased 240 of these European-built carriages from a company that planned to use them for a project that never began -- overnight Chunnel service. Although they were never used, there were some modifications needed to make them compatible with the Canadian rail system. They are not, however, compatible with VIA's other equipment, thus a stainless-steel VistaDome built by Budd cannot be used on the same train.
All the coaches offer two spacious, slightly-reclining high-backed seats on one side of the aisle and single seats on the other. VIA 1, or business class, has the same seating and the same legroom as coach, but provides extra amenities such as newspapers, magazines, and meals. Seats all face a center bulkhead so some passengers ride facing backwards.
TRAVEL TIP: Avoid the bulkhead seats on VIA's Renaissance equipment. Unlike airline seats, these offer less legroom than the others. Unlike Amtrak's business class and first class, seats may be pre-assigned. Seat A is a window seat next to Seat B on the aisle. Seat S is on the single side. And, be prepared to check all but small carry-on luggage as there is no storage space for suitcases.
The Corridor trains carry a Bistro Car which provides a lounge area limited to VIA 1 passengers, and offers three menu options. Coach passengers have access to a snack bar.
The trains are pulled by Genesis locomotives decked out in a rather glamorous paint scheme which makes them look quite different than their Amtrak counterparts.
Renaissance sleepers are used on the overnight Enterprise trains which run between Montreal and Toronto. This has freed up some of the vintage stainless-steel Budd equipment for use on other trains.
"VIA doesn't plan to retire any of our equipment, so our fleet has expanded considerably," Tom said. "This allows us to consider new routes and add extra departures."
Another recent acquisition of rolling stock operates on the Skeena between Prince Rupert and Jasper. This single-level dome equipment provides a smooth ride and great views. We rode on this equipment when it was operated by its previous owner, BC Rail.
"The two classes of service on the Skeena are now Totem and Totem Deluxe," Tom explains. Totem class was first-class when the train used the Budd equipment. But now Totem Deluxe is first class, with meals included. Totem class uses the same dome equipment but doesn't offer the first-class amenities.
THE MONTREAL STATION.
This busy station contains not only phone booths, but also ticketing kiosks, and internet booths for email retrieval. A handy Budget Rent-a-Car facility is located here. The Panorama Lounge for VIA 1 first-class passengers includes wireless internet, which is also being added to some corridor trains on an experimental basis.
Boarding areas are set aside for seniors, families, and handicapped travelers, who are pre-boarded onto the trains.
Tom points out that VIA tickets can now include a bus transfer to and from Dorval Airport.
Although our itinerary doesn't include travel on VIA this trip, we are glad we've had the opportunity to expand our awareness of the Canadian passenger railroad's progress, and to share it with our readers.
For more information about VIA, please call Sylvia or Ted at their toll free number, 1 800 347 0645. Ask us how we can ticket you at 2003 prices for 2004 travel.
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