I haven't ever taken one. Somehow Via Rail is worse than Amtrak. I'm here to bitch about the closed line to Victoria and the fact that Edmonton-Calgary has NO rail service. WTF Canada. Austerity is a bitch.
You are literally better off hopping a freight train that trevalleing in VIA rail. I have travelled from Nova Scotia to Montreal/Ottawa (it's like a two hour difference) using both methods and can for sure say this.
There's a train from Cochrane to Moosonee that I really wanna do, runs a couple times a week. Basically the plan would be to take a canoe up by rail and paddle back along the Abitibi. Difficult bit is getting to Cochrane though, which is a couple hours drive from Sudbury. Up until 2012 you could take the Northlander for the first leg up from Toronto Union to Cochrane, and you could bring all your gear. Pissed I never got a chance to try it that way - I just love the image of portaging downtown Toronto and taking your boat all the way to the put-in by rail, and it's rad that it was totally doable until relatively recently.
Goodish news is that they're putting a toe in the water about partially reinstating the line - so who knows, maybe I'll be able to scandalize Bay St yups with a canoe on my head one day
If and when lockdown ends, are there any cool Canadian trains you would recommend for a nice ride? Alternatively, Canadian trains to stay away from?
I haven't ever taken one. Somehow Via Rail is worse than Amtrak. I'm here to bitch about the closed line to Victoria and the fact that Edmonton-Calgary has NO rail service. WTF Canada. Austerity is a bitch.
Via Rail map in 1979
:kanada:
You should take that super neat rail line operated by First Nations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tshiuetin_Rail_Transportation
Fuck Canadian rail, it's so bad, so slow, and so expensive. Cheaper to fly across the country!
And flying is quite expensive also.
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You are literally better off hopping a freight train that trevalleing in VIA rail. I have travelled from Nova Scotia to Montreal/Ottawa (it's like a two hour difference) using both methods and can for sure say this.
There's a train from Cochrane to Moosonee that I really wanna do, runs a couple times a week. Basically the plan would be to take a canoe up by rail and paddle back along the Abitibi. Difficult bit is getting to Cochrane though, which is a couple hours drive from Sudbury. Up until 2012 you could take the Northlander for the first leg up from Toronto Union to Cochrane, and you could bring all your gear. Pissed I never got a chance to try it that way - I just love the image of portaging downtown Toronto and taking your boat all the way to the put-in by rail, and it's rad that it was totally doable until relatively recently.
Goodish news is that they're putting a toe in the water about partially reinstating the line - so who knows, maybe I'll be able to scandalize Bay St yups with a canoe on my head one day