Does anyone know when VIA stopped running from Chicago to Toronto? Was it a joint operation with AMTRAK?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Limited
So if I follow correctly, there used to be one train that ran all the way.
Now, instead, Amtrak and VIA rail each still operate the entirety of their respective portions of the route, but terminating at the last stop before the border rather than crossing it.
That's... rather silly.
I do have to wonder if the issue more than declining ridership was that post-9/11 they would have wanted to make the customs operations more robust in order to keep the route, and it was deemed not worth the expense and effort.
Yea, the USA's Customs guys have not been friendly towards rail travelers, especially since 2001.
:no:
Mike
Quote from: mgk920 on September 19, 2014, 01:18:59 AM
Yea, the USA's Customs guys have not been friendly towards rail all travelers, especially since 2001.
:no:
Mike
FIFY. It's high time we had a Schengen-type agreement with Canada.
Quote from: Brandon on September 19, 2014, 07:32:47 AM
Quote from: mgk920 on September 19, 2014, 01:18:59 AM
Yea, the USA's Customs guys have not been friendly towards rail all travelers, especially since 2001.
:no:
Mike
FIFY. It's high time we had a Schengen-type agreement with Canada.
Agreed. I've taken Amtrak between Montreal and New York (The Adirondack) a few times, and the experience crossing the border was pretty much the same as in my car.
It looks like it was run in much the same way as the Maple Leaf is run: Amtrak staff departing Chicago and leaving the train in either Port Huron or Sarnia, then performing a crew change with VIA during the customs inspection. The train is then run as a VIA until Toronto.
Contrast with the Adirondack, which is 100% Amtrak.
When I went to school in London, ON, you could still take the Amtrak superliner on one of the routes easterly towards Toronto. VIA trains ran along the southern route between the two cities via Brantford, while Amtrak ran along the northern route through Kitchener. It's a shame that train service was discontinued between the two cities. The Superliner's were nice trains.
Trains crossing the border without a staff change poses an interesting question: what if customs deems the motorman unfit for entry? Or are all the staff pre-cleared?
Quote from: mgk920 on September 19, 2014, 01:18:59 AM
Yea, the USA's Customs guys have not been friendly towards rail travelers, especially since 2001.
:no:
Mike
I would have to agree. When I took the train from Vancouver, BC back to the US, they were rather rude. I felt more like I was guilty before being proven innocent. They seemed to be giving me a hard time for no particular reason other than it made them feel more important and powerful. Going to Canada, very friendly.
Quote from: sdmichael on September 26, 2014, 02:29:41 AM
Quote from: mgk920 on September 19, 2014, 01:18:59 AM
Yea, the USA's Customs guys have not been friendly towards rail travelers, especially since 2001.
:no:
Mike
I would have to agree. When I took the train from Vancouver, BC back to the US, they were rather rude. I felt more like I was guilty before being proven innocent. They seemed to be giving me a hard time for no particular reason other than it made them feel more important and powerful. Going to Canada, very friendly.
To be fair, I've never taken the train to or from Canada, but this matches my experience crossing at Blaine by road as well.