Trip Reports by our Clients:
NEW RENAISSANCE EQUIPMENT ON VIA RAIL CANADA
By Greg Molloy
Sylvia -
The trip to Canada was very enjoyable.
The new British-built trainsets went on #50 and 51 on June 23. People booked in double bedrooms got deluxe bedrooms (with private showers) and people booked in roomettes got economy double bedrooms (no showers). The cross-car beds are just long enough for somebody 6' 4" to stretch out when sleeping, but the sleeper aisles are very narrow. No passing except in vestibule areas. My standard-sized hard-side suitcase slid snugly under the bottom of the seat/bed, but somebody with an airline-style carry-on bag or the square-profile luggage Via pictures in their baggage policy handouts would have no place to put it. {VIA has since changed their baggage size requirements.
(Incidently, the lounge attendant on #51 was the only Via employee I encountered who wasn't friendly and helpful - and the Service Manager chewed him out in public for his rude behavior to another passenger.)
The Bras d'Or trip was very relaxing despite several patches of rain and fog. Several bald eagles cruised close to the dome car. There were hearings in Sydney the day after I was there on the railroad's petition to abandon the eastern 100 miles of the route, so it's an open question whether the train will be around next year.
The only problem with Via occurred on the leg from Jonquiere to Ottawa. Because of a combination of track work and having to creep around a recent freight train derailment, the Jonquiere train arrived in Montreal late enough to miss the last train to Ottawa. Apparently, missed connections on Via are rare enough that they had people out looking for me by name, and the supervisor on duty knew my whole itinerary.
Since I had plans in Ottawa in the morning and a pre-paid hotel, they offered me a paid taxi to the bus terminal where I could catch an express bus to Ottawa.
Again, other than that one minor problen, it was an excellent trip.
Greg Molloy
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