I have mixed feelings about taking the train in Canada. Although Via Rail may feel normal to the uninitiated traveler, it’s at least odd even by American standards. Where to begin?
I traveled between Ottawa and Toronto, about 4.5 hours each way, but there was no buffet car. The only way to buy food and drinks was via an attendant that pushed a trolley along the corridor. While it’s a bit more convenient than walking a couple of carriages on a moving train, one of the benefits of being on a train is having the space to stretch and hang out with the people you’re traveling with—a buffet car serves that purpose. Without phone booths on the train, the buffet car is also the place to take calls without disturbing other passengers.
I don’t mind paying for business class, but I just don’t feel like I’m getting a business-level product here. Going a longer distance from Berlin to Dortmund starts at €108 (about $160, or $0.32/km for the 492 km trip) whereas a slower, shorter trip on Via rail from Toronto to Ottawa starts at $151 ($0.37/km). No, the German offer doesn’t include lounge access unless you pay full price but the Via Rail lounge isn’t enviable. It’s so loud I can’t hear the PA system announce boarding times, it’s so crowded it’s hard to find a comfortable neighbour-free space, and there are no food offerings. The large Deutsche Bahn lounges have at-seat hot meal service and even the smaller ones have hot soup dispensers.
Even the most flexible price with any choice of train doesn’t look good for Via Rail. At €247 (about $365), the German offering, offering trains until midnight to provide more options, isn’t much more expensive than the $354 Via Rail journey where the last train departs at 6:30pm.
The boarding process at major stations is inefficient. There’s no reason why premium passengers should board first, there are 10 doors on each side of a 5-car train, passengers can all board simultaneously for reduced dwell time at platforms. A second class passenger boarding in car five will not impede a first class passenger boarding at car two. It also doesn’t make sense to check for tickets at boarding only to have them checked again on the train.
There isn’t much in the value department. There isn’t much in the comfort department either. The hard leather seats in business class remind me of the early 2000s German InterCity trains, but Via Rail showed these trains off as brand new in 2023. The tables, despite being in business class, were 10 inches away from my torso and don’t extend to reach me, failing to help facilitate business. The seats do recline, but don’t extend like they do on newer German trains to provide additional thigh support. The second-class seats don’t have coat hooks. How can a country this cold not have winter jacket storage on its trains?
I don’t mind sitting facing backwards on the train, but I do mind not having the option to redistribute myself in the carriage efficiently. For decades, trains have runners along the luggage rack that indicate which seats are reserved and which seats are open. Newer trains in German-speaking countries have a digital reservation board showing exactly between which stations a seat is reserved, so you can choose where to sit without a neighbour and without impeding on other’s reservations depending on your journey.
Sure, the food up in business is nice, but it doesn’t make the train go any faster or arrive on time. I’d rather not have a meal and wine just to save time. I’ve taken the train between Toronto and Ottawa three times, all of those trips resulted in a delay of greater than 15 minutes. Porter Airlines flights are only delayed by greater than 15 minutes one in four flights on average.
There’s no motive to take the train; there is no universe in which Via Rail is the optimal financial choice for travellers between Ottawa and Toronto. Let’s compare it to driving. Driving takes about the same time as the train, but loses about four hours of productivity than by rail. If I value my time at $25 an hour, driving looks to be more expensive, but only nominally. Driving allows me the flexibility to leave whenever I want and cancel the trip at no charge. A fully refundable rail ticket costs $225, a $12 cab fare at Ottawa, and a $3.20 subway fare at Toronto, adding up to $240.20 each way including tax. Driving costs $0.30 per kilometre including petrol and upkeep for the 450 km drive. The drive costs $135 and lost productivity costs $100, adding up to $235 each way. Driving is cheaper.
Now, let’s compare the train to flying. The plane includes free snacks, alcoholic drinks, and I have lounge access, so it’s only fair to compare it to the cheapest business class train ticket that provides comparable comfort. Apart from the 15-minute drive to the Ottawa airport and the short subway ride from the UP Express to the office, I’m productive at the airport and have free Wi-Fi along the trip. I would be just as unproductive on the train during the cab ride in Ottawa and the subway ride between Union Station and the office anyways. This really comes down to price. At $136, the cheapest first class train ticket brings the total price to $151 for the commute. Driving to the airport costs $3, parking $14 per half-day, the flight just $145, the UP Express $5.02 for two stops, and $3.20 for the subway adding up to $170.22. Yes, flying costs about $19 more, but I spend three more hours sleeping.
I think I’m feeling a little dizzy writing this on the train. It is shaking so violently that I feel like I’m on a Czech train from before the Velvet Divorce traveling through a section of track in East Germany built by the Soviet Union. Never again.
