IUC Travel Exclusive: VIA Rail best way to travel in Canada – Faster and More Efficient Than Flying

Inside the Air Canada terminal at Pearson Airport in Toronto it is a roaring hell!  Noone knows if the next flight to Montreal will take off.  It looks like a slaughterhouse – passengers are not amused.  The passenger IUC sent to report on the flight, Jeremy,  is already late for his business meeting in Montreal.  He is at the counter cursing at a helpless Air Canada staff member, who tells him she has no idea when the next flight will leave.

Meanwhile, at Union Station in Toronto the scene is completely different.  Staff at Via Rail are most curteous, helpful and polite.  The hospitality is next to none.  The atmosphere of the trip is already established.  A mother Jessica and her daughter Chloe hop on the train and enjoy the comfortable seats and stunning window views of comfort class.  The amenities are far beyond traditional travel methods - high speed internet connection, excellent food at reasonable prices and no stress at all going through security checks and flight delays.  It almost seems too good to be true.  Jessica wondered why hadn’t she done this before.  Not only is Via much cheaper and more efficient than any flight to Montreal, figure in the $50 saved on cabfare to Pearson and the common flight delays there, Via is almost guaranteed to get you to Montreal in equal or quicker time. 

Via Rail's Superb Service is convincing Canadians to travel by train

Canada’s rail system long has knitted the nation together, but in recent years it has moved beyond its utilitarian purpose.

“I intend to go by train from now on,” Jessica told IUC.  “My daughter and I enjoyed it much more than any flight we’ve been on.  The people are so professional and thoughtful at Via.  It’s a much warmer atmosphere than the often sterile flights out of Pearson.  My daughter enjoyed it immensely.  It’s a real beautiful and inspiring experience taking the train.”

In just over four hours Jessica and daughter Chloe arrive safe and sound in Montreal, feeling very relaxed.  Meanwhile, back at Pearson,  Jeremy is waiting on standby for the next flight to Montreal.  He’s far from amused.  An hour later he finally takes off, arriving two hours and fifteen minutes after the Via train arrived in Montreal.

“Next time I think I’ll take the train,” he told IUC.  “Flying today can be stressful.  If I would have taken the train I would have made my meeting and not lost a complete day’s work.”

In any case, there is a valid point to be made here.  Don’t be fooled by thinking if you fly you will do the Toronto-Montreal run in an hour.  Once you facture in travel time to airport, security check and takeoff you certainly won’t get there much faster than by taking the train.  And by all accounts, many Canadians are now turning to taking the train as a new generation of travelers are eager to see their own country.

“For three years, I have only take the train,”  Vincent from Montreal told IUC.  “It’s more comfortable and it give me an opportunity to view the beauty of Canada’s landscape.  Each time I ride the train I feel better about where I live cause I get to appreciate Canada’s beauty more and more.”