Niagara Falls US train station vs Canadian?

[MMDown Under]

We will be travelling from NY to Toronto by train.

 

Is it convenient to reach the Canadian Niagara Falls from the American train stop or is it more convenient to travel from Toronto, where we will be staying for awhile?

 

We are trying to decide whether to stopover en route to Toronto.

[YXU AC*SE]

Actually the VIA Rail (Canadian) Niagara Falls station, which is the next station stop after Niagara Falls, NY, is immediately to the west of the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, and a much nicer depot, and is a pretty easy place to make a stopover. It is located about 3 km north of the falls themselves.

 

To go to Toronto and come back is about 130km and 1.5 hrs by car (or two by train) and during peak weekday traffic can be much longer.

 

Enjoy your stay in Canada. I miss Brisbane!

 

Scott.

[MMDown Under]

Actually the VIA Rail (Canadian) Niagara Falls station, which is the next station stop after Niagara Falls, NY, is immediately to the west of the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, and a much nicer depot, and is a pretty easy place to make a stopover. It is located about 3 km north of the falls themselves.

 

To go to Toronto and come back is about 130km and 1.5 hrs by car (or two by train) and during peak weekday traffic can be much longer.

 

Enjoy your stay in Canada. I miss Brisbane!

 

Scott.

 

Thanks for your advice and good wishes, Scott.

 

So the Via Rail Niagara Falls (Canadian) station is on the same train line as Niagara Falls, NY?

 

I don't know why, but I thought they might be different railway lines.

 

In that case, it makes more sense to stop there on the way from New York.

 

After Toronto, we taking Via Rail's Canadian to Vancouver.

 

Do you live in Canada now or are you just working there? Guess you miss our beautiful sub tropical weather?

[YXU AC*SE]

That is correct, they are adjacent stops on the same route. The current schedule for The Maple Leaf is here http://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/schedules/amtrack/Toronto-NiagaraFalls-New%20York.pdf

 

You will love taking The Canadian. Northern Ontario can be a little boring, but you get to sleep through most of it. :) Not sure if you are a rail guide person, however, this book can give you some context as well as history to what what you're seeing: http://www.thenile.com.au/books/Chris-Hanus-John-Shaske/Canada-by-Train-The-Complete-Via-Rail-Travel-Guide/9780973089752/

 

As for me, we visited the BNE prior to embarking the Statendam on an 18 day BNE - SYD - AKL Christmas cruise a couple of years ago. Funnily enough, we flew into SYD, and I originally researched taking the train from SYD to BNE, which isn't that entirely convenient with CountryWide. Part of our affinity for QLD is that we have friends in Ashmore as well.

 

Good luck planning your trip!

 

Scott.

[MMDown Under]

Thanks so much for the links, Scott.

 

I love train travel, which is a leftover from my youth, when all our long distance travel was by rail.

 

My daughters spent a year in Canada on a working holiday. Now the younger daughter has returned for another working holiday. She is in Toronto at present, hence my planned visit to Toronto.

 

I forget Canadians visit here also, especially following Brisbane's Expo.

[GTJ]

I agree with all of the aforementioned information, but I will add a little bit more.

 

There is a continuous rail route all the way from New York, N.Y. to Toronto, Ont. One train, the "Maple Leaf," travels that full route. From New York, N.Y. to the international border the train is operated by Amtrak. Then same train continues onward from the international border to Toronto, Ont. operated by Via Rail Canada.

 

In addition, there are two more daily Amtrak trains that operate between New York, N.Y. and Niagara Falls, N.Y., as well as one daily Via Rail Canada train between Niagara Falls, Ont. and Toronto, Ont. During the summer, GO Transit operates additional weekend trains between Niagara Falls, Ont. and Toronto, Ont. (and year-round GO Transit operates coordinated bus-to-train service, connecting at Burlington, Ont., every 2 hours).

 

There are 3 km between the Niagara Falls, N.Y. and Niagara Falls, Ont. stations. Because the trains are subject to lengthy immigration and customs inspection upon arriving at these stations from the other country, it had been quicker to alight from the train at the first station, walk to and cross over the international Whirlpool Rapids bridge, and arrive at the second station on foot before the train had finished being inspected. However, for the past few years this bridge has been closed to most motor vehicle and all pedestrian traffic, and it is no longer practicable to pursue this strategy. But be forewarned that, if you ride the train over the border, upon arrival at the Niagara Falls station in the other country you will have to sit through the lengthy inspection of the entire train before being allowed to alight.

 

The Niagara Falls, Ont. station is very close to the river, and is immediately adjacent to downtown Niagara Falls, Ont. It remains a good distance from the main falls themselves, but it is a moderate walk from those not minding the hike to (about 4 km).

 

The Niagara Falls, N.Y. station is distant from the river, distant from downtown Niagara Falls, N.Y., and is in an isolated residential neighborhood that is not especially inviting. The distance from the station to the American side of the falls is about the same, but unlike the walk along the Canadian side it is less scenic and not along the river.

 

It is possible to stay in Toronto, Ont. and make a day trip to the falls, using Via Rail Canada and/or GO Transit (or if the fare and schedule work out to be better, Coach Canada and Greyhound Canada also travel the same route), though travel will take a good part of the day. Also, hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont. are generally less expensive than hotels in Toronto, Ont. I have had some good deals at hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont. that advertise themselves as being near the Whirlpool Rapids. These hotels are only a few blocks away from the train station (quite walkable), and are typically less expensive than the hotels near the falls themselves.

 

http://www.amtrak.com

http://www.viarail.ca

http://www.gotransit.com

http://www.coachcanada.com

http://www.greyhound.ca

[MMDown Under]

Thank you so much for your detailed comments and links, which will be a great help in planning my train travels to Niagara Falls.

 

Many years ago, I travelled around the US and Canada on a 3 months' Greyhound Bus Pass. I will be nice this time to see it by train.