Via Rail -- taking train home

[freedom50]

My husband, daughter and myself are disembarking from a cruise in Montreal next spring. We are considering taking the train home from Montreal Quebec to Pickering Ontario. I have a few questions. How far is the cruise terminal to the central train station. Would you recommend a taxi or can we try local transit. When we do arrive at the train station in Montreal, we will be bringing one large 28 inch upright each plus a small carry on. Will we be charged extra for these pieces to take them on, and as we travel, where will this luggage be stored. For those who have travelled this route before what are the advantages or disadvantages over taking a plane home. Thanks for any info or tips you can provide.

[sassycruiser]

We did this may 2013 from montreal. We took a cab and the ride took less time than the wait for the cab. We didn't take public transportation or even try.

 

We had to transfer in Toronto because we were going to Windsor.

 

Postives - we had business class and the meal and service were great and the price difference wasn't that much. You also get to wait in a really nice lounge.

 

negatives- while you can get a train with a baggage car between Montreal and Toronto you can't between Toronto and Windsor. Also train has a 40 lb limit on luggage which never occurred to us to research and we ended up with extra fees.

 

Would do it again! Very pleasant way to end a nice cruise. Wr found it much nicer than a flight.

[martincath]

My husband, daughter and myself are disembarking from a cruise in Montreal next spring. We are considering taking the train home from Montreal Quebec to Pickering Ontario. I have a few questions. How far is the cruise terminal to the central train station. Would you recommend a taxi or can we try local transit. When we do arrive at the train station in Montreal, we will be bringing one large 28 inch upright each plus a small carry on. Will we be charged extra for these pieces to take them on, and as we travel, where will this luggage be stored. For those who have travelled this route before what are the advantages or disadvantages over taking a plane home. Thanks for any info or tips you can provide.

I'd take a cab - it's only a mile to the station, and 3 bus tickets will cost about the same as the cab.

 

You can't get to Pickering on VIA - you need to transfer at Oshawa to the GO train. GO simply state that on off-peak services if you can carry your own bags onboard you can travel with them; no fees.

 

VIA baggage rules may allow your large suitcase as a carry-on - if its total dimensions are within those listed here (which it certainly should be if it's a normally-proportioned 28" suitcase) AND your small carry-on case also fits the 'personal article' criteria. If those small carry-ons are close to airline maximum size they'll be too big - so you would have to check the larger case.

 

NB: not all trains have a baggage car - look for the suitcase symbol by each departure. Even if there is supposed to be one, things go wrong - I would not consider taking the train unless you can meet the carry-on only requirements just in case. Mailing bags home from Montreal is not going to be cheap!

 

Advantages - More Relaxing. Cost: much, much cheaper if booked in advance (right now cheapest economy fare is $67 per person for this route next May - though Business Plus would be over $250pp).

 

Disadvantages - Time & Hassle. It'll take between 5 and 7 hours depending on which day you're traveling (far fewer options on weekends). Only the 10:10am departure has a baggage car so that's your only option if your bags are too big for carry-on. Cannot travel GO during peak hours with suitcases. No reserved seats on GO.

 

If you can ensure your smaller bag is small enough (and you can always take a purse as well of course) then the train should be a viable option. The money you save over even the cheapest airfare could also pay for a cab from Oshawa station to your home if you want to avoid the hassles with GO.

[freedom50]

Thank you all so much for this valuable information and insight. We will be cruising on Holland America`s Maasdam. We will certainly take advantage of the unlimited laundry package offered onboard.Therefore the weight of all our luggage won`t be a factor. I am glad I posted these questions as I had emailed Via rail, they were not as helpful as this cc board has been. Once again thank you.

[LiftLockCouple]

We have travelled on the via route from and to Montreal many times. Our trips have originated and ended in Cobourg so not much difference to what you are proposing. The majority of our trips with significant luggage have been on the trains with the baggage car so as previously mentioned, the 10am from Montreal. It is a great way to travel and saves LOTS of hassle with the airport experience at both ends. Particularly getting home from Pearson. Being from Pickering you have probably lots of experience with the GO trains. In my experience they have not been very strict with luggage on the peek hour trains. I personally travelled from Union Station to Ajax with 2 28" bags and had no problem. Of course I had to accommodate those with strollers or mobility devices, not an issue.

 

The VIA trains are comfortable with lots of leg room and storage near the seats as well as at the ends of the cars. We have also used the trains in Amsterdam and London with luggage. The VIA experience was very similar, perhaps better.