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Train from New York to Toronto Ontario Ca

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Train from New York to Toronto Ontario Ca

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Old May 1st, 2011, 02:53 PM
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Train from New York to Toronto Ontario Ca

My daughter lives in Toronto an I'm in Califorina....I'm thinking of taking a trip to New York, New York an then taking the train to Toronto?? Looking for input if this would be a relaxing train trip??
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Old May 1st, 2011, 03:16 PM
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This would be a mind-numbing, excruciating train trip of at least 12+ hours (Amtrak trains to Canada are always late). I just wouldn't recommend it. Amtrak from NYC to Toronto takes much longer than driving, and if it could be an overnight train, I think it might actually be quite nice, but for a day train, its just horrible. It leaves in the morning early (requiring an overnight in NYC) and arrives around 8pm. Food is marginal and expensive, and there's no WiFi on these older trains, which are in my way comparable to the Acela.

I confess I've only done the trip to Montreal (several times), but it's a similar trip to Toronto from NYC. But it is cheap. However, if you are coming from California, just fly directly to Toronto.
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Old May 1st, 2011, 05:34 PM
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The Maple Leaf leaves New York Penn Station at 7:15 AM every day. The On time performance for March was 84%. Over 90% of the delay minutes were attributed to the CSX Corporation.
If you wanted to ride this train into Toronto you should fly to Rochester in the morning or early afternoon and catch the train at Rochester about 2PM. The train is scheduled at the border at 4:37. 20 minutes scheduled at the border-be sure to have passport. A ViaRail crew takes the train into Toronto usually before 8PM. The one time I rode the Maple Leaf we were late because the Canadian Customs crew found the 3 KG of drugs after the US ICE did not find them. (October 2001).
Today is Amtrak's 40th birthday. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...mtrak/HomePage
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Old May 2nd, 2011, 05:30 AM
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Buffalo NY is the closest US airport and has very competitive rates as many Canadians use the airport for US travel. When you arrive in Buffalo you can catch the Megabus at the Airport to Toronto for as little as $10...

If you need to include NY, plan CA to NY, NY to BUF,BUF to CA... and its likely you will save enough to pay for the ground portion of BUF to Toronto and back... have fun
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Old May 2nd, 2011, 06:03 AM
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I took the train from NYC to Montreal several years ago thinking it would be an interesting trip and had visions of the nice Amtrak train with big scenic windows and a real restaurant. The image I had was of a 1950's movie. The reality is it's the regular Amtrak trains with a cafe car that has Hot Dogs as the most appealing meal option.

As Doug said, it's a long trip. I flew 11 1/2 hours from NY to Honolulu recent. The train trip from NY to Toronto is longer - with no in-seat entertainment and the stop-and-go of numerous stops along the way.
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Old May 2nd, 2011, 10:24 PM
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This is a wonderful train trip.

The train itself is spacious and comfortable, with lots of legroom and reclining seats. there's a cafe car for refreshments and maybe a half bottle of wine...

it heads out of New York penn station along the Hudson River, following the river just yards from the shore all the way to Albany, past Storm King Mountain, Bennerman's island, West Point Military Academy. Why not stop off for a day at Niagara falls, which it passes on the way, sadly with no views of the Falls themselves.

A long day, yes, but relaxing, scenic, and no airport hassles or flight delays.
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Old May 3rd, 2011, 03:58 AM
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" following the river just yards from the shore all the way to Albany, past Storm King Mountain, Bennerman's island, West Point Military Academy."

I love this section of this train ride. However it is over after the first two hours of the ride.
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