Bus vs Train comfort?
Jul 18th, 2011, 04:53 PM
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Bus vs Train comfort?
Greyhound between Ottawa to Montreal, Orleans Express between Montreal and Quebec City. Their schedules are much better than the train's, with a bus every hour on the hour. But what about the comfort of the seats and the legroom? We rode the GoTrain to Niagara Falls (from Toronto) last weekend and I did not find the seats comfortable. However the train was not crowded so we were able to put our feet up on the facing seats. Thanks for your help.
Jul 18th, 2011, 05:50 PM
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I've found Greyhound Canada and Orleans Express reasonably comfortable (I recollect a slight edge in comfort with Orleans Express, but it's been awhile since I've been to Ottawa on Greyhound Canada), about equal to that of the train Comfort Class Montreal-Quebec City. If the schedule works better for you by bus than by train I'd probably go with that option.
Jul 18th, 2011, 07:09 PM
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GO trains & VIA trains are 2 entirely different creatures. VIA trains are very comfortable. Especially if you go First Class or VIA ONE or whatever they call it. But even "regular" is more comfortable than a bus.
I love the train....seeing the countryside, seeing parts of Canada that you only get to see on a train. There is something very romantic about train travel.
A bus is just a bus...on the highway seeing "highway things".
I would take the train. Hands down. Or, fly rather than take the bus.
Ocean
I love the train....seeing the countryside, seeing parts of Canada that you only get to see on a train. There is something very romantic about train travel.
A bus is just a bus...on the highway seeing "highway things".
I would take the train. Hands down. Or, fly rather than take the bus.
Ocean
Jul 18th, 2011, 10:26 PM
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Really the experience of traveling through train in Canada is awesome. You'll come across very decent and unique scenes that would put a life long impact on your mind. Such sights are really unforgettable. For me bus is not as good as that of trains, that really depends upon people's comfort.
Jul 19th, 2011, 05:45 AM
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Wonderful replies! My husband wins, train it will be.
Is it best to book ahead and have an assigned seat?
I'm considering a pricey nonstop flight back to save time, which will be even pricier when we add cabfare to the Quebec City airport.
Is it best to book ahead and have an assigned seat?
I'm considering a pricey nonstop flight back to save time, which will be even pricier when we add cabfare to the Quebec City airport.
Jul 19th, 2011, 07:10 AM
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I've considered some more, while I tend to take the bus between said cities, I *do* enjoy riding the train very much and always pick that for the longer, more traffic-prone ride of Montreal to Toronto. For the fun of it, I've split things into categories and for each category I'll say who (in my opinion) wins.
*If arriving in Montreal/Quebec City rush hour* I think I'd definitely opt for the train for the Ottawa-Montreal route *IF* I were due to arrive in Montreal around rush hour as Montreal traffic can be bad especially coming from the West Island. Traffic in QC is not bad.
TRAIN WINS OTT-MTR; TIE MTR-QC
*PRICE* Also, if you're looking for a bargain, the train is cheaper Montreal-QC ($56.28 via Orleans Express, $34.18 via VIA Rail), bus ($23.00) and train ($25.31) about the same Ottawa-Montreal; however, since the train station is out a bit in Ottawa, if you're staying downtown, the taxi would be more.
TRAIN WINS MTL-QC; BUS WINS OTT-MTL (especially if downtown)
*Dodgy-ness* While I have found the bus dodgy in parts of the States, I don't find these buses particularly dodgy on these routes, pretty regular folk mostly from appearances, certainly no more dodgy than the train.
TIE BUS-TRAIN
*Station Locations* The Quebec City bus station is the same as the train station. The Montreal bus station is maybe 20 blocks from the train station, both are quite central. The Ottawa bus station is downtown, the train station is in the outskirts.
TIE BUS-TRAIN for Montreal-QC; BUS WINS if staying downtown Ottawa; TRAIN WINS if staying east in suburbs of Ottawa
*Schedule* There are no trains after 6pm from Ottawa to Montreal, none after 6:30pm from Montreal to Quebec, none between 7 am and 1pm MTL-QC. The buses however are hourly.
BUS WINS IF TRAVELLING AFTER 6pm or IF A MID-MORNING DEPARTURE WANTED
*Travel time* The time it takes for the bus and train is about the same Montreal-Quebec City, as well as Montreal-Ottawa. Although the Montreal-QC bus is a bit faster than the train and the Ottawa-Montreal train a bit faster than the bus, the difference is pretty minor. Make sure you don't get on one of the slow buses/trains.
TIE BUS-TRAIN
4. Crampedness: While you might think could walk around on VIA Rail, I find on these short haul routes, since the beverage tray is coming down the aisle... one tends to be mostly stuck in one's seat. Cramped or not cramped is TRULY pretty equivalent one vs. the other in my opinion, and more dependent on circumstances than anything. An obese woman sat next to me the last time I took VIA1 (business with more legroom) Toronto-Montreal, I felt cramped! A mother with her baby sat next to me on a Greyhound, I felt cramped! But sometimes on Amtrak, VIA, Orleans Express or Greyhound, it's been quiet and I've spread out over two seats, not cramped!
TIE BUS-TRAIN
*Scenery* Neither bus nor train route Montreal-QC are scenic especially; lots of flat farmland. The view is nice leaving Montreal, seeing Mont St. Hilaire and entering Quebec City, but you get all this on both bus & train.
TIE BUS-TRAIN
Cheers! (You'll do fine I think whichever you decide.) Daniel
*If arriving in Montreal/Quebec City rush hour* I think I'd definitely opt for the train for the Ottawa-Montreal route *IF* I were due to arrive in Montreal around rush hour as Montreal traffic can be bad especially coming from the West Island. Traffic in QC is not bad.
TRAIN WINS OTT-MTR; TIE MTR-QC
*PRICE* Also, if you're looking for a bargain, the train is cheaper Montreal-QC ($56.28 via Orleans Express, $34.18 via VIA Rail), bus ($23.00) and train ($25.31) about the same Ottawa-Montreal; however, since the train station is out a bit in Ottawa, if you're staying downtown, the taxi would be more.
TRAIN WINS MTL-QC; BUS WINS OTT-MTL (especially if downtown)
*Dodgy-ness* While I have found the bus dodgy in parts of the States, I don't find these buses particularly dodgy on these routes, pretty regular folk mostly from appearances, certainly no more dodgy than the train.
TIE BUS-TRAIN
*Station Locations* The Quebec City bus station is the same as the train station. The Montreal bus station is maybe 20 blocks from the train station, both are quite central. The Ottawa bus station is downtown, the train station is in the outskirts.
TIE BUS-TRAIN for Montreal-QC; BUS WINS if staying downtown Ottawa; TRAIN WINS if staying east in suburbs of Ottawa
*Schedule* There are no trains after 6pm from Ottawa to Montreal, none after 6:30pm from Montreal to Quebec, none between 7 am and 1pm MTL-QC. The buses however are hourly.
BUS WINS IF TRAVELLING AFTER 6pm or IF A MID-MORNING DEPARTURE WANTED
*Travel time* The time it takes for the bus and train is about the same Montreal-Quebec City, as well as Montreal-Ottawa. Although the Montreal-QC bus is a bit faster than the train and the Ottawa-Montreal train a bit faster than the bus, the difference is pretty minor. Make sure you don't get on one of the slow buses/trains.
TIE BUS-TRAIN
4. Crampedness: While you might think could walk around on VIA Rail, I find on these short haul routes, since the beverage tray is coming down the aisle... one tends to be mostly stuck in one's seat. Cramped or not cramped is TRULY pretty equivalent one vs. the other in my opinion, and more dependent on circumstances than anything. An obese woman sat next to me the last time I took VIA1 (business with more legroom) Toronto-Montreal, I felt cramped! A mother with her baby sat next to me on a Greyhound, I felt cramped! But sometimes on Amtrak, VIA, Orleans Express or Greyhound, it's been quiet and I've spread out over two seats, not cramped!
TIE BUS-TRAIN
*Scenery* Neither bus nor train route Montreal-QC are scenic especially; lots of flat farmland. The view is nice leaving Montreal, seeing Mont St. Hilaire and entering Quebec City, but you get all this on both bus & train.
TIE BUS-TRAIN
Cheers! (You'll do fine I think whichever you decide.) Daniel
Jul 19th, 2011, 08:25 AM
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Wow, Daniel!
The scheduling: The return by train will take at least 1 1/2 hours longer than a bus trip since there's a one hour, 50 minute "layover" in Montreal. By bus, we might go directly from one bus to another as there are 15 minutes between the arrivals and departures in Montreal. By train it'll take 6 hrs 50 minutes to get from QC to Ottawa. I'm still considering the pricey nonstop flight, one hour, 15 minutes!
The scheduling: The return by train will take at least 1 1/2 hours longer than a bus trip since there's a one hour, 50 minute "layover" in Montreal. By bus, we might go directly from one bus to another as there are 15 minutes between the arrivals and departures in Montreal. By train it'll take 6 hrs 50 minutes to get from QC to Ottawa. I'm still considering the pricey nonstop flight, one hour, 15 minutes!
