kendu

Hi, heard different stories about the wait at customs. Is it the same, longer, or shorter if you are on Amtrak vs. in a rental car?
Thanks
ken

Patrick

And this would be where? I assume it is some US border, but where? Mexico, Canada, Canada to Alaska, Niagra Falls area, Windsor/Detroit, Tijuana? Maybe if I were more familiar with Amtrak I could narrow it down some, but it would help a lot to indicate where you are talking about.

kendu

Sorry, Patrick and Fodorites, I neglected to say where. I am driving from Buffalo to Toronto, is it the same wait and just how long could it be train vs car.

nytraveler

No - it is not the same wait.

The wait for car varies - depending on how many cars there are. I have been there when the wait by car was 5 minutes or less. Of course sometimes it is much more.

the wait by train - I've never done this but know someone who has - requires seeing evrer person on the train - so naturally - it's always much longer than that - I recall her saying 45 minutes once.

dwooddon

I can't speak to the crossing you asked about but I came through the crossing between Vancouver and Seattle by AMTRAK last fall and the wait was no more than 5-6 minutes. At the same time, the auto crossing appeared to be about 30 cars deep but I have no idea how long they were taking.

Patrick

The last time we crossed at Niagara Falls, we spent about an hour at the crossing going into Canada. The two of us, senior professional looking adult males in a Range Rover on our way to Alaska were treated like criminals. We got pulled over to the side and had to wait quite a while for an inspector who was free to tear our car apart. They went through all our luggage with a fine tooth comb, tried to pull the carpets up from the floor, and even went through all the papers in our glove box. We were very polite and cooperative, but when I calmly asked if they was a major problem with drugs or stolen cars all I got was a glare (he was already completing the "shake down" so my asking isn't the reason they did this). I thought maybe the car matched the description of a stolen one or something, but it was a major shake down by very unfriendly people! I supect you wouldn't be subjected to that on Amtrack!

BuffaloGirl

Kendu, you can ask this question until the cows come home, and you'll get a different answer each time.

A few years prior to 9/11, while visiting my brother in Vermont, we took the train to Montreal. We spent at least two hours sitting on the train while the customs agents went through the entire train. They had major attitude going (I'm sure they were just doing their job), and it was an unpleasant experience.

I live in Buffalo and have crossed the border many, many times. I have pulled out of my driveway and arrived at my hotel in Toronto in 90 minutes. I have also spent 90 minutes sitting in lines on the Peace Bridge on a summer afternoon in the summer as everyone returns from the beaches.

I've driven through with no more than a quick nod from the customs agents, and my husband has been stopped and had his vehicle stripped from top to bottom.

You could easily take Amtrak from Buffalo and have a very easy time crossing into Canada. There just isn't an easy answer.

Is Buffalo your base, or are you just flying in there and spending time in Niagara Falls and Toronto? If your only flying into Buffalo, why not cab it to the falls and then take the train to Toronto?

rb_travelerxATyahoo

I too found an unbearable wait on Amtrak returning from Montreal. Have used private, but never rental car for the crossing. Of course the traffic at the time you're crossing matters too. I'm sure weekends and any US "3-day weekend" creates longer lines --- middle of the week hardly any problem at all.