The difference: Amtrak has spent 30 years trying to re-invent the train on a tight budget. Via has spent its time maintaining what it has, which is, after all, the culmination of 150+ years of practical design.
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It's been 2 years since I traveled on the Canadien & Skeena. Both trains ran within an hour of schedule for the entire trip. The cars were clean, well maintained & well stocked. I never knew of the crew running out of anything on the entire trip with the exception of the Skeena. The lounge car on the Skeena ran out of sandwiches about halfway to Prince Rupert on the second day out of Prince Goerge. The attendant got off the train at a service station, went to the local grocery store, bought lunch meats & other supplies. The sandwiches he prepared were at least as good as the prepared ones & several passengers commented that they were better. Every crew member actually seemed to enjoy working the train & took pride in the equipment & services they provided. I totally enjoyed both of those trains & would urge anyone to experience them for themselves.
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Via is by far the better railway, even if it does serve a much smaller population base than Amtrak. I say this not because I am a Canadian, but by any objective standard the Via trains such as the Canadian, Ocean etc. have much superior sleeping cars, lounge and dining cars. If one travels on a North America Rail Pass, which I have done many times, it soon becomes very obvious when one switches between Amtrak and Via that Via far outshines Amtrak with its on-board amenities.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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