Hey everyone.
I just got back from a NYP-MTR round trip on the Adirondack and I must say, I had no idea that we had such amazing scenery here on the East Coast. The trip alongside Lake Champlain alone would make that trip worth it.
Few observations
1)When I tried to board at NYP from the lower level, the conductor had me go back up to the upper level to get "documented." This consisted of someone checking my passport, stamping CANADA on my ticket, and giving me a Canada/USA Service baggage tag that I was told I need to attach. My question is what was the purpose of this, if it is pretty much only done at NYP. I know that they couldn't have done this at "open-air" stations such as Croton-Harmon or Rhinecliff, so why would this be done only for NYP passengers.
2)Canadian customs seemed friendlier than US (who brough on board a K-9 Unit, but both seemed to take equally long...about 1:30.
3)On time performance was much better than I expected, as we arrived about 45 minutes late into Montreal and about 1 hour late into NYP. Delays from Metro-North going south were minimal, but expected since we arrived into their territory 1 hour late. Freight delays were non-existant both ways!!
4)This train was a lot more crowded than I expected it to be with many seats being filled up right from Montreal.
5)VIA Rail Canada personnel are very friendly, and upon arriving at Montreal, they actually had baggage handlers to offer help and a greeter that welcomed everyone (in French) to Montreal. The Amtrak crew was great as well, providing constant updates to passengers about delays, smoking stops, etc.
All told, this was a great trip and I was presently surprised in all aspects, including OTP, crew friendliness, and especially scenery. Unfortunately, no volunteers from the National Park Service came on board to talk about the scenery, but this wasn't really a big deal.
One negative though, Amtrak definitely needs to provide at least one low-density Amfleet II for the route, as 10 hours aboard an Amfleet I does get quite taxing on the body. Other than that, no complaints here.