Winter seat sale-some odd routings

got an e-mail from VIA yesterday re the winter seat sale. Thought the seat sale price of $65.00 Toronto-Montreal sounded interesting and since my beloved Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL have a game at the Centre Bell on Feb 25, might book a trip. What came up is very interesting is that all the trips to Montreal at this price are by way of OTTAWA!!! A friend has explained that it sounds like only one VIA Toronto - Ottawa train actually ends its' journey there with most continueing on to Montreal using the same crew after a relatively short stop in the Capital. The VIA website states that passengers may be asked to change seats once the train gets to Ottawa before continueing to Montreal. Looks like there are some savings if you don't mind a longer trip time wise.
One thing I found is not to expect the discounted fare on a trip starting at one of the outlying stations like Oakville. The system seems to be only giving the discount fares between the Major terminals.

I'm not sure how you are going about checking on these things but you seem to be missing out on some choices.

• The so-called odd routings through Ottawa are a new addition as a result of the recent schedule changes. Direct trains are still available. The 50% discount applies for both (unless sold out on specific trains).
• The discount fares are offered on all trips where the regular fare is more than $50.00 one way. Short trips, such as Oakville to Toronto, are cheaper than that and thus there's no discount.
• Booking a direct fare between Oakville (or Aldershot) and Montreal will get the full discount while booking in segments will miss out.
• The 50% promotion is not just for major stations. A trip, for example, between Cobourg and Brockville also gets you half-price.

Also, for anyone interested in taking advantage of the winter sale, today (January 25) is the last day to book a trip using this special offer: http://www.viarail.ca/en/50-percent-sale/ontario-quebec