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Discussion of Canadian Passenger Rail Services such as AMT (Montreal), Go Transit (Toronto), VIA Rail, and other Canadian Railways and Transit

Moderator: Ken V

 #510989  by CHANGEATJAMAICA
 
We have an axiom in our family, "my mother didn't raise any stupid kids, but a couple of them were slow". I gues I'm the slowest. I've been over the VIA website and still can't definately decide if there are sleeper accomodations on VIA with toilet and shower facilites in the room, similar to those on Amtrak, i.e. bedroom on its Viewliner and Superliner cars.

The bride and I were both born before WWII, and our days of roughing it with the facilities "down the hall" or "over the hill" that we used to accept in hotels/B&B's, transportation and camping just don't make the cut anymore. We've traveled coast to coast on Amtrak three times in the last four years, each time opting for a bedroom which included a toilet and shower. We'd love to try VIA across Canada, but the absence of the "facilites" will defer us from attempting the trip.
Appreciate your responses. Thanks.
Best regards,
Rodger
 #511021  by jp1822
 
Sleepers on VIA's flagship Canadian have a private toilet within the bedroom, and then there is a communal shower, which was converted from an upper and lower berth. VIA simply modified it into a shower and changing facility.

As a person who also likes to have his own shower and bathroom facilities, I have found the communal shower aboard VIA's Canadian more than adequate and even cleaner and neater than a shower/bathroom combo that one finds on an Amtrak sleeper. Also consider that your "Manor series" sleeper on the Canadian will include six double bedrooms, four roomettes, and three berths. The capacity = 22 people. So this is slightly less capacity than a Viewliner sleeper (capacity = 30) and a Superliner sleeper (capacity = approx 42).

The shower and changing area is certainly larger on a VIA sleeper than on the Viewliner "communal" or "in room" shower area. I would also say it is the same size if not a little larger than what one finds on the Superliner communal shower. You can truly take a shower in the "Manor" or "Chateau" series sleepers (these are names given to the sleepers and date back to the 1950s). Chateau and Manor sleepers are your ex-CP stainless steel equipment ("Heritage equipment as Amtrak would refer to it). VIA takes very good care of its stainless steel fleet that it inherited from the Candian Pacific (CP) and other railroads. Manor series sleeper cars are used on the Canadian supplemented by Chateau series sleeper cars in peak season. Otherwise the Chateau series sleepers operate on VIA's Hudson Bay Line or the Chaleur operating from Montreal to Gaspe.

In general, I have found VIA's onboard services to be much more superior to that of Amtrak's. I actually like the idea of the private bathroom (enclosed area) on VIA, and the communal shower. If you take the train during off-peak season, you may find that less people are aboard and hence the shower is less "communal." But the bathroom within your sleeper is enclosed.

If you travel aboard VIA's Canadian, try to request bedroom "F" - this has a little more room than bedrooms A through E and is also more in the center of the car. I always request the sleeper just ahead of the Park Car, as that's really where most of your time is spent. VIA reservation clerks are very good at trying to get what you request. During the day I find myself in the Park Car and Diner and then just the bedroom for sleeping.

Keep in mind that the Park car has bedrooms, but NO shower area. You have to walk up to the adjacent sleeper. So keep that in mind.

If you travel from Montreal to Halifax, aboard the Ocean, and its a Renaissance train set, you have bathroom and shower enclosed in one room like on Amtrak - but only in VIA's "deluxe bedroom" of the Renaissance sleepers. And this is a pretty descent size bathroom/shower area.

I would encourage a trip on the Ocean when VIA offers its "Easterly Class" which is only during peak summer period from June to September (or thereabouts). This is when Easterly Class passengers have the luxury of a modern Renaissance sleeper and exclusive use of the Park Car that's tacked onto the end of the consist.

My favorite VIA trains is the Canadian (Toronto to Vancouver) and the Skeena (Jasper to Prince George and Prince George to Prince Rupert). Overnight is off the train at a hotel in Prince George. This train trip is just packed with non stop scenery. Totem Deluxe is the class of service to obtain (again only offered during peak period - but it has meals included with the fare etc.).

VIA is the only North American passenger train operator that regularly operates the famous scenic domes from the great streamliner era. Amtrak gave up on this fleet. But VIA has given these cars an overhaul from top to bottom and tender loving care over the years - unlike Amtrak.

Hope this helps.

 #511049  by Ken V
 
JP certainly gave much more than was asked. I would have simply said: toilet - yes; shower - no.

One thing to note is that VIA does have a toilet in each bedroom for both roomettes (single) and regular rooms (double) unlike Amtrak Superliners which only has facilities in the full bedrooms. Each room also has a sink for washing hands and face. I hope it should go without saying that VIA's berth (upper/lower) accomodations have no "in room" facilities - they are not enclosed.