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Noel is a character! He recently emigrated to the US and now lives near Houston. He's primarily a plane guy but often reports on trains and agree about his Greyhound adventures.

You're not wrong but the winter numbers probably drag down the average.

I had forgotten the bad location of the "new" Saskatoon station until @danasgoodstuff posted the detailed reminder above. Given that the passenger numbers may actually make sense. :(

While VIA could certainly request proposals anytime they want, funding would indeed have to come from Parliament for a purchase of that size. The current government has just issued their new budget in which they proposed many expenditures, but they are currently in a position where a snap...

Indeed, and also a Chicago/Philadelphia/Florida sleeper via the Broadway Limited.

Good news, but the current political climate is likely to force items like this well down on the priority list even if the government survives the next election.

They would have to pass through the second F40. It's more likely that the coach without a galley was substituted at the last minute and was not loaded on this occasion. It would also make sense to store supplies in each train's baggage car.

Sometimes it's a failure of the test criteria rather than its subject. Things might have gone differently in another location, i.e. flat terrain. These are only now being replaced in service between Hamburg and Copenhagen.

I had forgotten about those. It's interesting how trains rejected in one place years ago are still in service elsewhere... these, the Swedish X-2000 and first generation ICE, not to mention VIA and Superliners.

Video of Ocean mixed consist in peak season:

@cirdan comment prompts a question: What was the onboard food like? It has been a "limited" menu for some time (without a lounge car) but some reports from riders suggest they are often out of most everything listed - particularly on the return journey. The pandemic may have been a factor so a...

The unnamed Dallas property is also an Aloft (Dallas Downtown) 3 blocks east of the station on Young Street. There was an excellent steakhouse nearby, although probably better suited to those with expense accounts. ;)

Don't know if either are far enough south for your trip but both Dallas and Fort Worth have decent hotels within walking distance. It has been awhile but for attending conventions near Dallas Union I've stayed at the adjacent Hyatt Regency and a nearby Marriott/Bonvoy property which I can't...

Through sleepers from the Broadway and the Capitol to Florida. Everything old is new again. ;)

A Budd sleeper is definitely more comfortable on this route if available. Their wider bunk and thicker mattresses do have to be balanced with the Renaissance ensuite showers however. Some of the Budd cars have a shared shower (like the Canadian) and on some trains they set aside one or two...

There are several examples of this, including a street in the west that runs along the border with one direction in the US and the other in Canada. As long as one doesn't stop in the wrong country there is no harm done. A library straddles the Quebec-Vermont border too. Long-standing traditions...

Actually what is happening is they are positioning the sleepers for the ideal view when the train leaves Montreal and NOT turning it at the Halifax terminus, thus ensuring the same view in both directions. This started a while ago when VIA lost access to the turning loop in Halifax and simply...

As someone with millions of flown miles, primarily on Boeing aircraft - a conscious decision over McDonnell-Douglas and later Airbus - it's sad to have to agree with your excellent summary of the current situation. :(

I'm not familiar with the Amtrak program's specific rules but many of the similar airline and hotel programs do provide for a "penalty-free" one time transfer of points in the OP's unfortunate situation. It usually requires proof of the situation and relationship in writing as opposed to...

Dining car will be Renaissance. They're essentially a 3-car unit with the kitchens on either side of the seating area and the balance of the "kitchen cars" is lounge space - also the only place WiFi is available on the train. There were two consists. One is almost entirely Renaissance cars and...