What happened with Via?

[Kevin L.]

Looking at the new Winter 09 time table, I realized that the map of the US on the inside front cover fold out was far bigger than it was in the Winter 08. So much larger that it wasn't an eyestrain to read. I was surprised--until I realized that the reason for the size increase is because Canada has been wiped off the face of the Amtrak earth, except for 3 cities (and I now see that Amtrak goes to Toronto directly, which they didn't last year according to the map).

So not only did the NA Rail Pass get axed, but there is no partnership between the only 2 real national passenger rail travel establishments in our hemisphere. Also, the remaining VIA rail passes blow. (I've run out of euphemisms)

21 days of validity, but only 7 can be spent on the train actively traveling, and the cost is rather high.

So what did happen to VIA rail's linkage with US?

If it wasn't for via's web site, I wouldn't be sure they still existed. :unsure:

 

[wayman]

Looking at the new Winter 09 time table, I realized that the map of the US on the inside front cover fold out was far bigger than it was in the Winter 08. So much larger that it wasn't an eyestrain to read. I was surprised--until I realized that the reason for the size increase is because Canada has been wiped off the face of the Amtrak earth, except for 3 cities (and I now see that Amtrak goes to Toronto directly, which they didn't last year according to the map).

That's sad. I haven't yet seen the new timetable, but I always liked seeing all the strange, magical, far-far-north places one could go by train. I suppose this does make the Amtrak destinations and routes more readable, though.

So what did happen to VIA rail's linkage with US?

Well, there were never actually coordinated "linkages", were there? I didn't remember that the timing in, eg, Vancouver or Montreal were set up to encourage useful transfers (but maybe they were?).

And always missing from the map have been the (non-linking-to-Amtrak, hence explainably absent) railroads of Mexico. The NY Times just did a nice photo-feature of the Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico, the 14-hour train through the Copper Canyon. To get to the nearest terminus (Chihuahua) from Amtrak's nearest stop, one would have to drive south from El Paso 200 miles. Oddly, though this is obviously a straight shot on the Mex-45 highway, Google Maps says "We could not calculate directions between el paso tx and chihuahua mexico"! (Ferromex has a direct line between El Paso and Chihuahua, but I haven't found that there's any passenger service on it.)

 

[zoltan]

It's quite sensible to show a larger, more readable map of the routes that are referred to in the timetable, and not take up space showing the routes that aren't. It would be far preferable to, at least at stations with a Canada service (e.g. Penn Station, destinations on the Cascades), to make similar Via Rail publicity available, showing both a map of the routes and their timetables!

 

[Kevin L.]

VIA Rail won't even mail you a catalog, they refer you to a pdf (ewww) and tell you that the pdf file is probably outdated, and that the paper copy is the definitive standard. You'd think it would be the opposite.

BTW, nice MARC train picture.

 

[wayman]

VIA Rail won't even mail you a catalog, they refer you to a pdf (ewww) and tell you that the pdf file is probably outdated, and that the paper copy is the definitive standard. You'd think it would be the opposite.

But ... how do you get the paper copy to know what's definitive if they won't send it to you?!?