VIA Rail Canada Inc.

Expensive ticket prices, painfully uncomfortable seats that make you need to constantly adjust and switch your sitting position, slow trains, and rude employees who comment with slights to people the second we enter the train.
This is wild.

Lost an item on a Via train on a Monday and was found and picked up 5 days later. Helpful staff on the phone. Very good service.

It’s sad that you need a sign that it’s illegal (and of course wrong) to threaten VIA rail staff (or anyone for that matter). You wouldn’t read that sign when I was a kid because it wasn’t necessary. Too bad.

How our culture has degraded even before social media (that just sped up an already negative trend). Flying is the worst and the train isn’t much better. Cars are becoming prohibitively expensive. No good man. No good.

Toronto to MTL.
4 hour delayed. No complimentary snacks. Hard and not reclinable seats. The cabin lights are bright in your face and Wifi doesn’t event work.

I would recommend taking Bus.
I would have saved money and time.

*Update* Was told by customer service to call ahead of booking to ensure I get the train with the older comfy red seats. Tried to do that today. For almost 10 days after the initial trip I want to book. All trains leaving at 5: 30am have the hard leather seats. How is this fair. How is it justified to give no other option. Am I supposed to stand for the entire 8hr trip? Should I boycott VIA and never take the train again? I’m just curious as to what lifetime riders have to do to see actual positive changes. Telling us that the new fleet will be here next year is not a feasible response and more of a slap in the face. How the hell does that help my lower back now? **

New seats for economy are absolutely uncomfortable. Guess we have to pay almost 3x as much to have seats with suitable cushioning for long distance journeys? What a joke of a company.
Had the older seats on a previous trip and the comfort level comparison is night and day. Bring back the old red seats on all economy cars.

Take business class from Toronto to ottawa numerous times a year. Excellent service, spacious seats, ok food, nice snacks, generous cocktails. Book early, forward facing full window seats are great, business class lounge is comfy.

Terrible trains, always late, and expensive. The 54 train is so old and loud I think it might be a health hazard to sit in the train because you might get hearing damage. Feels like a rollarcoaster ride shaking all over the place for 2.5 hours (Toronto to Ottawa 5: 40pm Friday).

T T My first time taking this train going Guelph. My daughter ask me to help her so was booking a trip to Guelph back and forth was planning in the Greyhound but it was fully booked. So no choice though its a economy ticket I wasn't expecting this bad. The trip sure is shortest time compare to the bus since stopover is not much. The crew is ok but the train itself I think needs replacement or renovation. I don't know if its just dim or its like really dirty, hallway is not wide enough and lugguage storage is not good also. Sorry I just wish you do some renovations to improve your service to think its much expensive than the bus.

Via has arrival times that are based on customer tolerance. Has nothing to do with when the train will arrive. The train from Ottawa or Montreal to Toronto is always one hour late. Best case!
But it’s the train.so next time you think it’s the same time to fly including all the waiting and security. Think again! Ottawa to Toronto with wait and security is worst case 3: 45 minutes. Not 5 hours!

Via Rail is focused on one thing alone: their balance sheet and how much money they can make. What that means as a passenger is that nothing is done for your comfort or convenience. Trains are late routinely, half the seats in there recently refurbished coaches face backwards with seats that are uncomfortable stone hard, food service is poor and expensive.

Trains are old, cold, and smelly. They will attempt to charge you if you carry more than 20kg of baggage, they charge you easily 50% if you want to change your ticket (tickets are non refundable).

If you have used dial up internet in 90s you will enjoy via rail free WiFi, the same frustrating experience.

Overly bureaucratic, stuck in the past century company where long lineups and long delays are the norm.

I love via rail! The staff are always friendly, kind, knowledgeable and very understanding. I prefer to travel business class and it is SO worth it! We spoke with a viarail rep at the Union Station ticket office named Kim- she was absolutely amazing. The trains are always clean and comfortable. Even when there are delays in the train schedule, the staff are very accommodating.
There was one staff member who was guiding the passengers up the escalator to board the train who was very rude and would not let my friend or I bled claiming “they weren’t ready for business class to board” so she let the long long line of economy passengers walk by, then allowed us up the escalator for no apparent reason. When we got to cart 1, we were the last business class passengers to board and everyone was already seated and ready to go. I’m not sure why she had such attitude but I was not impressed.

My booking going from Toronto to Vancouver was supposed to leave on May 24, got postponed to 25th. On the 25th when I arrived at Union Station, I then was told by the check-in counter person that it was cancelled. There was no email nor phone call to alert me. This is very bad. I was told by the check-in person that in addition to my full refund, VIA Rail will mail me a voucher which I can use within the next 2 years. I found out 2 days later that this voucher offer is a lie. Because of the cancellation, I had to cancel my flight from Vancouver to Toronto with penalty. Who is compensating my loss? Apparently VIA thinks this is not their fault and therefore not compensating their customers. A company that doesn't care about their customer or their reputation! I definitely will not ride VIA Rail again!