Chicago to Detroit then transfer to Windsor

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BillVas

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Feb 23, 2006
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I used to take the International, but now since I can only get to detroit, and then transfer to Windsor for Via Rail, has anyone done this transfer very recently??? If you have did you take a cab or what means did you cross the border?? I want to take the Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver as I am doing a spur of the moment rail fan trip again.

Bill Vas
 
I haven't done it, but if I recall, the last VIA train out of Windsor departs relatively soon after the final run from Chicago to Detroit arrives (including "normal" transfer times). And there is no protection if the Amtrak train is delayed. A better (yet more time and cost) solution may be to take the LSL to BUF to connect to the ML! (Even if the LSL is late, you do have a long connection in BUF but you will be protected, as it's all Amtrak.)
 
I was thinking that this subject had been discussed in the not too distant past, but maybe that was somewhere else. Google the Detroit Windsor Tunnel Bus and you will find that there is what is effectively an international city bus route that gets you across. how close it get to the stations on either end, someone else will have to answer.
 
The Tunnel bus does not get close to either train station.

The Detroit station is at Baltimore & Woodward Avenue. There is a DDOT city bus that runs down Woodward, which will connect with the Tunnel Bus in downtown Detroit.

On the Windsor end, one would have to take another bus down a street whose name I can't think of off the top of my head (I want to say Wyandotte...maybe) to get to the station.

I sorta did this connection in reverse last November. I took a VIA train from Toronto to Windsor, then a bus to downtown, connecting to the Tunnel Bus. But my journey ended there, being picked up by a relative in downtown Detroit, and staying over for Thanksgiving.
 
rmadisonwi said:
The Tunnel bus does not get close to either train station.
The Detroit station is at Baltimore & Woodward Avenue. There is a DDOT city bus that runs down Woodward, which will connect with the Tunnel Bus in downtown Detroit.

On the Windsor end, one would have to take another bus down a street whose name I can't think of off the top of my head (I want to say Wyandotte...maybe) to get to the station.

I sorta did this connection in reverse last November. I took a VIA train from Toronto to Windsor, then a bus to downtown, connecting to the Tunnel Bus. But my journey ended there, being picked up by a relative in downtown Detroit, and staying over for Thanksgiving.
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Robert;

Turkey in Detroit? I love trains but I dunno about that one. Honestly, how is the city now?; haven't been there in quite some time.
 
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had8ley said:
Turkey in Detroit? I love trains but I dunno about that one. Honestly, how is the city now?; haven't been there in quite some time.
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The only thing better than spending Thanksgiving in Detroit is spending Thanksgiving somewhere else.

It's slowly improving...in certain tiny patches. Still a long way to go.
 
I did this between Windsor and detroit. We took a cab from the Via station to the windsor tunnel bus station. Then took the bus over to Detroit and got off by the Rennaisance center. Then we took a cab to Amtrak. Since we had come in from Toronto on the morning Via train, and were waiting for the last train to Chicago, we had several hours to kill. This was not a pleasant task. There is not much to do in Detroit.

The alternative of taking a cab is faster, but it is very expensive, like 50 dollars. If you have the time and money, I would take the Lakeshore farther east to meet the Maple Leaf in order to cut down the layover. Buffalo is a lot like Detroit with not much to do. In addition the Depew stop is several miles east of the downtown area.

I would also check out one way air fares. If you are considering first class on the Lakeshore Limited, then the one way airfares might be competitive. Another option is a one way car rental from Chicago to Toronto. I know these are competing modes of transportation, and I do support passenger trains. But the whole Detroit Windsor thing is a pain in the but, and if I were do do this routing again, I would look at the options.
 
BillVas said:
I used to take the International, but now since I can only get to detroit, and then transfer to Windsor for Via Rail, has anyone done this transfer very recently??? If you have did you take a cab or what means did you cross the border?? I want to take the Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver as I am doing a spur of the moment rail fan trip again. Bill Vas
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I did this 2 years ago. I took a cab which took me over the International Bridge. Crossing into Canada was a breeze. However, I also later did this in the opposite direction. Perhaps the Tunnel Bus might have been better but the line-ups returning the States via taxi were incredibly long and time-consuming.

I highly recommend Via 1 service. The meals and service are top-notch.
 
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