Miles is trying to compare VIA's Windsor/Quebec City corridor with Amtrak's NEC and I don't think he comprehends it's apple and oranges.
VIA and Amtrak should be locked in a room until they figure out a direct Toronto/Windsor?Detroit/Chicago run.
Miles rides VIA from London to Windsor
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Miles is trying to compare VIA's Windsor/Quebec City corridor with Amtrak's NEC and I don't think he comprehends it's apple and oranges.
VIA and Amtrak should be locked in a room until they figure out a direct Toronto/Windsor?Detroit/Chicago run.
You would also have to include CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) and CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency.)
Perhaps they could start with a Thruway bus that connects Detroit Amtrak with Windsor Via and coordinated train schedules. Does Via even do Thruway buses?
Exactly! Lock VIA, Amtrak, CBP, CBSA, and whatever other municipal agencies are needed in a room until they can figure out some of these much-needed direct runs. I mean, the fact that the 'customs pre-clearance facility' (or whatever its technical name is) in Montreal hasn't been built, and the endless foot-dragging on that whole issue in general is ridiculous, in my opinion.
I like the idea of starting with a Thruway bus of some sort, but I haven't heard of Via coordinating any kind of Thruway bus service, though I guess you never know.
jis
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You’d also need to lock at least the US Federal Government/FRA/Congress/President in the room since the needed funding will need to come from there. On the whole this is a pointless cry in desperation since the proposed method is totally impractical and will simply not happen 
Has Amtrak ever operated thruway busses across the border? IIRC they may have done so with Seattle to Vancouver and a connection with the Vermonter at some point.
This would be a great solution for getting from Detroit to Windsor. The last time I checked the Windsor Tunnel bus service was not operating. Even if it was you have to get from Amtrak in Detroit to the bus stop which is on the street and then get from the bus transit center in Windsor to the VIA station. This would be okay in the summer but miserable in the colder weather. The thruway bus would eliminate two transfers.
This would be a great solution for getting from Detroit to Windsor. The last time I checked the Windsor Tunnel bus service was not operating. Even if it was you have to get from Amtrak in Detroit to the bus stop which is on the street and then get from the bus transit center in Windsor to the VIA station. This would be okay in the summer but miserable in the colder weather. The thruway bus would eliminate two transfers.
jis
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Amtrak operates four daily Thruway buses between Seattle King Street and Vancouver Pacific Central Terminal.
The Tunnel Bus is operating again, but it is hourly and you still need 2 transfers to get from Detroit Amtrak to Windsor VIA. There is also Detroit-Toronto bus service from Flixbus and Trailways, though a train (or better connection from Detroit to Windsor VIA) would still be better.
Miles' videos are getting progressively more juvenile and uninformed. His preceding journey to London, ON, (in a separate video) was in a similar vein and demonstrated lack of knowledge. The segment of VIA's corridor he chose for this trip has nothing in common with the NEC. My guess is he doesn't want to be taken seriously and is more interested in his "fanbase".
blueman271
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Is this section not part of VIA’s Corridor service? If it is then it is analogous to the NE Corridor in that it is part of the countries busiest and densest route.
jis
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No it is not part of the busy and fast corridor. The busy corridor is Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal. London is not on it. It is on the Windsor line which is relatively sedate with a few trains a day.
The last time I took VIA between Toronto and Windsor,( in Biz Class Pre-Pandemic) the Train pretty much emptied out in London, with only a few boarding there for Windsor.
That was pretty much standard every time I rode this Route, which was over a period of about 10 years.
Toronto to Montreal and Ottawa was much busier. ( with many more Trains)
As jis said, Canada's version of the NEC.
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I suppose if one wants to consider an extended corridor Montreal - Quebec City will get first dibs, followed by London/ Windsor from Toronto.
Caesar La Rock
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Miles is entertainment to me and I like the guy. I don't think he was meant to be taken seriously. Some did have to correct him a few times in his videos and I did have to throw information out there like that time he was in Cleveland. I responded by telling him Cleveland RTA use to be have over 100 million riders in its prime which was during the late 1970s and the early 1980s.
Now if you want some who are more serious, I think Simply Railway, RM Transit, and a few others are more serious with reviewing something. With that said, I'm hoping Miles reviews the Toronto to Montreal corridor next. I know his next video he's doing MARTA.
Now if you want some who are more serious, I think Simply Railway, RM Transit, and a few others are more serious with reviewing something. With that said, I'm hoping Miles reviews the Toronto to Montreal corridor next. I know his next video he's doing MARTA.
Except that it's an independent Canadian operation, which is why it doesn't carry U.S. intrastate passengers. Separate Thruway trips between Seattle and Bellingham -- now including a battery bus -- are more typical state-sponsored runs.
One weird side effect is that while the SEA<>BEL turns are in state-generated pdf schedules, the SEA<>VAC bus turns are not. At least they do show in the Amtrak reservation system.
MikefromCrete
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I don't think Miles intends to be taken seriously. He's just a guy who enjoys riding trains and buses with his transit fan buddies. You're not going to get a serious analysis from him.
JamesWhitcombRiley
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Lonestar Trip Reports too.
One place he is informative is on intercity bus fares and performance. Even his NJT bus odyssey illustrated the statewide fare situation well.
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blueman271
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I mean you all certainly know more than me as I have never been to Eastern Canada or ridden VIA but they lump Windsor-Toronto in with their other Corridor services on their website. Travel Ontario and Québec: Corridor train routes | VIA Rail
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Think of it as like service to Lynchburg from the NEC. It is Regional service connected to the NEC but not the high speed high usage part known as NEC Spine among those who plan, build amd run it, a term not be found in any marketing websites too often. Websites are but one indication of how services relate, but not the only description of reality.
Using that terminology, London/Windsor is not part of the Ontario-Quebec Corridor Spine.
blueman271
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Taxonomy and classification is a very slippery "science," indeed. Just from what I've read about, I would say the Toronto-Windsor service is closest to the Wolverine service (which it could theoretically connect to, if only using a Thruway Bus service.) Of course, the Wolverine doesn't connect to the main American corridor service, but it does connect to Chicago and the numerous Midwest Regional services. The services off the NEC, that seem comparable are the Roanoke/Lynchburg service (as jis noted), the Empire Service (except the Empire has much higher frequency, except west of Albany), and the Keystone Service (except much higher frequency, plus the Keystones are electrified and have no food service). Also the Piedmonts, except that they don't connect to the NEC, except the Carolinian. I've had some experience riding some of the non-NEC corridor service, and except for the lack of electric traction, lack of high platforms at stations, and the 125 mph speeds in some sections, the travel experience of these non-NEC corridor trains is pretty close to that of the Northeast Regional.
As for Miles' video, aside from his fooling around, which may be more a matter of taste, I though he provided some useful information about the experience. I'd certainly like to know more about the coach seating in the refurbished Budd cars, it seems modern and comfortable. Also, the description of the food service is revealing, and makes the Amtrak cafe cars look a bit better. The scenery was also revealed enough to let us know that it's pretty flat between London and Windsor, Ontario. I think Miles' videos are more his first impression of the ride, not some academic treatise about why things are the way they are and how it fits into transportation planning. If you take them in that way, they can be entertaining, plus it's a revealing window for a geezer like me into what's in the minds of members of the younger generation who had similar interests to me when I was that age.
What is telling about VIA services west of Toronto is that the upgraded new "corridor" for HFR, as has been proposed, terminates in Toronto and serves only points east of Toronto. That is where the money and political clout is. Southwestern Ontario has always been the poor stepchild and VIA (federal) would gladly cede it to the province of Ontario. The route west of Toronto is really two separate sections - the first, between Toronto and London, is a busy double-tracked CN mainline, which gets decent passenger numbers. (There is also parallel service on a less-used line to the north, which used to be part of Amtrak's International route, and was featured in Miles' previous video showcasing the experimental GO service on it.) Once past London this heavy freight line heads northwest to CN's tunnel at Sarnia (ON)/Port Huron (MI), while a mostly single-track light duty line continues to Windsor. At one point VIA paid a significant share of the maintenance to keep the track in decent shape and this is likely still the case. As part of a corridor, the comparisons suggested by @jis and @MARC Rider are accurate - if not a little flattering. Amtrak has similar frequencies on its Michigan corridor, albeit with much higher speeds. VIA trains on its corridor in Eastern Ontario can be seen at speeds of 90-100 MPH, where half that is more realistic between London and Windsor.
Caesar La Rock
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His NJT bus odyssey was a really good video and I loved the explanation on the fares. His trek across the country by Greyhound was incredible. He put up with all the shenenegians of Greyhound just to upload those videos. I've outlined in the past how Greyhound today is not the Greyhound I remember in the 90s, or even the Greyhound that retired drivers have talked about in the 1960s- early 1980s, so that's commitment there.
VIA itself promotes it as the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. Border control will always be a headache with no easy solutions.
Miles is quirky but he is excellent at looking at existing infrastructure and asking 'What were they thinking?' as he looked at the MBTA and then SEPTA, Amtrak, and bus options.
Miles is quirky but he is excellent at looking at existing infrastructure and asking 'What were they thinking?' as he looked at the MBTA and then SEPTA, Amtrak, and bus options.
Any continuation of passenger service beyond Windsor would be on CP, with several previous AU discussions on the subject. The tracks VIA uses literally end a few yards from the current Windsor station. CP is officially a "partner" with the Ontario Government (their word, not mine) for future passenger service expansion, so there is hope. Much like in the US, CN isn't the most passenger-friendly in recent years.
Edited for clarity.
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