I’ve lived in Toronto for most of my life, and there’s something about a train ride that always appealed to me more than a bus or a car. Maybe it’s the fact that you don’t have to worry about traffic; it’s just one smooth, speedy ride.
Even as a kid in Romania, I have fond memories of riding the Cluj-bound train with my grandpa, just staring out the window without a single important thought in my head.
Here in Toronto, there are plenty of ways to get around by train, whether TTC subway cars or regional trips on the GO Train, but I’ve always had a soft spot for VIA Rail, especially for long-distance trips.
Now, I’m not one to spend money frivolously on just anything, but travel? That’s where I make an exception. I will happily splurge on a business-class flight or ride if the trip is longer than five hours. I opted for a round-trip business-class VIA Rail ticket in preparation for a long weekend trip to Montreal, and this is how the experience went.
The business class seats on VIA Rail
A business class seat from Toronto to Montreal cost me $194.33 while the return seat rang up to $245.34, so in total a round-trip set me back $496.83. However, this steep price comes with the privilege of being pampered with all the food and drinks I could ever want, and to stretch out without hitting my knees on the damn seat in front of me.
By comparison, economy seats for the same round-trip totalled $407.12, so I only had to shell out an extra $89.71 for much more space and comfort. Not too shabby.
The business class carts are located at the front of the train, and upon arrival at Union Station, ticketholders can access a business lounge offering free drinks, comfy seats, et al.
My train departed at 6:30 a.m., so I didn’t really have much time to explore the lounge. I did, however, get priority boarding, which allowed me to bypass hundreds of people seated in economy and be among the first to board.
On one side of a business-class cart, there are single seats which cost an extra $7. In my experience with riding the rail, I’m never seated next to anyone because business are typically less busy than economy, so I selected one of the free two-seaters on the other side.
There’s also space in business class that can seat a group of four at a table, but I don’t particularly gravitate towards this sort of seating arrangement.
Half of the seats are forward-facing, while the other half face backwards. I definitely prefer the forward-facing option, and, personally, don’t understand why anyone would willingly ride the whole trip facing the wrong direction. If I ruled the world, every single seat on every vehicle would face forward, no exceptions.
For the whole 548-kilometre ride, I had an extra empty seat next to me, which was perfect for stashing my backpack and other items while I worked away on my laptop using the tray table in front of me.
I don’t mean to be a diva, but I really wish those tables were wider. I barely had enough room for both my laptop and my drinks, and if I had brought my mouse and pad, well, then forget it.
VIA Rail also claims online that business-class seats recline, but unfortunately, mine didn’t (or maybe I’m just a dummy and couldn’t figure it out?) Not the end of the world, as I had to work on my computer anyway.
The business class food on VIA Rail
Unlike the food in the economy, which you have to pay extra for, business class passengers get free warm meals and lots of beverages.
Breakfast was served by the lovely VIA Rail staff (a special shoutout to Frédérique for being so friendly and attentive) less than an hour after departure. I was served a chorizo mozzarella omelette on a bed of shredded hash browns and roasted red peppers, along with a bowl of fruit and a cruffin with butter and jam.
I’m by no means a coffee snob (I’m someone who I will gladly sip a 7-Eleven drip), so all I can say is the coffee on VIA Rail flowed freely, and I had no complaints.
My return trip to Toronto was the last train of the night, so I started off with water and a bag of gourmet nuts after boarding, then was served dinner shortly afterward.
Just like on most airplanes, passengers are provided with multiple meal options. I went with ginger beef instead of lasagna or fish. It was a decent portion with lots of protein on top of rice and broccoli, served with a small side salad, a bread bun and a delicious apple crumble cake for dessert.
I don’t drink alcohol, so I politely declined when staff routinely came around asking if I wanted any beer or wine. I did, however, drink a lot of complimentary water (they didn’t have sparkling, boo hiss!), coffee and orange juice.
The food on VIA Rail is good, honestly. It might not be Instagram-worthy in terms of appearance, but trust me when I say every bite was packed with flavour.
If you want to ride business class but have allergies or dietary restrictions, VIA Rail is very accommodating as long as you leave a note when purchasing your tickets online.
The overall ride on VIA Rail
Five and a half hours go by fast when you’re answering emails, writing articles and messaging colleagues on Slack.
My one gripe was that the morning train ride was incredibly bumpy, which left me feeling nauseous. I had to get up two or three times because I honestly thought I would barf. I’ve never experienced this on VIA Rail before, so maybe it was the bad weather conditions or that I was just staring at my laptop too much, the same way you can feel queasy trying to read in a moving car.
The return ride was smooth sailing, no notes.
A completely unexpected surprise on my trip: VIA Rail gave every passenger a $97 travel voucher because the Toronto-to-Montreal train was delayed by 30 minutes. Definitely didn’t see that coming, and I will put this money towards my next adventure.
I ride hard for VIA Rail — pun absolutely intended — and one day I hope to go on a longer, more scenic journey. The Toronto-to-Vancouver route is on my travel bucket list, as it covers over 4,400 kilometres of gorgeous landscape for four days and nights.
You can’t ride straight to Halifax from Toronto on VIA Rail, but you can hop on in Montreal. From there, the one-day, one-night, 1,350-kilometre journey promises spectacular views of the Maritimes. The views out the window from Toronto to Montreal aren’t worth writing home about, so when I head further east, reader, you’ll be the first to know.