The last purpose built cars VIA received was the LRC in the mid-80's. They did get the Legacy Cars in the 90's, which were second hand cars from Britain.
VIA's new Venture coaches look so awesome! I love the simplicity of the livery myself. Plus those interiors are spectacular. Can't wait to see more Venture coaches down here to the South in the US!
Ditto for the Kingston station, losing the beautiful downtown. Before they got a city bus out there, you needed a taxi (or an hour walk from downtown, with luggage) - ironic to need a car to take you to a train so you won't have to drive your car.
Now, the CN/VIA will have to fix that technical problem for Amtrak in Canadian section of the bad rail system from Montreal to N.Y. City. Now there is no train fromN.Y. City to Montreal for the summer. It is urgent!
That shirt you asked for exists! I haven't been in the Toronto lounge for about six months, but, I bought a nice black shirt with the stylized Via as you described for $20! It was purchased from the Toronto Lounge.
Why does VIA continue to nickel-and-dime their passengers with FIVE different passenger classes? With the seats and passenger amenities virtually the same, you're paying an extra $100 for the meal and drinks.
Subscribed! Great comprehensive review and these new VIA trains are awesome. Hope you were able to ride the REM and EXO, and GO transit in Toronto and West Coast Express in Vancouver should definitely be on your list too! Looking forward to seeing more
After seeing so many failed parts of the train, I now understand why via rail didn't put them into mass service despite already receiving 6 trainsets ! They still need a lot of adjustment.
@@teotik8071 Decided to remove the line altogether. It looked nice with some contrasting colors, but in hindsight it really does look like the video's been viewed already.
Step-free access would have been awesome. Work was done in Ottawa several years ago to, according to what VIA told me, raise the platform to eliminate the need for steps. We can clearly see the result of that work at 3:30 and again at 5:40.
A restroom with enough space for wheelchair, walker, crutches, or canes is going to be a hit with older and/ or disabled travelers. Hearing and vision impairments were addressed. 10/10.
@martinc.720 My knee injury had my right leg in an immobilizer from ankle to hip. The cane was a mulit footed cane due to the need for balancing Some canes for this type of injury extend to the forearm of both arms. Going to Physical Therapy three times a week, I saw many items used for lower limb injuries By the way, take your snarky insinuation some place else. Reminder to those who think they can look down on the disabled You are one slip and fall from being a member of the disabled.
@@mariegarside8830 I was born with a disability, and will be a wheelchair user for life. There was nothing snarky in my comment. The cane is not what is taking extra space. It sure as heck fits in a regular stall. The extended leg takes extra room for sure.
"if upgraded to the necessary standards" oooh you sweet sweet innocent soul, we will NEVER see speeds above 160kph. because as long as CP/CN owns the rails, the infrastructure will never be fixed because they don't care about passengers to them were just a nuisance on the system. pretty trains though not to keen on paint job was hoping more. ( i ride weekly between Windsor-corridor>Gatineau corridor for pass 20 years its def an improvement better than the Bombardier ones that's for sure.
The biggest improvement that VIA's Venture coaches have over the ones used by Amtrak is probably the passenger information. Amtrak's passenger information displays barely show anything useful (basically just the list of next stops without any time estimates), and aren't even working a lot of the time, so they are pretty much useless.
Yeah I remember that the screens were off the one time I rode the Amtrak midwest ventures, which defeats the whole purpose of having the info screens to begin with.
The screens and automated announcements appear to be offline until the host freight railroad allows Amtrak to install some communications equipment. These automated announcements are designed to rely on the signaling system, but Amtrak does not control those systems outside of own trackage. In general, VIA is only deploying these Siemens trains on the most popular corridors while Amtrak is rolling them out basically nation-wide. There is a lot more work to be done to dial these in than at VIA. But this will be done and Amtrak will still end up with a much wider fleet modernization.
It seems like Amtrak is able to operate the screens without a problem because I saw it working on one train but not another, both on the same route. And even when they are fully working, they just don't display that much information compared to VIA's, which I think is a missed opportunity.
Odd that the train only went 90 mph (145 km/h). The speed limit between Ottawa and Casselman is 100 mph (160 km/h) and between Coteau and Montreal it's 95 mph (153 km/h). As you mentioned, the trains are permitted up to 125 mph (200 km/h) so top speed certainly isn't an issue
fleet of the future with no level boarding but its more a station problem i think Overall its an amazing train, thats all we want to see in a train ((as disabled person) except level boarding))
I'm glad the screens and announcements worked on VIA. Just yesterday I rode a new Venture train on Amtrak's Illinois Zephyr. It looked almost identical to this (though in a blue color scheme), but the screens and announcements never changed from what was there for the boarding process. Hopefully Amtrak will get that ironed out as they use more and more of these coaches.
That might be due to the signaling system that the host freight railroad is using. Sadly, Amtrak might have to fork out their own money to add their communications equipment to make the automatic announcements and info screens work.
Thank you for sharing your amazing knowledge and commentary. I'm an Economy rider, but my recent first ride on the new train felt SO classy. You highlight the best parts - the on route screens above, the seats and ports way ahead of the last major change (when the modern "airplane-style seats" were introduced - awful!). The downside on the big beautiful windows are the window blinds - they should be split so if the person ahead or behind you wants a nap, you're not stuck without a view. A big Yes to the washrooms, the best, with space-age doors. No more water sloshing all over on the bumpy rides that bounced you against the walls. The washroom control buttons are a fun challenge ( I was not the only one who thought the door automatically locked, with embarrassing results). I feel a renewed hope for VIA, to ride again the tracks that connected people from the biggest to the smallest communities of this great land.
Well done Canada for finally entering the 21st Century with these trains. At last you have something that Europe has had for years. Hope the expansion of these trains for you end up across the whole country.
@@Whatsth3b1g1d3a Yeah because they can. Canada is in the stone ages with transportation. Japan came out with their first high speed rail in 1964. Congrats Canada, you're still behind what Japan was 60 years ago. How pathetic and embarrassing that we're celebrating this.
@@LonestarTrips im hoping that the trillium line is done by fall. most stations are basically done besides some touching up and im pretty sure most trackwork is done too. at an event i was giving mid october - mid november from an employee who was pretty high up. also the otrain is still busted most likely until the 14th of august which is a guess meaning it'll open on the 24th.
I've heard people are seeing trains running on line 2, so testing has started. Reopening should be this fall, hopefully October. Line 1 should be fully operating on Monday, it was partially running last week.
First rate review of VIA's new Siemens trainsets and absolutely the best map graphics I have seen anywhere! Happy to have found your channel and subscribed.
This is just slightly unrelated but I find it funny that I'm watching this while travelling on a 30 year old IC3 DMU in Denmark, a type which Via rail actually trialed in the 90's, but the old train Im on right now has wifi thats several times better than the brand new Via rail trains. I'm talking 18.95 mbps download and 16.06 upload speeds! And yet DSB still puts warnings up when signing in to not download movies or anything dataheavy like that while using their wifi lmao.
2 hours to travel 114 miles is an average of only 57 MPH. or 95 km/h. Pretty pathetic. They need to do much better! Twice as better! You should be able to get to Gare Centrale in an hour. And Toronto in 2 hours.
Shared infrastructure with freight trains having priority although there is some movement towards separate primarily passenger tracks capable of higher speeds... eventually, some day, maybe 🤷 from Toronto to Montreal at least.
Damned freight trains. At one time you could even choose between a CN or CP passenger train. Now the private freights have the monopoly. @@chriscohlmeyer4735
Unfortunately we still can't have high speed trains in the Corridor... now travelling in a train takes almost the same amount of time as driving. If Canada is really going through a population boom then there will be more demand for intercity travel, so we need faster (and hopefully cheaper) intercity train service to discourage driving on this route. This also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestions.
Agree! Consumers demand faster and cheaper options to switch from cars to trains. I don't see these incentives with the new railcars. The 401 will still be full of cars between TO - MTL
@@MeRioDeLaPlata The boarding method is also an issue. You go through so many unnecessary steps. It's like boarding an airplane at an international airport, but slower. You can easily shave 20 to 30mins of the time it actually takes to take a VIA train (on any route) if they switch to a traditional train boarding like you see anywhere else in the world. Boarding the shinkansen in Japan or TGV in France is so fast and easy compared to the insane checking and "security" theatre VIA imposes on us.
@@lateve6243 Other than weighing large luggage and checking your tickets a couple of times, it is much simpler than flying. No emptying bags and pockets or full body scans.
Several years ago, a huge amount of work was done at the station in Ottawa to, according to what VIA employees told me, raise the platforms in order to provide step-free access to trains. The result: 3:30 and 5:40.
@@trainglen22 I haven't been to Union Station in a few years, but they are doing so much construction there, I look forward to seeing the improvements when everything is done. They have promised better accessibility. But then again, they promised the same in Ottawa...
FYI, the displaced HEP2 coaches and LRC Coaches will be moved to other services within VIA's network, with the HEP2s likely going to the long forgotten Keewatin Railway, and the LRCs likely bound for the Indigenous owned Tshiuetin Rail Transportation.
I don't think the LRCs will go to anyone other than a museum because structural cracks are starting to form in the aluminum frames. Transport Canada has recommended that they be retired as soon as possible
This had better make its way to Toronto Union Station (out of raging frustration i have finally had enough of my city being the biggest joke in Canada and was determined to make it a world city similar to that of Singapore)
Well done, though Canada (like most of the rest of the civilized world) is METRIC and has not remained in the rather illogical and outdated imperial (US) system. And I guess we don't have the same definition of the word 'massive'. I wonder what word you would use when describing a Boeing 747 or Airbus 380!!!
Yeah it's on the eastern edge but it's really not that close to downtown like the old station was. You are almost 5km away from parliament hill and in the middle of sprawling parking lots, shopping mall and right by the highway. It's really hostile to any other mode of transportation than cars.
I just wish they would put these in service in other areas other than Ottawa to Montreal. Seems like Via is pandering to the government officials who don't pay for these... WE DO!
now the only thing that is holding back the Trains from being of any use, especially out west is the price for train fare. it's WAY too expensive to justify taking the train as your means of transportation to other cities. much cheaper to drive.
The one thing I would have changed in the design of the business car, I would have the side table on the single seat side on the outside instead of between the window.
I'm really happy to see these trains in Canada, but our 1950's-style non-level platforms and airplane-style boarding really slow things down. 2:17 "90 miles an hour" That's 145 km/h, for people not from the US or Liberia. 2:35 "We'll cover 114 miles" => 183 kilometres.
For people using bikes, be aware that despite having bike racks and bike decals on the doors, don't expect to bring a bike with you on their new trains as they simply won't allow it. And they don't know when it's going to be possible.
Maybe Canada should order more new trains just like the UK is doing. I definitely would like to go to Canada as it’s an amazing country in North America.
No high speed rail track, tons of at-grade crossings, so it doesnt really matter. We could connect Ottawa-Montreal via high speed rail, but choose not to. People are treating tech Japan had 50 years ago as some incredible advancement. 😕
It's about time we upgrade our third world train system, and we need one more track between montreal and toronto. Quebec side they ready to do it butt ontario side well all know decision making is difficult for our anglos. They are good and honest followers, but decisions not so much.
Spent a few weeks in Germany this summer riding the trains. It was fantastic. Funny thing is, the people there complain about it. I told then not to ride the train in Canada … you’ll be disappointed.
The only thing i like about VIA are the old stainless steel cars from the 1950's . This new train is a travesty and you watch , in less than 10 years they will see how awfull these trains are .
cab cars been around since 1970s but there uglyer than today because it makes the train look like its going backward but they've design cab cars today to make more look like a loco instead of the plain coach car or caboose.
Betcha if you forget to lock it, it will do a vlocity and say this "Hey, you forgot to lock the door, press the key before you do your business!" Has a french translation of this too.
Indeed you can! There are multiple bike storage racks around the train. They double as luggage racks, so you may have to move some stuff around before you can use it, but there’s plenty of space so it shouldn’t be a problem.
it looked like those were all married unit coaches, was the whole thing one giant trainset, or did we just happen to only get the vestibule views which were married units rather than coupled ones?
I think all the new Charger + Venture trainsets are all unitary consists. This goes for Brightline, Amtrak's AIRO trains, and VIA. The only married pair Charger + Venture order is the one that Amtrak California and Amtrak Midwest got. But it looks like California might be getting full trainsets as well for the San Joaquins. If that ends up being the case then that only leaves the Amtrak Midwest with Venture married pairs.
The fact that the business class lounge is almost as big as the rest of the station, but seems to be completely deserted, might perhaps prompt one to wonder whether they have in fact predicted demand altogether correctly...
What I showed in the video isn't a fair assessment of business class popularity, as I showed up to the station almost two hours before departure. I wasn't sure if 26 or 38 would have the Venture set, so I gave myself enough time to be on either train if need be. The shots of the business lounge are from right after 26 boarded, so there was no one in when I filmed. Plenty of people showed up as we got closer to departure, but the shots I included showed nobody.
He visited in the height of summer, when much of the city's workforce is on holiday. Once government is in session and schools have active classes, passenger numbers will go up.
Unfortunately the REM opened after I was there, so there is no video coming on it. I really wanted to make one happen, but the scheduling just didn’t work.
@@LonestarTripsAs in “people always expect more” VIA: We offer 3 options for your meal. People: You could offer 4. VIA: The journey takes 3 hours, 5 minutes People: You should do it in 3 hours, 2 minutes VIA: You have access to a lounge People: I want two People are unreasonable. Ridiculous demands never end.
Loving how a bunch of americans are taking trips on these! Via has 5 charger sets as of right now, with a 6th set on its way right now. I hope everyone will enjoy this
Via rail has always had trains that didn't need to be turned around. The Budd RDC-2s that run from Sudbury to white river. But personally I hate the new Livery. Its better then the original design the put out but to me Blue with yellow accent is Via's colour scheme.
Congrats on receiving these new trains! However do they possess chassis that will shield passengers from your deplorable track maintenance??????????????
looks good quality interiors one would hope it stays nice and clean. why would one pay extra for hardly anything else in business class. unless its hard to tell if more room exists in reality. its to bad one cant buy items like hats caps or stationary / clothing for memorabilia
I did Amtrak Midwest and Brightline. They're about the same despite what some rail tubers want to imply. Surprisingly quiet and the seats were actually reasonably comfortable. Still not as plush as Amtrak's regular thrones, but plenty comfortable. Amtrak really scored a winner with this order. Well, Amtrak California and Amtrak Midwest did. The Federal Amtrak order is only just starting to get built now.
@@TohaBgood2 I rode Brightline and the seats and decor seem far superior to Amtrak Venture cars I’ve seen in pictures. Thanks for sharing your experience.😃✌️
I JUST found your channel and this first review to watch. Well, I LOVED it. You did such an amazing job walking through the features and benefits of the new train. You've earned a subscribe from me and I look forward to looking through other trip reports!!
Lol, you people keep trying to imply that this is the case. I've been on both Amtrak's and Brightline's Ventures. I could not spot the difference as a passenger. The only noticeable difference was the cloth insert on the seats and the color of the leather. Are you sure that this isn't your anti-Amtrak bias speaking? I mean, we are talking about literally the same model of rolling stock in a different color scheme and with tiny equipment changes in the form of various optional extras. Siemens is not Stadler. They don't do "custom".
It's funny when I first saw the auto door on the washroom I thought that's a maintenance nightmare waiting to happen then you got to the coach car version
Economy class appears to have less foot room and less space for luggage than the old stock, is that right? But I guess all those VIA logos make up for it. A real test of train travel (or any other form of travel) is economy class, unless of course you aren't interested in what most people actually experience.
Thanks for standing up for us Economy class. But I did have a nice surprise on my first run on the new train, finding the luggage easier to park and access. Also the leg room felt really good. I guess I just never liked the previous version, always so cramped in every way.
Seeing the crew being excited for new equipment is so cool. It must be nice to finally getting some upgrades after 20 - 30 years!
Yeah they were pumped! Plus they got the second business coach all to themselves which gives them more reason to love them.
The last purpose built cars VIA received was the LRC in the mid-80's. They did get the Legacy Cars in the 90's, which were second hand cars from Britain.
What's next week's I hope it's tri rail or sounder
What else would one expect from Siemens ?
Love that it's very accessible, well done . Hope that the rail routes expand
VIA's new Venture coaches look so awesome! I love the simplicity of the livery myself. Plus those interiors are spectacular. Can't wait to see more Venture coaches down here to the South in the US!
They're beautiful both inside and out. Hopefully Amtrak's Airo sets will look just as nice!
They are awesome! North America has needed trains like this for a long time!
The original Ottawa train station was right downtown.
Of course the people responsible for moving it to the 'burbs will never admit their mistake.
Ditto for the Kingston station, losing the beautiful downtown. Before they got a city bus out there, you needed a taxi (or an hour walk from downtown, with luggage) - ironic to need a car to take you to a train so you won't have to drive your car.
The people responsible are all long dead.
Now, the CN/VIA will have to fix that technical problem for Amtrak in Canadian section of the bad rail system from Montreal to N.Y. City.
Now there is no train fromN.Y. City to Montreal for the summer. It is urgent!
That shirt you asked for exists! I haven't been in the Toronto lounge for about six months, but, I bought a nice black shirt with the stylized Via as you described for $20! It was purchased from the Toronto Lounge.
Oh wonderful! I'll have to see if I can pick one up online!
Why does VIA continue to nickel-and-dime their passengers with FIVE different passenger classes? With the seats and passenger amenities virtually the same, you're paying an extra $100 for the meal and drinks.
Subscribed! Great comprehensive review and these new VIA trains are awesome. Hope you were able to ride the REM and EXO, and GO transit in Toronto and West Coast Express in Vancouver should definitely be on your list too! Looking forward to seeing more
After seeing so many failed parts of the train, I now understand why via rail didn't put them into mass service despite already receiving 6 trainsets ! They still need a lot of adjustment.
I can't wait for ONRs (Ontario Northland Railway) 3 new train sets to arrive on my choice railway, Timmins to Toronto run!
Me too! The ONR trains are going to be great!
VIA new Train looks so amazing VIA did a good job
I might have missed it, are there power ports at the seats in economy? Great video 👍
I don't think I showed them, but the outlets are in between the seats, beneath the armrests.
The red line at the bottom of the thumbnail made me think I’d already seen this video, just a heads up if viewership isn’t as high as you’d like
I was worried that would be the case. I went ahead and changed it, but thanks for pointing it out!
Same with me.
@@teotik8071 Decided to remove the line altogether. It looked nice with some contrasting colors, but in hindsight it really does look like the video's been viewed already.
I love how much attention was paid for the dissabled facilites! Other railroads can learn a lot! Great video as always!
Step-free access would have been awesome. Work was done in Ottawa several years ago to, according to what VIA told me, raise the platform to eliminate the need for steps. We can clearly see the result of that work at 3:30 and again at 5:40.
A restroom with enough space for wheelchair, walker, crutches, or canes is going to be a hit with older and/ or disabled travelers. Hearing and vision impairments were addressed. 10/10.
@@mariegarside8830 "restroom with enough space for canes"? How big are canes where you live??
@martinc.720 My knee injury had my right leg in an immobilizer from ankle to hip. The cane was a mulit footed cane due to the need for balancing
Some canes for this type of injury extend to the forearm of both arms.
Going to Physical Therapy three times a week, I saw many items used for lower limb injuries
By the way, take your snarky insinuation some place else.
Reminder to those who think they can look down on the disabled
You are one slip and fall from being a member of the disabled.
@@mariegarside8830 I was born with a disability, and will be a wheelchair user for life.
There was nothing snarky in my comment. The cane is not what is taking extra space. It sure as heck fits in a regular stall. The extended leg takes extra room for sure.
"if upgraded to the necessary standards"
oooh you sweet sweet innocent soul, we will NEVER see speeds above 160kph. because as long as CP/CN owns the rails, the infrastructure will never be fixed because they don't care about passengers to them were just a nuisance on the system.
pretty trains though not to keen on paint job was hoping more. ( i ride weekly between Windsor-corridor>Gatineau corridor for pass 20 years its def an improvement better than the Bombardier ones that's for sure.
The biggest improvement that VIA's Venture coaches have over the ones used by Amtrak is probably the passenger information. Amtrak's passenger information displays barely show anything useful (basically just the list of next stops without any time estimates), and aren't even working a lot of the time, so they are pretty much useless.
Yeah I remember that the screens were off the one time I rode the Amtrak midwest ventures, which defeats the whole purpose of having the info screens to begin with.
The screens and automated announcements appear to be offline until the host freight railroad allows Amtrak to install some communications equipment. These automated announcements are designed to rely on the signaling system, but Amtrak does not control those systems outside of own trackage.
In general, VIA is only deploying these Siemens trains on the most popular corridors while Amtrak is rolling them out basically nation-wide. There is a lot more work to be done to dial these in than at VIA. But this will be done and Amtrak will still end up with a much wider fleet modernization.
It seems like Amtrak is able to operate the screens without a problem because I saw it working on one train but not another, both on the same route. And even when they are fully working, they just don't display that much information compared to VIA's, which I think is a missed opportunity.
Odd that the train only went 90 mph (145 km/h). The speed limit between Ottawa and Casselman is 100 mph (160 km/h) and between Coteau and Montreal it's 95 mph (153 km/h).
As you mentioned, the trains are permitted up to 125 mph (200 km/h) so top speed certainly isn't an issue
Hurry up get these things on the Toronto to Montreal run Train 64 needs an upgrade
fleet of the future with no level boarding
but its more a station problem i think
Overall its an amazing train, thats all we want to see in a train ((as disabled person) except level boarding))
I'm glad the screens and announcements worked on VIA. Just yesterday I rode a new Venture train on Amtrak's Illinois Zephyr. It looked almost identical to this (though in a blue color scheme), but the screens and announcements never changed from what was there for the boarding process. Hopefully Amtrak will get that ironed out as they use more and more of these coaches.
That might be due to the signaling system that the host freight railroad is using. Sadly, Amtrak might have to fork out their own money to add their communications equipment to make the automatic announcements and info screens work.
We made this train . I love work with Siemens ❤
Thank you for sharing your amazing knowledge and commentary. I'm an Economy rider, but my recent first ride on the new train felt SO classy.
You highlight the best parts - the on route screens above, the seats and ports way ahead of the last major change (when the modern "airplane-style seats" were introduced - awful!). The downside on the big beautiful windows are the window blinds - they should be split so if the person ahead or behind you wants a nap, you're not stuck without a view. A big Yes to the washrooms, the best, with space-age doors. No more water sloshing all over on the bumpy rides that bounced you against the walls. The washroom control buttons are a fun challenge ( I was not the only one who thought the door automatically locked, with embarrassing results).
I feel a renewed hope for VIA, to ride again the tracks that connected people from the biggest to the smallest communities of this great land.
Well done Canada for finally entering the 21st Century with these trains. At last you have something that Europe has had for years. Hope the expansion of these trains for you end up across the whole country.
Europeans try not to be condescending and smug towards others challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)
@@Whatsth3b1g1d3a they can never say "good job" and leave it at that. It's always "good job, but we're still better"
@@Whatsth3b1g1d3a Yeah because they can. Canada is in the stone ages with transportation. Japan came out with their first high speed rail in 1964. Congrats
Canada, you're still behind what Japan was 60 years ago. How pathetic and embarrassing that we're celebrating this.
It’s actually in the 1950s Japan & Europe
didnt even take the otrain. oh wait right, its broken....
Yup, it was busted when I got there. I wanted to check out the Trillium line too, but it’s under construction until next year at least.
@@LonestarTrips im hoping that the trillium line is done by fall. most stations are basically done besides some touching up and im pretty sure most trackwork is done too. at an event i was giving mid october - mid november from an employee who was pretty high up. also the otrain is still busted most likely until the 14th of august which is a guess meaning it'll open on the 24th.
I've heard people are seeing trains running on line 2, so testing has started. Reopening should be this fall, hopefully October. Line 1 should be fully operating on Monday, it was partially running last week.
@@nickgooderham2389 yea. I've seen a test train and went to the open doors event. I can't wait for line 2. Hopefully September
Thorough, in-depth, honest, and positive -- thank you!
First rate review of VIA's new Siemens trainsets and absolutely the best map graphics I have seen anywhere! Happy to have found your channel and subscribed.
This is just slightly unrelated but I find it funny that I'm watching this while travelling on a 30 year old IC3 DMU in Denmark, a type which Via rail actually trialed in the 90's, but the old train Im on right now has wifi thats several times better than the brand new Via rail trains. I'm talking 18.95 mbps download and 16.06 upload speeds! And yet DSB still puts warnings up when signing in to not download movies or anything dataheavy like that while using their wifi lmao.
2 hours to travel 114 miles is an average of only 57 MPH. or 95 km/h. Pretty pathetic. They need to do much better! Twice as better! You should be able to get to Gare Centrale in an hour. And Toronto in 2 hours.
using phrases like 'pathetic' and 'do better' just makes you come across like an asshole
Shared infrastructure with freight trains having priority although there is some movement towards separate primarily passenger tracks capable of higher speeds... eventually, some day, maybe 🤷 from Toronto to Montreal at least.
Damned freight trains. At one time you could even choose between a CN or CP passenger train. Now the private freights have the monopoly. @@chriscohlmeyer4735
Unfortunately we still can't have high speed trains in the Corridor... now travelling in a train takes almost the same amount of time as driving. If Canada is really going through a population boom then there will be more demand for intercity travel, so we need faster (and hopefully cheaper) intercity train service to discourage driving on this route. This also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestions.
Agree! Consumers demand faster and cheaper options to switch from cars to trains. I don't see these incentives with the new railcars. The 401 will still be full of cars between TO - MTL
@@MeRioDeLaPlata The boarding method is also an issue. You go through so many unnecessary steps. It's like boarding an airplane at an international airport, but slower. You can easily shave 20 to 30mins of the time it actually takes to take a VIA train (on any route) if they switch to a traditional train boarding like you see anywhere else in the world. Boarding the shinkansen in Japan or TGV in France is so fast and easy compared to the insane checking and "security" theatre VIA imposes on us.
@@lateve6243 Other than weighing large luggage and checking your tickets a couple of times, it is much simpler than flying. No emptying bags and pockets or full body scans.
Several years ago, a huge amount of work was done at the station in Ottawa to, according to what VIA employees told me, raise the platforms in order to provide step-free access to trains.
The result: 3:30 and 5:40.
It would be great if they do that at Toronto Union Station for the Via rail services on the corridor.
@@trainglen22 I haven't been to Union Station in a few years, but they are doing so much construction there, I look forward to seeing the improvements when everything is done. They have promised better accessibility. But then again, they promised the same in Ottawa...
@@martinc.720 they are still working on the station.
FYI, the displaced HEP2 coaches and LRC Coaches will be moved to other services within VIA's network, with the HEP2s likely going to the long forgotten Keewatin Railway, and the LRCs likely bound for the Indigenous owned Tshiuetin Rail Transportation.
I don't think the LRCs will go to anyone other than a museum because structural cracks are starting to form in the aluminum frames. Transport Canada has recommended that they be retired as soon as possible
This had better make its way to Toronto Union Station (out of raging frustration i have finally had enough of my city being the biggest joke in Canada and was determined to make it a world city similar to that of Singapore)
Well done, though Canada (like most of the rest of the civilized world) is METRIC and has not remained in the rather illogical and outdated imperial (US) system. And I guess we don't have the same definition of the word 'massive'. I wonder what word you would use when describing a Boeing 747 or Airbus 380!!!
I will confirm that these things are crazy quiet. One was being transported through my Illinois town and it was so quiet
"Located at the western edge of the city." Actually no, it's the eastern edge, and then not really the edge. It's not that far from downtown.
👍
Yeah it's on the eastern edge but it's really not that close to downtown like the old station was. You are almost 5km away from parliament hill and in the middle of sprawling parking lots, shopping mall and right by the highway. It's really hostile to any other mode of transportation than cars.
@@lateve6243 It wouldn't be, if the new LRT system was reliable. There was a bus rapid transit system with a station nearby for a few decades.
I just wish they would put these in service in other areas other than Ottawa to Montreal. Seems like Via is pandering to the government officials who don't pay for these... WE DO!
now the only thing that is holding back the Trains from being of any use, especially out west is the price for train fare. it's WAY too expensive to justify taking the train as your means of transportation to other cities. much cheaper to drive.
The one thing I would have changed in the design of the business car, I would have the side table on the single seat side on the outside instead of between the window.
I'm really happy to see these trains in Canada, but our 1950's-style non-level platforms and airplane-style boarding really slow things down.
2:17 "90 miles an hour" That's 145 km/h, for people not from the US or Liberia.
2:35 "We'll cover 114 miles" => 183 kilometres.
The UK also uses miles in practice. They made a partial transition to metric ages ago but uses miles on roadsigns and in vehicles.
@@TheNobleFive OK, the US, UK (sort of), Myanmar and Liberia then, which still leaves almost 200 countries, and the video's about _Canadian_ trains.
22:01 that 4-seat group space doesn't even have any window access. fun way to travel.
Why is this line not electrified ?
7:48 Are these tables slippery or coated with an anti-slide material ?
Surprised they didn't put ironing boards in them
Lol
Can't wait to take it. Oh wait, I live in Southern Alberta so I'll never even see it. I almost forgot
same old same old. anything good and new stays in the ottawa montreal route. the government has no idea anythings exists west of toronto
Can't wait for these to get even more common, will be very nice to ride one rather than the old LRCs and budd cars.
For people using bikes, be aware that despite having bike racks and bike decals on the doors, don't expect to bring a bike with you on their new trains as they simply won't allow it. And they don't know when it's going to be possible.
Maybe Canada should order more new trains just like the UK is doing. I definitely would like to go to Canada as it’s an amazing country in North America.
Yes
Seimens look so good tho
But my country dont have it
Maybe someday you'll see these on a railway near you.
No high speed rail track, tons of at-grade crossings, so it doesnt really matter. We could connect Ottawa-Montreal via high speed rail, but choose not to. People are treating tech Japan had 50 years ago as some incredible advancement. 😕
It's about time we upgrade our third world train system, and we need one more track between montreal and toronto. Quebec side they ready to do it butt ontario side well all know decision making is difficult for our anglos. They are good and honest followers, but decisions not so much.
Spent a few weeks in Germany this summer riding the trains. It was fantastic. Funny thing is, the people there complain about it. I told then not to ride the train in Canada … you’ll be disappointed.
The only thing i like about VIA are the old stainless steel cars from the 1950's . This new train is a travesty and you watch , in less than 10 years they will see how awfull these trains are .
Ha, I would’ve ordered a gin and tonic also! Thanks for the really thorough review of that beautiful train.
I figured it was appropriate to celebrate the new trains😉 And I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
@@LonestarTrips oh, and although they did not have any snack offerings in the lounge, I did see a lonely, small bowl of apples
@@stephenkeever6029 Yeah I saw that too, but I wasn't sure if they were actually for the taking or just for show.
Any indication when Toronto - QC corridor gets the new trains ?
cab cars been around since 1970s but there uglyer than today because it makes the train look like its going backward but they've design cab cars today to make more look like a loco instead of the plain coach car or caboose.
Let's Go Boston ! Nice of them to do the cars up in Bruins colors.
Betcha if you forget to lock it, it will do a vlocity and say this
"Hey, you forgot to lock the door, press the key before you do your business!"
Has a french translation of this too.
It sure didn't tell me that in English or French or any other communication. Nice big control buttons but you need training to use them😲
Maybe I missed it, but can you take a bike on this train? Seems like Via has lost the plot for supporting cyclists.
Indeed you can! There are multiple bike storage racks around the train. They double as luggage racks, so you may have to move some stuff around before you can use it, but there’s plenty of space so it shouldn’t be a problem.
0:44 Among us weed of vending machines!
1:22 As the Rizz in the rest of the station!!!
I'll be taking this new train in 2 days! :)
It looks like the first few sets were put out of service because of problems but the other sets remove the problems.
it looked like those were all married unit coaches, was the whole thing one giant trainset, or did we just happen to only get the vestibule views which were married units rather than coupled ones?
I think all the new Charger + Venture trainsets are all unitary consists. This goes for Brightline, Amtrak's AIRO trains, and VIA. The only married pair Charger + Venture order is the one that Amtrak California and Amtrak Midwest got.
But it looks like California might be getting full trainsets as well for the San Joaquins. If that ends up being the case then that only leaves the Amtrak Midwest with Venture married pairs.
The fact that the business class lounge is almost as big as the rest of the station, but seems to be completely deserted, might perhaps prompt one to wonder whether they have in fact predicted demand altogether correctly...
I wouldn't read into this single experience at all. Corridor ridership is very healthy, and Ottawa regularly sells out business.
What I showed in the video isn't a fair assessment of business class popularity, as I showed up to the station almost two hours before departure. I wasn't sure if 26 or 38 would have the Venture set, so I gave myself enough time to be on either train if need be. The shots of the business lounge are from right after 26 boarded, so there was no one in when I filmed. Plenty of people showed up as we got closer to departure, but the shots I included showed nobody.
That is a decent question.
He visited in the height of summer, when much of the city's workforce is on holiday. Once government is in session and schools have active classes, passenger numbers will go up.
It's aspirational. VIA lives for upgrades. It has 5 passenger classes and on this journey prices range from $62 to $179!
Since you went to Montreal, does that mean a REM video is coming?
Unfortunately the REM opened after I was there, so there is no video coming on it. I really wanted to make one happen, but the scheduling just didn’t work.
I can’t wait! Edit: I have arrived and watched it
It's a great one for sure!
Can't get over the people whining on here."it doesn't have Hooters girls",it doesn't have massage tables",etc,etc.You people are something else😂😂
What?
@@LonestarTripsAs in “people always expect more”
VIA: We offer 3 options for your meal.
People: You could offer 4.
VIA: The journey takes 3 hours, 5 minutes
People: You should do it in 3 hours, 2 minutes
VIA: You have access to a lounge
People: I want two
People are unreasonable. Ridiculous demands never end.
Wish they just had some usb c ports though
Thanks. Great tour of Via's newest train.
Now just need to upgrade the tracks so they can run at their full speed.
OUTSTANDING VIDEO. 🇺🇸
Thanks a lot! 😊
Where were these fabricated?
Answer to your question:
California
I thought you are going to Washington on Amtrak
I decided to move that to next week.
@@LonestarTrips why
@@willgibson9718 With these trains being new, it's best to get the video out as soon as possible so it's still "fresh."
I wish the coupler at the front was retractable for a sleaker look
So still not ready then? Only took 5 years. Sorry, assuming functioning next year. Maybe longer?
What do you mean "Still not ready?" The trains are in service and running well.
@@LonestarTrips VIA has no baggage whatsoever. That's what I've needed for years now.
@@LonestarTrips Not servicing Toronto.
They did a great job with these Chargers. The front end rework looks very good, the added headlights really make it look sharp.
I wonder why these trains aren’t being used for their more lucrative Toronto routes. Unless they’re still testing?
I believe they're still in the "testing" phase for the time being while staff are trained on the new trains.
Loving how a bunch of americans are taking trips on these!
Via has 5 charger sets as of right now, with a 6th set on its way right now.
I hope everyone will enjoy this
Hey, before the highway construction mess we were a railroad nation. Here's to those good rail times coming back to both the US and Canada!
Any idea when the new trainsets will be introduced to the Tor-Mtl route?
Before absorbing ALL this Brochure Babble. ASK what the price of a ticket from To to Vancouver will cost you ???.
Serious Sticker Shock surprise!
Via rail has always had trains that didn't need to be turned around. The Budd RDC-2s that run from Sudbury to white river.
But personally I hate the new Livery. Its better then the original design the put out but to me Blue with yellow accent is Via's colour scheme.
Congrats on receiving these new trains! However do they possess chassis that will shield passengers from your deplorable track maintenance??????????????
To call these locomotives "beautiful" is laughable. I've seen far more beautiful locomotives in other parts of the world. This Siemens looks archaic
Did you mentioned broken bathroom door to conductor? Problems can only be corrected if reported and written up for repairs.
I wondered if maybe it was automatically closing. Likely the first thing you do once you enter is close the door, right?
@@deejaaywalker2314 no, the door needs to fully open first and the person needs to go through it
Can't wait to ride one of these trains.
looks good quality interiors one would hope it stays nice and clean. why would one pay extra for hardly anything else in business class. unless its hard to tell if more room exists in reality. its to bad one cant buy items like hats caps or stationary / clothing for memorabilia
I rode a Budd Car in Business Class and only draw back is there was no Air Conditioning on a 86C day from Toronto ON to WIndsor ON.
Truth be told. It the best looking charger. So much I pre-ordered the Bachman one.
u know what that privacy pod begs for right? business class D&D session XD
Compare your experiences riding Siemens Venture cars on VIA, Amtrak and Brightline.
And mainly with European trains.
I did Amtrak Midwest and Brightline. They're about the same despite what some rail tubers want to imply. Surprisingly quiet and the seats were actually reasonably comfortable. Still not as plush as Amtrak's regular thrones, but plenty comfortable.
Amtrak really scored a winner with this order. Well, Amtrak California and Amtrak Midwest did. The Federal Amtrak order is only just starting to get built now.
@@TohaBgood2 I rode Brightline and the seats and decor seem far superior to Amtrak Venture cars I’ve seen in pictures. Thanks for sharing your experience.😃✌️
I JUST found your channel and this first review to watch. Well, I LOVED it. You did such an amazing job walking through the features and benefits of the new train. You've earned a subscribe from me and I look forward to looking through other trip reports!!
At 10:08 you appear to be riding backwards, but at 10:38 you are riding forwards. What's going on?
how can u get businesses to sponser your channel
What a beautiful train.Remind me on the Railjet from the ÖBB.
VIA rail is a lot nicer than Amtrak’s Siemens venture coaches. The seats look a lot more. Vestibules are nicer as well.🎉🎉
Lol, you people keep trying to imply that this is the case. I've been on both Amtrak's and Brightline's Ventures. I could not spot the difference as a passenger. The only noticeable difference was the cloth insert on the seats and the color of the leather. Are you sure that this isn't your anti-Amtrak bias speaking? I mean, we are talking about literally the same model of rolling stock in a different color scheme and with tiny equipment changes in the form of various optional extras.
Siemens is not Stadler. They don't do "custom".
Finally, Canada will have trains similar to European trains.
Can’t wait for these to come to Amtrak
It's funny when I first saw the auto door on the washroom I thought that's a maintenance nightmare waiting to happen then you got to the coach car version
That station is NOT on the western edge of Ottawa. If anything, it's is to the southeast of the central core.
So, where's the bathtub in that 'bathroom''? Or is it really just the ''toilets''?
you mean the company that bought out Bombardier did not win the contract ????
Hey Lonestar I thought it was cascades
I made a post in the community tab about flipping the order of the next two videos.
In Canada, "route" is pronounced "root".
Economy class appears to have less foot room and less space for luggage than the old stock, is that right? But I guess all those VIA logos make up for it. A real test of train travel (or any other form of travel) is economy class, unless of course you aren't interested in what most people actually experience.
Thanks for standing up for us Economy class. But I did have a nice surprise on my first run on the new train, finding the luggage easier to park and access. Also the leg room felt really good. I guess I just never liked the previous version, always so cramped in every way.
That colour scheme remind me how their European cousins look