Amtrak Maple Leaf

[Krikit 1,164]

I thought I'd try the train from T.O. to Buffalo. Has anyone gone this route?

[HeatDeath 430]

I did Amtrak from NY to Montreal about, oh... 25 years ago.

Great, now I feel all old and stuff.

[SapphireDreams 71]

I used to do it often when I was still dating my husband. It's spacious and a nice ride, but it can be slow and get delayed from freight traffic. Not sure if it is still like this, but at the border the train stops and the border guards come on the train and question people at their seats. Takes a good hour or so depending on how full the train is.

It's a great way to travel if you are not in a rush or okay with being a bit delayed.

I'd probably look into MegaBus as well since that is sometimes a lot cheaper. Or even Greyhound since it is such a short ride.

[Krikit 1,164]

Great, now I feel all old and stuff.

Thanks Sapphire. I couldn't find any recent online reviews about it. I think 2009 was the earliest. I thought of Megabus but it only leaves from Toronto, with no stops in between. My flight out of BNIA isn't until 4:30pm, and the train is supposed to arrive in Depew at 1:30pm. Theoretically, that's more than enough time for me to check in and get some wings and a caesar. Theoretically.

I figure there should be some airport taxis available at the station. It's only 3 miles from there. Should be an adventure. lol

[SapphireDreams 71]

The only benefit to taking the bus is that I believe there is a shuttle bus from the bus station to the airport but I know it's annoying to get to Toronto when I'm guessing you'll be more west in Oakville?

Also - I remember Greyhound used to have a stop in Mississauga, might be worth seeing if they still do.

Do you know how much time that 1:30 p.m. arrival leaves for customs? I remember it taking a long time sometimes but I'm sure it would work. I'd also take down the number of a cab company there. The stations did look a bit desolate!!

[Krikit 1,164]

It leaves Oakville station at 8:44 a.m. so they've left a loooooooong time for border crossing. lol

Will look up the number for the airport taxi. Thanks Sapphire.

[Krikit 1,164]

Well, that was an adventure. I have learned a number of things:

• The Canadian employees are particularly uninformed about the Amtrak trains and their policies and procedures.
• Have your camera ready for awesome shots of the lake, Welland Canal, and the Niagara gorge. You will need to sit on your left hand side (when you face forward) for these shots.
• Try not to use the restroom.
• You can get out and walk around (to nowhere) after CBP has finished processing the passengers at the Niagara Falls, NY, depot.
• You sit at the border depot for about 2 hours, even if they are finished. They back the train up directly behind the depot. There is nothing to see and nowhere to go. You just wait.
• Quite a number of officers come on board. You hand them your GC and declaration document (which the staff hand out prior to arrival), they ask if you have anything to declare, and then they take your form. You leave your GC out because the next officer comes by and swipes it.
• Freight trains, and not the border, delayed our arrival time by about 20 mins.
• They have wi-fi.

I had gone to the airport taxi's website and it said they had a dedicated area at the Depew Station. Of course, when I got there, there was nothing but a phone number. I called that number and they were there in ~ 10 mins. Some guy with long hair and backpacks and stuff heard me on the phone, then asked if we could share a cab to the airport. I assumed he was a student trying to save money so I said "Sure. Why not." (Thought I'd just cover it for him but not let him know till we got there.) Turns out he was from Toronto and worked for IMAX! So we had an awesome conversation in the cab and he was the one who covered my fare for being so nice! I covered the tip so he can claim that back from them.

To summarize, I would consider taking this train again, but I would definitely not consider it for longer trips.

The end.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Krikit

[Krikit 1,164]

Oh! Two more points!

The IMAX guy highly recommends seeing Prometheus. (At the IMAX, of course.) He says to sit in the 3rd row from the back for the best visuals.

The cab ride from the Depew Station to the Airport is a $15 flat rate charge. I gave a $5 tip, which brought it to $20.

[SapphireDreams 71]

Not bad!

I remember freight trains were a problem the whole way to Syracuse when I used to take it. We'd just be stopped for an hour and it was because of freight trains. We'd always arrive a couple of hours late.