Canadian Railroads > VIA Rail Bilingual Timetable in Printable Form on website

While looking at the schedules for The Canadian I noticed that VIA Rail has added a complete Bilingual Timetable that can be printed out, with effecctive date October 31 2016. Will there ever be an actual printed one issued by VIA Rail or just this one on the site? Either way it is kind of neat to see a complete timetable instead of individual pages on the VIA Rail site.

Jim

VIA has had these printable timetables on their site for a while now. I won't speculate on whether there will be a printed timetable available at stations, but there always has been.

When VIA first shrunk their timetable I wasn't impressed, but I have to admit it fits easily in a pocket and it's better than nothing. On my many trips to the UK I noticed that some of the train operating companies had even smaller timetables even though they operate many times more trains than VIA does.

I'd rather see the entire Montreal - Toronto service via both Cornwall and Ottawa, inlcuding all Ottawa service, in one comprehensive table. There are too many tables now with service overlaps.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd rather see the entire Montreal - Toronto
> service via both Cornwall and Ottawa, including
> all Ottawa service, in one comprehensive table.
> There are too many tables now with service
> overlaps.

Indeed. If someone unfamiliar with VIA timetables wants to go between Kingston or Belleville and Toronto (for example) they might not check both the Ottawa and Montreal timetables. Perhaps VIA should put a bold banner on those pages advising that other options are available on other pages. The on-line booking site does show all trains between two points on one page, but not everyone consults the Internet.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/16 08:34 by DrawingroomA.

DrawingroomA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> VIA has had these printable timetables on their
> site for a while now. I won't speculate on whether
> there will be a printed timetable available at
> stations, but there always has been.

Actually, VIA did intend to stop production of printed timetables after the April 26, 2011 edition. It stated that publicly at the time.

That was brought to the attention of a key official at Transport Canada who is not, shall we say, an online type of guy.  On hearing this news (indirectly, from me) he picked up the phone to VIA headquarters and told them to forget their intention. The result was the production of the next printed timetable on January 24, 2012.

The fellow I mentioned has since retired and it might well be that no one else at Transport Canada cares whether VIA prints its timetables. I suppose time will tell.

 

railsmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The fellow I mentioned has since retired and it
> might well be that no one else at Transport Canada
> cares whether VIA prints its timetables. I suppose
> time will tell.

I don't know what they will do with this new one, but the one still active today is available printed. I have a copy.

Ray

railsmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DrawingroomA Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > VIA has had these printable timetables on their
> > site for a while now. I won't speculate on
> whether
> > there will be a printed timetable available at
> > stations, but there always has been.
>
> Actually, VIA did intend to stop production of
> printed timetables after the April 26, 2011
> edition. It stated that publicly at the time.
>
> That was brought to the attention of a key
> official at Transport Canada who is not, shall we
> say, an online type of guy.  On hearing this news
> (indirectly, from me) he picked up the phone to
> VIA headquarters and told them to forget their
> intention. The result was the production of the
> next printed timetable on January 24, 2012.
>
> The fellow I mentioned has since retired and it
> might well be that no one else at Transport Canada
> cares whether VIA prints its timetables. I suppose
> time will tell.
>
>  
Thanks for the explanation. This must have been the time when I recall several changes were made in the corridor but no paper timetable was produced at or near the time of those changes. As I recall it was a few weeks before the timetables appeared. I thought VIA was just being tardy.

Paper timetables were available at Toronto Union today. As there is no longer an information desk or rack of brochures, they are available at the ticket counters.

Even this timetable is nothing more than the Corridor pamphlet with a few pages added for the rest of the country. It is not the format old national timetable they used to have, which was far more informative. I also liked all the glossy, marketing brochures of the various trains, their equipment, one was entitled "Stainless Steel". I think VIA has gone too "green", and with the de-naming of almost all the trains, too sterile.