Passenger Trains > Train #97 to > #64

On the Concourse level at Toronto Union Station…you’d think it was VIA #97 only going to Niagara Falls, Ontario but come around the corner and you see it actually becomes Amtrak #64 at the Border and continues onto Penn Station.

(and a reminder to passengers that ‘recreational’ use of Cannabis is now legal throughout Canada....just make sure there’s nothing in your pocket when you cross the border!)

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Up at track level.....it’s all Amtrak Amfleet.

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In the shadows at Niagara Falls ON....you can see a cart rolled up to the door removing the ‘Canadian’ items that had been available in the Café Car including Coke....to be replace by Pepsi once on the US side.

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Now out across the Whirlpool Bridge....with the new Amtrak Niagara Falls NY Station in the distance.

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There's only 2 minutes of platform dwell time at the last Canadian stop, Niagara Falls, ON - that's not a lot of time to smoke/eat whatever Cannabis one possesses!

Nice series of photos. Thanks for posting.

Kim heusel

Which coaches do they put the NY bound passengers ?

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Which coaches do they put the NY bound passengers
> ?

We were all together in the third coach from the front and approximately 20 in total with about 10 continuing into the US.

When scanning tickets.....the Service Manager noticed one woman was in Business Class and helped her back to the last car with her luggage.

Why does crossing the border between Canada and the U.S. need to be such a hassle by train?  It's done so seamlessly in Europe, even entering Russia. Russian officials boarded the train about one hour out of Moscow and had then entire train (which was massive) cleared by the time we got to Kievsky Station. Same was done in reverse by Ukrainian officials. And you weren't made to feel like a criminal in the process. 

Customs here won't ride a moving train, and in Niagara Falls, too lazy and full of themselves to even leave their palace and work a stationary train.

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joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Customs here won't ride a moving train, and in
> Niagara Falls, too lazy and full of themselves to
> even leave their palace and work a stationary
> train.

Completely untrue!

The US border entry procedure at Niagara Falls, NY is exactly what is required by US regulations.

Train arrives at new Niagara Falls station; all cross border passengers exit train onto high-level platform with all their belongings for inspection inside adjacent inspection facility; empty train is searched/inspected; passengers (cross border and newly boarding) then board the train.

The agents are simply following the established procedures required by the regulations! They are NOT 'too lazy and full of themselves...'

That is not what is done on the Montreal train. They can inspect a loaded train just as well, and stick their hands in HVAC panels to fill the time as they like.Customs got a palace built and got so-called regulations to follow. 10 passengers on the train crossing the border is the desired result. The whole thing was rigged for their benefit to start with. They have jobs whether the train runs or not.

Going to Canada, you get off the LOW level platform in Canada because that is what CBSA wants.



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/19 14:31 by joemvcnj.

Now custom crossings is where we need "less regulations."   They are OUR employees and should be told how to do their work in a way and manner which does not delay the train.  

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> Why does crossing the border between Canada and
> the U.S. need to be such a hassle by train?  It's
> done so seamlessly in Europe, even entering
> Russia. Russian officials boarded the train about
> one hour out of Moscow and had then entire train
> (which was massive) cleared by the time we got to
> Kievsky Station. Same was done in reverse by
> Ukrainian officials. And you weren't made to feel
> like a criminal in the process. 

The is what one must expect when crossing from a 1st World nation to a 3rd World nation.