On a clear, cold December day, we took the wonderful Adirondack line from Penn Station to Montreal. We spent the night in Montreal and in the morning, caught the VIA Rail’s Ocean Line to Halifax. VIA Rail is similar to Amtrak, but with some noticeable differences. Three classes of travel are offered – coach, berths and sleeper class. The berth option is just as it sounds, an upper or lower berth with a pullover curtain, in a car with other berths, and access to a lavatory. Think of the wonderful scene with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon in the upper berth in “Some Like it Hot.” This is a very economical way to travel, and far more comfortable than coach if one plans to sleep on the train.
We chose the sleeper class, and were very pleased with the accommodations. The sleeper is larger than the standard, two-person sleeper on Amtrak, with more walking room. As those of you who are familiar with the standard Amtrak sleeper, when the bunks are down, there is absolutely nowhere to walk – just crawl in, crawl out. When the very comfortable VIA armchairs are converted into bunks, there is still room to walk into the sleeper. In addition, each sleeper has a private lavatory, with sink and toilet, and access to showers at the end of the car. Toilet kits are provided, so don’t bother bringing your own.
While the price of the sleeper was somewhat less than the standard sleeper on Amtrak, only breakfast was included in the price, and other meals had to be purchased. However, the continental breakfast was an excellent, all-you-can-eat meal, which included fruit and yogurt, muffins, croissants, jams and jellies, juice, coffee and tea. It was so filling, that there wasn’t even a need for lunch.
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