At Last! New Trains at VIA Rail!

My regular readers know that I travel a great deal on VIA Rail Canada's "Corridor" services which run from Windsor and Sarnia through London ON to Toronto, then on to Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec.

For years, the Corridor service has had to make do with endlessly repairing and patching a mixed bag of stainless steel American-built cars from the Budd car company, built in the 1950s and Montreal-built LRC cars from the 1970s. Now, at last, VIA Rail is getting an entire fleet of brand-new trains to serve these busy routes, with all the most modern features, not least of which is full accessibility throughout all cars.

The new trains have been coming into service steadily -- but, as always, between Montreal and Ottawa or Quebec first, then Ottawa or Montreal and Toronto. As always, the London and Windsor route, which is the one I travel most often, got last dibs. Recently, though, I have finally had my first experiences at riding on these new trains.

As the new train sets enter into service, the older equipment is slowly being put out to pasture. While I salute the builders of those historic vehicles for the durability and longevity of their work, I would never willingly go back to one of those older cars once they are gone. This post will help to explain why.

First of all, the new trains are being delivered to run on diesel power. However, it's hoped that in the not-too-distant future the lines for the Corridor may be converted to electric power, and the new train sets have been built to be readily converted too.

To start with, then, here's an exterior view of the train when I had just gotten off at my destination in Woodstock, Ontario. And right away, here's the first big difference. This is the back end of the train set.

The train was just leaving town for London and Windsor by rolling out the left edge of the frame when I snapped the picture. For the first time since the old self-propelled diesel Dayliner cars, VIA Rail has purchased fully reversible train sets. The coach at the opposite end from the locomotive also has a driving cab, so the train can be driven from either end. This eliminates the need to turn the entire train around at the end of each trip, thereby allowing more efficient scheduling. In this case, it meant that the locomotive pushed the train all the way from Toronto to Windsor, and would pull it for the return trip to Toronto.

Now, what about the interior?

As usual, I was travelling in Business Class. This is not showing off on my part. It's more a matter of necessity, since the trains always run across meal hours and the food selection for purchase in Economy Class still ranges somewhere between unspeakable and execrable, at least to a diabetic such as yours truly.

Business Class seating is again in a 2x1 configuration. But the similarity ends there. Here's a view of the single Business Class seat from the old car:

Now, the newer version, obviously in two different cars:

 

The red hashed lines along some of the window frames indicate emergency exit windows. Now, some views of the paired seats on the opposite side of the car.

Notable differences: the vastly improved headrest (adjustable!), the solid back on the chair-side table (your things can't slide off the back of the table), the dual power outlets on both front and back of that chair-side table, and the improved design which now allows for an airline-size luggage space under the seat in front of you. Seat comfort, width, and legroom remain much the same. I've read that the seats in Economy are a bit narrower than they used to be, to accommodate an aisle wide enough for wheelchair access. I have not checked that detail myself.

 

Note especially the outlets: each outlet bank has two standard power outlets and two USB power connectors. That's a huge leap forward from the under-the-table power outlets on the older cars which offered two standard outlets, with perhaps one of them actually working. Perhaps.

The old tray table, a decent size but rather flimsy and sometimes tilting towards you from overuse:

The new table, much bigger and far, far sturdier. This one won't quiver ominously if you unfold your laptop on it -- a frequent use for VIA Rail tray tables. Also, and for the first time on VIA Rail, you can adjust the position of this table to suit you.

This larger table in turn makes possible the new meal tray, much bigger than the old trays -- but still leaving ample room to park a glass or cup alongside the tray, which was impossible with the old version.

Not only that, but the new trains come with a special stock of bigger logo glassware, bringing an end to the disposable plastic cups so often used through the years. The service crews have gotten brand-new and more versatile service trolleys as well as all the other changes.

Looking at the car as a whole, the most noticeable change sees the old enclosed luggage bins replaced by open glass shelves with a slight lip on the outer edge to hold bags in place. The more modern and brighter overhead lighting eliminates the dull, dingy feeling which you got at times in the older cars. Next we have to thank VIA for the overhead electronic display signs which display train number, car number, station details, and other information, alternately in French and English -- continually updated as the trip progresses. Each car has several signs throughout the car.

 

This view gives you a better impression of the improved space under the seats, and of the width of the aisle. You can also see here the grab handles on the aisle side of every seat to help people moving up and down the train.

Another great improvement: there are no more barriers to passage between cars. The entire train is linked into a single unit, with touch-free automatic doors which slide open as you approach, guaranteeing easy access between all cars at all times. Best of all, there's no longer a roar of outside noise when someone does pass from one car to another, due to the accordion joining of the cars in the train set. Here's what the connection looks like, between Car 1 and Car 2.

Speaking of no barriers, another major new feature is the all-automatic and extra large handicapped washroom. These are found in multiple locations throughout the train, with pairs of standard washrooms in cars that are not equipped with the larger single washroom. The passenger in the photo above is about to walk around the accessible washroom to reach the seating in Car 1.

One other brand-new feature sees a group of four seats facing each other over a table at one end of the Business Class car, now surrounded by a partition to create, in effect, a small conference room -- a frequent feature on the more deluxe trains in Europe.

The most important change of all is the one you can't see in a picture. These new trains not only run more smoothly over the sometimes-bumpy track work, but they also move far more quietly. Noise from passing trains is also greatly diminished. Canadians have never had access to such a quiet rail experience on VIA Rail. The attendant on my first trip in the new cars showed me how the service trolley was sitting rock-solid on the floor as we swerved through a switch to change tracks. It's this difference more than any other which makes me so sure that I would never want to go back to the older trains once they've all finally left VIA service.

Sadly, we are still stuck with one problem: the need to climb up and down steps to board or leave the train. The stairs force VIA to continue using special lifts to help mobility challenged passengers, such as wheelchair users, to get aboard or to leave. But this problem is not a fault of the train set. It's an infrastructure issue. It's mainly due to the need for freight trains to have more elbow room when running along the same tracks. The raised platforms which are needed for level boarding would be incompatible with freight operations. Only at Gare Centrale in Montreal and on one track in Ottawa can you simply walk across from the platform into the train without climbing steps. Unless and until VIA Rail can have tracks of its own, all to itself, we'll most likely have to keep climbing.

Aside from that one issue, these new train sets are (for my money) a spectacular success. Improved designs of seats, washrooms, baggage storage, and lighting go hand in hand with digital display signs, improved power outlets and USB connectors, full handicapped access, and improved underseat stowage space -- with the quieter, smoother ride providing the icing on the cake. I'm already looking forward to my next trip.

I'm also looking forward to the results of VIA Rail's next huge procurement project, the acquisition of new rolling stock with sleeping and dining facilities for its long distance trains across Canada. The first steps of preparation for this project are now under way.