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VIA Rail Canada
Category: Hotels & Travel Transportation Transportation [Edit]
200 Tremblay RdOttawa, ON K1G 3H5
(888) 842-7245
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 5 am - 9 pm
Sat 6 am - 7 pm
Sun 7:30 am - 9 pm
4 reviews for VIA Rail Canada
4 reviews in English
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Review from Darren M.
Ottawa, ON
12/3/2010
Of the major train stations in the Quebec to Windsor corridor, Ottawa's is the most modern yet simple.
The building is a nice looking place with high ceilings and lots of glass. The ticket counter greets you as soon as you walk in so compared to Toronto and Montreal there's very little walking.
Unlike Toronto and Montreal though you do have to do a little bit of outdoor walking TO and FROM your train but it's not that significant.
The biggest thing that is lacking here is a restaurant. There are food and snack options available at a small cafe but really if you get there for an early or late train you're pretty much out of luck. There's nothing around the train station either so you'll find yourself hoping in a cab or grabbing the bus (major east-west buses go right past the station).
I enjoy Ottawa's train station on a typical day because I live here and I think it's a decent welcome for visitors too but when this place gets busy or if you get stuck here waiting for a long period of time I begin to really feel sorry for you because you can't just pop out to somewhere else to wait your delay out like you can in Toronto or Montreal. -
Review from Amanda B.
Ottawa, ON
11/30/2010
I've had such mixed feelings about VIA Rail that I've learned to avoid it as much as possible.
My dad used to take it to and from Toronto all the time when I was little, so I used to think it was coolest thing ever. Wrong. I took it a few times when I was in university and it no matter how much I tried to like it, it just so much more of a hassle than convenience. They used to have these coupons in random chocolate milk powder tins for a 2-for-1 deal on tickets, and if it wasn't for these coupons, I really don't think I would've taken it otherwise.
I believe there are only two trains leaving from the Ottawa station - to Toronto and Montreal. If you've ever driven to Toronto, you would know that it should only take 4-5 hours, on average. Every time I've taken the train, it's taken 6-7 hours without notice, always late, and costs twice the price. One time during the holidays, coming back to Ottawa from Toronto, we had to switch "cars", and instead of letting people just walk through the isles, we all had to get our luggage and carry-ons (Christmas presents) and get off the platform just to move up ONE CAR. How terribly inconvenient!
If you have longer legs, I guess you would want the large leg room, but the chairs are pretty much plastic with hardly any padding, so it's a bit of a trade-off. They do have Wi-Fi on the train, though, so if you're a business person or a student with a paper to hand in, I'm sure you'd really appreciate it. -
Review from Randy G.
Toronto, ON
Okay, VIA: What the hell? You put this lovely modern-looking station in - nice tall ceilings, big windows for lots of light - with a good connection to the bus system, and then you manage to screw it up with no method for people to get change when arriving on a late train. No staff on hand that I could see, and all the vending machines are coin-only. Getting change to get on the damned bus proved... tricky, to say the least.
The biggest complaint, however: the men's washroom. Whoever designed it needs to spend far, FAR less time with hobbits, because the urinal walls are inexcusably close. Were men THAT much more intimate when this thing was built in the 60s?
I should mark you lower for so utterly confusing and annoying a new arrival alone, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt and leave it at three stars simply due to my lack of experience. You're definitely on notice, though.
Oh, and referring to this as the "downtown station" reflects a far, FAR more liberal interpretation of "downtown" than I'm comfortable with. -
Review from Nandan F.
Ottawa, ON
10/9/2010
Travelled from Ottawa to Toronto today on Via 1. The lounge in Ottawa is small but I guess big enough for most days. On a Friday before a long weekend...not at all. The lounge had hot and cold beverages to offer along with a few daily newspapers.
Business class boarded the train first. There is a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to choose from. The meal usually has 3 options for entres - 1 veg, 1 seafood/chicken, 1 red meat. The meal is complimented with red or white wine. The meal also includes a desert. I must say that the food is better than any plane food I have ever had. The service is really good, much better than what I was expecting. After the meal, you can always ask for a hot bev.
The journey may be a bit longer than a flight...more than a bit actually. But as compared to the bus, the train is far superior. And free wi-fi on board business class. After experiencing Via 1, I now will have to re-think if I would even consider economy unless it is significantly cheaper. Good Job Via!
