VIA Rail Canada Reviews 

Started late and now we are stuck in Thompson for two days. We had tours paid for and via couldn’t care less they can’t even let us know if we can ride on the next train. I had a trip planned with my parents for a train to the Banff area but I’m cancelling. Crap train system

Very incompetitive transport service, shame on Canada to have this only inefficient via rail service, wish they take the european model and see how rail efficiency and competitiveness is. How it is beneficial for travellers in europe to leave their cars and use rail service, reducing carbon footprints and traffic issues, way behind in pricing and service.

The money you pay for business class train is totally not worth it. The food was bland and the train was very slow. Considering the price I would expect it to be better. Newer trains with the automatic button washrooms are terrible, the lock system is not clear to anyone using it and can result in an uncomfortable situation. Honestly Canada is super behind in giving good train service.

Very very bad experience with via rail it will be the last time ! Delay of 3h !!!!

A great concept trip, the staff were excellent . Trip on holiday from Jasper to Toronto. Really helpful and knowledgeable.
Toilet in cabin broke morning of day 2, staff helpful but not able to fix, had to use other toilets in the night, not a life issue, but was told to file a report. The C/S line was excellent , lodged complaint and told they'd be in contact. Back to the UK, 7 emails sent no response. Website chat lien- can't help- call the main number - (from the UK?? yeah right!!!) . Email comms from the company is shocking, genuinely awful work guys.. even with a sensible time delay .. Don't hold your breath if a trip goes wrong!!!

Outstanding!! Daniel and his team made my travel a wonderful and unforgettable experience! They went above and beyond! Given our limited mobility and diet restrictions, their kindness, attentiveness, and attention to detail was second to none. I would recommend them any time!

Basil & Johanna Williams

Horrible phone customer service. Very unwilling to help and offer no solutions.

Even WestJet and other transportation carriers that are bigger make an effort. Called 3 times , staff is untrained and not knowledgeable.

Oct 8/2025

My flight day was modified and I need to exchange the dates. I bought a non exchangeable ticket, however, usually a transport company in USA would find a solution and help me out with this, but the customer service via chat was rude and didn't offer a solution, just repeating that I had to buy another ticket. I wish I picked another company but they don't offer refunds either. They stink

I really used to enjoy taking the train over flying within Canada , particularly to New Brunswick on The Ocean.

Now I would never recommend it ,this summer we took the train with my partner whom is from Ukraine. From Toronto to Miramichi,it was the worst experience I've ever had yet ,my luggage was stolen off the train in business class ,they didn't help me or compensate me at all they just handed me a paper and told me fill it out .the ocean itself is a dinosaur,old cars and old tracks so it's common for it to be delayed both ways sometimes by 8 hours .staff across the board are rude and inconsiderate.they play favorite with French speaking passengers in Montreal, (let some people keep luggage where it's not supposed to be while they tell you to move yours/ give them more drinks) they glare at you like your some second class human.

Today they cancelled more trains and said buses would be available for those needing to get to their stops. They didn't update their online agents though who insisted to still be there for your train on time. Upon arrival at the train station, I was told there would be a bus, but only an hour and a half after my original scheduled departure.

This is the 3/5 experience I've had go wrong with VIA Rail. Spare yourself the grief if you can, use another travel method.

Breathtaking Views and Outstanding Service on VIA Rail. The journey offered absolutely incredible scenery, with breathtaking views that made the trip itself a destination. The train was spotless, and the environment on board felt warm and super friendly.
The seats were very comfortable, and the dome car was immaculate — truly the perfect place to enjoy the landscapes rolling by. The atmosphere made it easy to relax and take in the beauty of Canada in comfort. The staff went above and beyond, always professional, attentive, and welcoming. A special mention goes to Chantal, who was incredibly kind and provided outstanding customer care throughout the trip. Considering the affordable price and the quality of the overall experience, I would highly recommend VIA Rail Canada to anyone looking for a comfortable, memorable, and scenic travel adventure.

First of all, $200 per person from Ottawa to Montréal. Bathrooms on board are deplorable, food menu non existent, and drink service offered only once. Via rail gets worse every time I travel with them. Staff on board are rude and inconsistent with information. Also, the train is super slow. What gives. I should've hitch hiked instead given the uncleaneliness of the train.

Absolutely garbage, always delayed. Whoever manages the schedule and stuff has more teeth than IQ points. Terrible.

Completely misleading information on ticket refunds. The refund was processed on a 400$ ticket and the refund came back at $0 because of a fine-print no-refund policy on an obscure part of the site. Nothing was done when calling customer service, no refund, no credit, no reimbursement of tickets. 400$ just lost because of shady advertising. Distasteful, horrible company.

Worst experience ever!
Trains are slow and always late. The return trip it was more than 1 hour late.
The price is to high for the service they offer.
The website isn't intuitive at all.
I won't travel with VIA RAIL ever again.

Changed my husband’s and my seat as they wished. We are in first class, pd almost equally to a plane ticket, reserved our seats but they sat us one behind the other in a single lane seat. We are traveling from Windsor to Toronto for our 42 anniversary and it’s not starting well, thanks to badly managed VIA rail.

I had the most amazing customer service experience this afternoon. I didn't catch her name but she served me at about 2:50PM EST this afternoon 9/16. She was helpful, kind, and cherry. I can't remember the last time I had good customer service. What a breath of fresh air. I am in the customer service space and it was an absolute pleasure this afternoon. Thanks to her and Via. She deserves a raise!

I'm sorry to say that travelling on Via Rail (from the US Border to Toronto, and then Toronto to Montreal, in business class) left me with a rather negative view of Via Rail Canada and indeed of Canada itself. They have a completely ludicrous rule about how much your case can weigh - and yes, they do weigh it and demand you repack if if it's a kg or two over. A nastiness that would make RyanAir blush.
The staff in the business lounge are officious, unhelpful and rude.
The on-board train manager was similarly rude and officious, with the personality of a rattlesnake and a voice to rival the Wicked Witch of the West. She seemed to spend most of the trip unhelpfully inserting herself into proceedings, complicating and obstructing them both physically and procedurally while barking instructions to her team and berating one of them to the point of tears.
(I asked our stewardess, who was lovely, whether her boss was always like that - she declined to comment).
The train and seats are comfortable, comparable to Eurostar and other operators in the UK and Europe. The food was good, similar to what you might get in premium economy or short-haul business on an airline and including some very drinkable Canadian wine.
The train was around 30 - 45 minutes late and I got the impression this is considered normal / unremarkable.
Staff on arrival at Montreal were equally unhelpful with onward directions (the same train manager was on the platform bellowing instructions again, causing more problems than she might ever solve, but we ignored her at that point).
A real shame, as this service has so much potential and all the ingredients are there to make it a great headline part of visiting Canada. Sadly, bureaucratic processes and rude officious staff ruined it and I'm afraid I would not consider using VIA rail again.

My wife and I recently traveled from Toronto to Montreal (via Ottawa). We rode business class, so we paid a bit more $ than economy. The staff on the train were very friendly. The seats had a lot of legroom and a small table surface in between. The food was good, the drinks were nice, the train really clipped along and we were on-time to both stops. The return trip, Montreal to Toronto direct, was also excellent. I would highly recommend traveling by train. We will definitely travel with Via again.

Montreal-Toronto round trip. Outbound: old train. 2 hours late. Mechanical issues and slowdown due to CN requirement. Return Aug 17. XL ed reservation on Air Canada due to strike.Train arrived 1 hour late. Made last-minute reservation on Via Rail. Price gouging takes on a whole new meaning. Got the last seat in biz class.New train this time. No window at my seat. Seat did not recline. Meal was edible but service was spotty. Hard to believe Canada can't do better than this.