A few weekends ago, I attended a farewell party in Montreal for a friend moving abroad. I wanted to get to Montreal and back conveniently, while being able to complete some work. Back in my days at McGill University I would frequently take the Megabus to Montreal (which is pretty awful) but now that I have a job it’s time to move up to something a bit more comfortable.

I wanted to use points but Aeroplan isn’t really a good option. A flight to Montreal from Toronto is 15,000 points plus taxes. As you can see the “taxes” amount to $173.77 of which $84 is the carrier surcharge. Considering I booked a flight around the world for only about $400, this isn’t really worth it!

I needed to leave on Thursday from downtown Toronto so I decided to take the train. Leaving from Union Station at 6:07PM and arriving just before 11PM, VIA Rail train 668 was extremely convenient and a reasonably priced option to travel between both city centres. Furthermore, it was only an extra $25 dollars to upgrade to business class which included dinner, 2 pieces of luggage access to the lounge and unlimited drinks. For $115 it’s a great way to travel for a journey of four and a half hours.

The Journey 

I was running late on my quick journey from the office to Union Station so I was unable to check out the business lounge, but based on the provided pictures, it doesn’t look like I was missing much. 

Another option is the TD Visa Infinite Lounge at Union if you’re a holder of one of their Visa Infinite cards. Although this modern lounge is sometimes busy, it’s a great option if you’re commuting and need a coffee or you’re traveling in economy.

Just before 6 I arrived at the gates ready for boarding. As a business class passenger I was eligible for priority boarding which was really appreciated - I was able to finish sending a work email from the chairs in the boarding area and then hop onto the train when I was ready.

On Board

The business class car is set up in a 1-2 configuration with seats facing both ways. 

Furthermore, some seats are set up as “family” seats with four seats around a table, great for family travel to Montreal or friends traveling together. 

If you’re just travelling as a pair there is the option to sit across from one another with a table in the middle or in a standard row with airplane like tray tables. In between these two seats is a tray that has a cup holder, although I didn’t find this table to be very useful.

Although I was assigned a row seat, the train that I was on was empty so I choose to move to a two person table to take advantage of the space. There was plenty of space on this table, I was able to use my computer with a mouse without any issues. 

Underneath the mini-table there was a plug with two North American outlets. Unfortunately, this plug wasn’t functioning and I had to plug into the opposite seat to power my laptop for the duration of the trip. The wifi on Via Rail’s Toronto to Montreal was serviceable, although at times when we were near the American border it cut out for a few moments. I was unable to upload large documents to my companies file sharing service during the trip as the connection was too slow. Overall, I found that I was really productive on the train, I was able to sit down and work for a solid 4 hours with only dinner service distracting me for a welcome break.

Service

I found the Via One service to be very genuine without being over the top. The two Montreal based staff serving the business class cabin were friendly and attentive. In my opinion, their service was much better than the “transactional” service that I receive on domestic flights. 

The drinks menu was at my seat when I arrived. About 30 minutes into the trip, around Ajax, the Via Rail attendant came around to take my order and I happily ordered a really spicy caesar for the journey. There was no limit to the amount of drinks that you could order, although it was not a rowdy train to say the least. 

About an hour into the trip, around Port Hope, dinner was served, with options for chicken, beef or teriyaki salmon. I choose the salmon, which was accompanied by a cheese dish, a brownie, and the choice of several bread options from the bread tray that came around with the drink cart. The meal was good, but not excellent - the salmon was well marinated and cooked perfectly but the bok choy and rice were overcooked. 

Overall

As a student at McGill University, I always liked taking VIA Rail from Toronto to Montreal. Now as a full fare paying adult, I found Via Business a great product that offers the convenience of downtown to downtown travel that is unmatched by any other method of transport in the corridor. If there is a competitive fare, I highly recommend Via Rail’s business class from Toronto to Montreal.