Inside Toronto’s Union Station
Backpacking and travelling rough in your early twenties may be adventurous and fun, but as the years pile on, a little comfort, if not unlimited luxury would not go astray.
Today however, unlimited luxury is inevitably associated with heavy carbon dioxide emissions. And on the personal level, unless we are very flushed financially, which can be tricky in this time of economic crisis, flying first-class, even business-class too often might have unhealthy consequences on our wallets. Fortunately, flying is not the only way to enjoy luxurious travelling.
If you happen to be visiting Canada, you may want to get around by riding first-class by rail and forget about flying for a while.
Why in Canada specifically? The simple answer is that Canada Rail stands out among other northern hemisphere train travels.
Without sacrificing an arm and a leg, you have the opportunity to enjoy the lush landscape of Canada at near-ground level, while being relatively pampered throughout your journey. The railcar attendants will not walk around as do the flight attendants serving in first-class or business-class aircrafts, chatting with you, addressing you by name, “Are you comfortable, Dr Jones/Ms Jones?
Where are you off to this time? To your daughter’s wedding? How absolutely wonderful!”, which is pleasant but dispensable.
If you are travelling in the eastern part of Canada for instance, you will see lakes and farmlands coming into view frequently, soothing sights for open space lovers.
The promise of comfort is actually felt as soon as you step into Panorama Lounge in the city you board the train. It is invariably clean and well laid out; with an attendant or two always ready to help whenever you need assistance. You are welcome to read and take the newspapers available at the lounge, with you. If you travel between two main cities, such as from Toronto to Montreal, you can check in your luggage just as you do when you travel by air. You then only carry the essentials in your hand luggage, things you need for the approximately six and a half hour trip. At your destination, you go to the appointed carousel and collect your suitcases. And since the number of first-class passengers is not huge, you do not have to wait long.
You board and find your seat. As soon as you are comfortable, a fully bilingual –English and French – attendant will welcome you, and personally explain to you how to break the double-glazed windows in case of emergency, a rather sobering thought, no doubt, however gently and courteously it is delivered. Luckily you tend to promptly forget about it as soon as the attendant is out of sight.
An entrée of smoked salmon with wasabi drizzle and nappa cabbage salad, a glass of wine and a dessert of caramel cheesecake
Depending on the length of your journey, you will be served the appropriate meals, each meal preceded by a snack and a soft drink or juice. The food served, both entrée and main course, are fresh and of good restaurant-quality, and can be washed down with a glass of wine of your choice, or if you are a teetotaler, your preferred non-alcoholic beverage. At least twice during
the meal, you will be offered a top-up, before tea or coffee is served, with surprisingly generous chocolate mints.
The comfortably spacious seats recline just like those on the planes. So after dining and wining you are free to fall asleep, the rhythm of the train wheels rolling on the rail being deliciously soporific. If you are too awake, just relax and enjoy looking out of the large windows. The interior of the railcars is pleasant enough, if you tire of looking outside.
Drifting in and out of sleep is an experience in itself, because every now and then you float across the Atlantic in Europe, as snippets of conversation in French from other passengers filter into your somnambulic semi-consciousness.
What if you want to watch a film?
There are no film showings. Most people read or talk among themselves. If you are an inveterate film aficionado and will suffer terrible withdrawal symptoms if deprived of film-viewing for more than two hours, then you may want to bring your own DVDs and laptop, complete with earphones. There are electricity sockets and computer ports for all seats. You can even take advantage of the Wi-Fi connections available on the train.
Not all trains stop at the same cities, so you need to check which train suits your itinerary. However this means that the trains are faster than if they stop at all cities.
One significant drawback is the lavatories. While they are a lot more spacious than those on a plane, the inevitable odour associated with railway toilets is still pervasive. Fortunately it is not a place you visit very often during the journey.
And you arrive at your destination significantly refreshed and relaxed, probably even looking forward to the next train ride.
You can pre-book a first-class ticket at any Canada Rail station days before you intend to depart, or buy on the day, or get on www.viarail.ca for timetables, reservations, special offers and prices.
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