Taking Amtrak from New York to Montreal

Originally we planned to drive to Canada, but the weather forecast on the drive up indicated there would be snowfall and our rear-wheel drive convertible isn’t a good fit for that kind of weather. When we explored our other options, we discovered that a round trip from New York to Montreal cost only $140. Although the 11-hour ride would surely test our patience, we jumped on it.

We arrived at Penn Station about 45 minutes before our train was scheduled to leave. Lovingly called the “Adirondack 69” train, we had to check in at a special table for Amtrak passengers who are crossing the border, and then we waited on line. There were two lines for the train to Montreal, one for those whose final destination was Montreal, and another line for everyone else. After checking your tickets and identification, they provided us with a special, high security technology to indicate that we were allowed to cross the border into Canada.

We must have looked especially friendly, as we were asked multiple times, “Which line is this?” Although we were surrounded by dozens of people in front of and behind us, they chose to ask us. Davia hypothesized that it could be because we were the only ones in the queue who did not look completely miserable. I had to agree; everyone else on line looked like they were heading to a funeral, which did not raise my expectations for the journey we were about to embark on.

Our line boarded first and was shepherded onto the last two cars which are a bit roomier and reserved for people making the entire journey to Montreal. With typical New York City-sass, the Amtrak employees asked to see our border crossing passes as we approached the train.

All of the seats in our car had ample legroom and each row had two outlets for charging our devices. You could recline your chair, raise a footrest, and there was also an airplane-style tray table as well.

The first hour of the train was pleasant enough. We enjoyed some nice views of the Hudson River Valley. 

Upon seeing what Davia had brought for breakfast on the train, I knew we had come across our first challenge as an internationally-traveling couple.

There was no way I was letting her open up a sealed mason jar with festering pea-based vegan sausage and eggs in our train car. I banished her to the cafe car to consume this travel-unfriendly meal. 

We had originally hoped the train would be empty. Who the hell takes a ~12 hour train to Montreal on a Monday morning? Apparently, a lot of people do as our conductor noted that seats are sold out and those who were traveling alone should expect to have another passenger join their side.

While we were happy with our seats, this did give us great worry about the bathroom situation. To begin with, the bathroom was as clean as a commuter LIRR or NJ Transit train, which is to say, revolting. Another blog we found which detailed the ride from New York to Montreal claims their conductor warned them that bathrooms tend to “disappear” further into the day, and it’s up to the courtesy of the passengers to keep the individual restrooms available.

After getting settled and enjoying the view, we put a movie on. Not long after, we hit Albany, which is roughly one quarter of the distance to Montreal from New York. It was at this point that the toilet in our car lost its ability to flush. It was also at this point when the child in the seat in front of us began coughing as if he had the bubonic plague.

The views were very nice, especially once it started snowing somewhere around Saratoga Springs. However, the non-stop coughing from the two people in front of us caused us to eventually move all of our stuff and sit in the cafe car. There was slightly less leg room, coupled with significantly less coughing in the background.

The customs stop at the border took almost two hours to process, and once we were on our way and into Canada, it was another two hours until we arrived in Montreal.

When we arrived in Montreal it had been snowing for some time, and there was several inches of snow on the ground. Davia rightfully criticized my stance that we not waste space packing snow boots. That may indeed have been a mistake.

It was a brief ten minute walk from Gare centrale de Montréal to Le Mount Stephen, but before we settled in at our hotel we decided to stop at a local convenience store to pick up some snacks. Couche-Tard is pretty much exactly the same as a 7-Eleven. They have chips, soda, beer, tacquitos, and microwaveable food, Their in-store popped popcorn was pretty good.

Finally, we made it to our hotel, which looked very nice in the snow.