Thread by @chris_m_neill

I live in Canada's 10th largest city. Some comments on getting from here to Canada's capital (roughly 500km away) follow.

First I could drive. Takes about 5.5 hours taking the back roads today.

Or I could fly. 1.5 hours drive to YYZ (assuming the 401 is not too bad which it isn't today), wait for an hour or so, fly 45min (?), get bus to somewhere central. About 4 hours?

But today I am leaving the car and taking trains.

Let's start with the local trip to the train station. I live 2.7km from the intercity train station. It's a 34min walk. A bit much with any luggage. So nope.

Driving is out. The car park is full by 6:30am. And anyway want to leave the car home.
So maybe bike? That's 14min (good!), a lot on a new trail (yay!). Except the last bit dumps you on a busy road exactly at the station but opposite side of tracks. Only the road gets you across.

There's covered but not secure bike parking. It is about 15metres from main intersection, but not directly accessible from there. Would have to ride along 2 v busy roads and through the tiny and crowded parking lot to get to it.

So cycling should be cheap, quick, and easy but in practice is dangerous and prob means a stolen bike if left overnight. Nope.

That leaves local transit, much improved since local light rail started (and unlike in my destination city it isn't shut down by train door problems).

That's a 5min walk, allow 10min wait, 3min ride, and 5min walk. 23min. Not too bad. But the last minute is getting from the main intersection along busy road (can use footpath though!) and through the parking lot. Frustrating!

Basically: getting to the intercity train is not straightforward. The approach is designed to make it difficult for transit users, pedestrians, and cyclists. For people a bit further out than me, driving and parking isn't possible. So they basically have to get a lift or a taxi?

Right so at station. Natch the train is late. Only 10min today, decent!

To get to Ottawa, I'm first taking a train into the downtown of Canada's largest city. The train will take a bit over 1.5 hours to cover the 108km, about the same as driving (401 looking ugly now).

As we're about to board there's an aggrieved sounding announcement that the train is full & we have lots of people boarding so we should move fast. Anyone in cars 3 and 4 must board car 5 and walk through the train. The trains/platform are not designed for quick boarding.

It took just under an hour from walking out my door to the train leaving the station. But once on the train it is a pleasant and comfy trip, away from the horrors of the 401. And 1.5hrs to Union is better than the regular commuter train makes the same trip (2hrs).

About 2:45 from leaving home am deposited in the bowels (term chosen advisedly) of Union station a mere hour after l'd have gotten here driving. Time was more productively and less rage inducingly spent, but my feet are very wet and cold. It's an hour wait for my next departure.

The done up bits of Union are looking good. But signage could be better and it is confusing to navigate. As evidence that it's hard to find things - I have only come across 2 Tim Hortons in about 3 mins wandering. Surely there must be at least 2 more hidden nearby.

And off, on time.

If I had left in my car instead, I'd be just short of Sharbot Lake (as shown) by now. Instead am at the blue dot.

Better views of Lake Ontario from train. Also easier to drink coffee and read papers (albeit soggy from getting rained on) than when driving.

For probably the first time this trip we are now travelling faster than even the fastest cars that I can see on the 401 (130km/hr or so? Can't see any complete nongs out there right now). Feels good.

OTOH the people in their sad slow cars don't have to listen to someone halfway down the carriage chatting on the phone about arranging a haircut/other domestic issues ... OTOH pretty trees ... OTOH constant train horns. (As an economist I have many hands. Occupational hazard.)

Stopped completely on a siding track so another passenger train can pass. But can't see any cars, and was only 5min so not so bad.

Single tracks are one of the banes of the frequent trainrider I gather.

Stopped at Smiths Falls to let a freight train pass at roughly walking speed.

Were 5min off schedule at Kingston. Announcement said they hoped to make it up on the last leg. Does not look promising.

Arrived in Ottawa. Around 3 hours after I'd have gotten in driving, but just 30 min after scheduled. Not a bad outcome for Via I gather. Which of course is a problem.

Now to see how the local trains go.

And safely in room where my feet are drying.

The OTrain was very good! Easy pedestrian access from Via station no prob getting a ticket, & quick trip downtown (chosen for ease of access). Was contra regular commuter flow and just a one off but still, Ottawa, it kinda works.

So that's about 9 hours door to door KW-OTT or 7.5 hours from train station to train station. For TO-OTT 4.5 hours station to station.

Combined with almost hourly trains from TO, train looks competitive with flying or driving, assuming minimal delays.

From KW - not so much. Irregular service, going via TO downtown, and long waits for connection (coz have to factor in delays and bad timing of trains) make this a full day event and even then you want to build in slack. Only works if you have spare time.

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