Can't answer all your questions, but:

it will be a lot slower than 125mph - half that at absolute most. A bit more spacious than the average train here.

as it stops at the border for about an hour, I'm guessing you will have to get out. You will apply for the visa waiver there - it's $6 a head.

I looked into the Trip from NY to Buffalo a few months ago and that was a 8 hour journey on the train.

I would guess that Buffalo is probably another couple of hours from Totonto.

Hi

Sorry I'm too late to help the original poster but I am hoping this will be of use to someone else. We have just returned from a dual destination trip to Toronto and New York (in Oct 2008) and, as flights between the two were expensive, the train was the only option for us. It cost roughly 60 quid each to get from Toronto into the heart of NYC, so you can't moan at the price.

Personally, I was dreading the journey. I knew it took 13 hours (ours ended up taking 14 as there was a detour) and I wasn't at all looking forward to the day ahead as we waited to get on the train. However, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it for the most part. The train is just like a standard UK train with no tables between the chairs but the seats are huge and there is so much legroom I couldn't touch the seat in front by reaching out my hand. Also, my boyfriend who was sat by the window could easily get up and walk around me to go the loo or whatever without having to wake me up, so I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the seating.

There are plenty of toilets on board and a snack bar. I made several trips down to get coffee or a beer or whatever to stretch my legs more than anything, and then I would return to my seat, have a little read of my book or watch a programme on my boyfriend's iPod. Up until about ten hours in, I was really quite happy. It was only towards the very end that I started to get restless and wanted to get off.

The CBN part of the journey on your ticket refers to crossing the border. This was quite intimidating as the train stopped and we were told we were not to get ot of our seats for any reason as the US customs officials boarded the train. Everyone was checked and questioned (what are you doing in the US, where are you staying etc) and then, as British people, we were taken off the train with several others to get finger printed and stamped in (at a cost of 6 dollars so have the cash on you). Personally, I quite appreciated this break and the chance to get off the train.

There isnt much to see from what I can remember and the journey is slow. It is quite frustrating to think if they got a high speed service, they could probably do it in half the time. I would recommend taking:

Plenty of water and snacks (except oranges or other citrus fruit as the US customs people will take them off you)
A double earphone jack adapter if you have an iPod so you and your companion can load up your iPod with programmes and films and watch them together
Books, books and more books and magazines
A cushion / blanket if possible

The seats do recline and they have an extra area that folds out from under the seat to rest your feet on so it is possible to get some sleep as long as your fellow travellers are not rowdy. I had a humming woman behind me on our journey - her crooning away tunelessly was driving me nuts! But apart from her we were very lucky as our carriage was quiet. It could be a different story if you were stuck with a screaming baby or ended up in carriage with a stag do on board.

Basically I would recommend this service if you want to travel between these two great cities. Yes, it's a long time to sit on a train but it's a means to an end and I was shocked at how quickly the first six hours passed. If you bring plenty to keep you entertained, there is nothing to worry about.

Fantastic! Many thanks for posting!

Pippy

Pippy, I crossed the US by train a few years ago and over 20 years ago took the train from NYC to Rochester.

Yes train travel is not quick, partly because aircraft fly so much quicker and have relatively straight air corridors, but partly because passenger rail travel in the US runs on a completely different basis - ie that independent railroads control the geographic areas and their priority is freight. Amtrak is the principal passenger carrier and it leases its time on the track from the different railroad companies that it uses to run its routes.

It is really important to consider the travel element as an adventure. You will find that the website http://www.amtrak.com will give you routing and scheduling details. There is also a wonderful book US by train (or similar title) published by Bradt, that will give you lots of advice and also what to enjoy en route out of the window.

Seating is very comfortable, but as I was travelling overnight, I found a roomette - a two berth 'cabin' running parallel to the direction of the train, about half the width of the carriage and coverted into two seats facing each other by day - was very comfortable and very good value. With a roomette, your meals are included and there is 24 hours availability for coffee and water. There are plenty of toilets and SHOWERS with loads of towels and hot water!!!!

On many US trains the carriages are on two levels and you will probably spend a lot of your time in the lounge car as well as the snack bar or dining room.

I remember that the train times for the NYC-Rochester route were somewhat awkward - I had an 11 months old baby at the time travelling with me - leaving NY early afternoon and arriving Rochester at about 9 pm. You might decide to avoid a direct train if its timings are inconvenient, and take a train to somewhere like Detroit and then connecting on by a more convenient day train to Toronto.

However, you MUST build in some time for delays .......... because the freight trains always take priority, and sometimes there are diversions - we went via the Prairies rather than the Rockies from Denver because the line was under repair. We lost so much time between Washington and Chicago that we forfeited our pre-paid city tour, and on the Chicago-San Francisco leg we were over 6 hours late (over 2 days!) which meant that Amtrak were obliged to feed EVERYONE on the train for free, and this resulted in interesting meal choices, depending on what was left over!!! Economy class were limited to soup, served in the snack bar, whilst the rest of us fought for the leftovers in the restaurant car, with the ubiquitous creamed potatoes!!!

If you DO decide to go from NYC to Toronto, make sure you take advice as to where to sit ....... there is one side that has spectacular views of the Hudson river, and the other side mostly rock in cuttings!!

All good wishes, and DO ENJOY the journey for itself as a novel experience. I'd love to spend more time on US trains, and if I get a big enough window of leave (4 weeks), I plan to do East Coast - West Coast via the Great Lakes, Seattle to Los Angeles and back to the East Coast via Texas and New Orleans!! (And a great way of escaping extremes of heat and cold en route with good temperature control on board!!)