Ottawa

A lovely train station, such a superior experience compared to using the train. Plenty of places to sit, accessible services like bathrooms, tickets, and snacks. There are clear signs with key information related to arrivals and departures. During the day the station floods with light. Good service by staff.

Great accessible location and a fair price for transport.

The cleanest train station I have seen in my entire life.

Disaster. I will NEVER take Via Rail again after last night. We were leaving Ottawa in the middle of the storm on May 21st, and right before boarding the train they told us to wait for the storm to pass before boarding. They then had us board. About 5 km outside of Ottawa we hit a tree at full speed. They stopped for about 2-3 mins. A lot of trees had fell down after the storm. They DID NOT stop, or assess the track after hitting the first tree, or return to the station. They decided to keep going. Until we came across another huge tree we couldn’t pass. Via rails solution was to stay in the train for help. On the track, 5 km outside of Ottawa. Myself, along with 24 other people missed our international flight connections in Montreal. We wait for 3 hours, until via rail made the decision to go in reverse back to the station. However, did they check the track again for the trees we hit on the way in? Of course not, they backed up over another tree and severed the brake lines. We then waited another 2 hours for a mechanic to show up. In total, we waited 6 hours, on a train to return to Ottawa. We missed our flight to Venice. We spent 6 hours of our time unable to do anything. They wouldn’t let us off the train even though a road was right next to us. Via rail and their “structural engineers” SHOULD HAVE assessed the damage BEFORE we left the station. While the storm is not their fault, how they DEALT with this situation was beyond comprehension. The manager on the train, and I quote “this is classic Via Rail, shoestring policy where they put no money into the company for customers. They have no adequate protocol for when this happens”. We will never. Travel. Via. Rail. Again. Please don’t bother travelling with them, it isn’t worth it.

Traveling by business class is always a joy at VIA RAIL. The lounges are spacious, clean, and offer free beverages while waiting to be called for priority boarding. The front staff are bilingual and exceptional at directing you to where you need to go and what documentation must be provided (e.g. boarding passes, vaccination record). The train cabins are outdated despite being revamped somewhat. I enjoyed my business class experience from Ottawa-Montreal with free beverages, snacks, meals, and dessert. I would definitely travel by businesses class next time for an enjoyable, stress-free experience.

Large, high-ceilinged facility. Information staff was helpful and pleasant. Water-bottle filling station beside the restrooms. Coffee and snack bar.

Very good and organized service. Coffee shop with decent prices. Plenty of room in the washrooms. The station is clean.

Cool station. It's clean and organized. There are a couple small trains (old models probably). So cute and interesting. The coffee place is good too. The subway is close by and there are also taxis outsidd.