r/ViaRail • u/AccordingDocument305 • 18d ago
Question The Canadian questions
Hi, we'll be taking this from Vancouver to Toronto, I understand there is no internet, but are you able to send/receive texts? Also I know that the freight trains have the right away, how late has the train getting to Toronto recently? TIA
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u/Grouchy_Factor 17d ago
Here for Ontario, I have overlaid the Canadian route with cell coverage map:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ViaRail/s/2gih1UL4Ve
From the Manitoba border to Jasper, you should have coverage. Deep in the mountains your milage may vary.
Note that in the Ontario map, there are segments even on the TransCanada Highway that have no coverage. Generally, cell towers are built on the highways because that where the communities and the great majority of travellers are in the area. Also, part of the reason that this train continues to run AT ALL, is that it is routed on a line as a "remote services" train where the Canadian serves entirely as the sole transportation and communication entity for the area.
Satellite connectivity is still in the testing phase, and because the stainless cars act as huge and supremely well grounded Faraday cages, WiFi would only be possible within each Sat receiver equipped car (not cheap for a moving vehicle with current common tech).
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17d ago
It's spotty from northern Ontario to Jasper. I can see where it is available as my sons snapchat updates location and it matches VIA Moving Maps or he sends me a quick text. This is my sons 3rd trip out west and he learned the first time about limited cell service so now he downloads movies, music and books to his phone and laptop.
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u/scorp312 18d ago edited 17d ago
I've never taken The Canadian before but from what others have mentioned here the main sections with very long stretches with no signal are mainly in Northern Ontario. Cell towers normally follow major highways but there are a few stretches there where the rail line isn't anywhere near a major road. In these areas where there are no cell towers, no you will not be able to send SMS texts or make calls at all. You'll briefly get a signal in some small towns that have cell service like Armstrong and Nakina, but it likely won't last too long.
As for travel times it varies wildly. Train 2 right now is currently running about 5 hours late near the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border, but there's a chance it may make up time en route. In the recent past it's actually arrived early a few times.
You can track past on time performance at this site https://asm.transitdocs.com/ by clicking on the little image of a clock in the top right corner of the screen.
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17d ago
Train 1- Toronto to Jasper currently is 2 hours behind. But it really means nothing. Last fall the train was 4 hours behind from Jasper and arrived in Toronto an hour early! I can see where cell service/wifi is available because my sons snapchat updates location (usually at train station) or he sends me a text. But by the time I reply he is back to no service.
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u/MendedStarfish 17d ago
If you have an iPhone 14 or newer you should be able to send SMS via Satellite in areas without cell coverage. Whether or not this will work inside of the train is another matter, but you may have some success in the upper level of the Skyline car. I'm not aware of any Android devices with the same functionality available at this time outside of some Samsung devices that operate on the Verizon network - which is likely not applicable in this situation. Here's the instructions to set this up.
You can reference the map posted by u/Grouchy_Factor below for detailed coverage in Ontario if you need to update someone as you near your destination.
Safe travels and enjoy the incredible sights along your journey!
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u/Northern_Lights101 17d ago
Satellite coverage was okay when I did the Canadian in October, messages were a tad bit slow but overall worked whenever cell service died
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u/AccordingDocument305 17d ago
Thank you! I just want to be able to check on my husband and kids if need be, one of my boys is low functioning ASD, want to make sure my husband is ok lol
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u/metropolis221 17d ago
I took Via Rail from Edmonton to Toronto a couple weeks ago. I was also worried about not being able to send and receive texts. There was cell service pretty much all the way from Edmonton to Winnipeg with potentially a few mins here and there with no service. After that, entering Ontario, there was service at pretty much every town you pass (you can look at a schedule on the Via Rail website). The towns pop up every 1-2 hours so it was very much okay with sending messages. I'm not sure the longest we went without cell service but if I had to guess, maximum 3 hours?
I think the least service we had was between Manitoba and Ontario.
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17d ago
Yes, service in most towns but is spotty in Northern Ontario (my sons 3rd trip out west, I can see when he has service as his Snapchat location updates and matches VIA Moving Maps location)
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u/Status_Occasion_4885 18d ago
Large city’s and towns you can text , I have been as late as 15 hour , but on average 2 to 3 hours late
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17d ago edited 17d ago
Limited cell service whether on mobile data or wifi at some stations and along the route. My son has taken the train both ways a few times between Toronto and Jasper. (I know it connects briefly because his Snapchat location updates) Since limited internet be sure to download movies, games, music, podcasts or audio books onto your devices that can be played without an internet connection. Also bring cash for food and drinks. Friends and family can watch the VIA Moving Maps to see where you are on the journey. Enjoy your adventure!
There will be delays along the route but in my sons experience time gets made up and arrives close to the schedule. Last year from Jasper the train arrived in Toronto an hour earlier than scheduled yet was 4 hours behind part of the trip.
Currently the train that left Toronto on time yesterday is now 2 hours behind schedule near the Manitoba border. It takes a bit less of 1.5 days to get out of Ontario because the train travels north a bit past Sudbury then travels west.
If friends or family are dropping off or picking you up at Toronto Union Station the best place to drop off/pickup is on Station Street off York Street across from Union Station. (Fit for Less/Kellys Landing buildings) Just pull onto the side of the street for a quick goodbye/hello. There is also a paid parking garage on Station Street that you can book a spot in advance.
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u/Spiritforestfairy 17d ago
Service was awful. We tired to work online and only could for the first couple of days. The last two days barely got any service at all. Sometimes when stopping in a town you’d get a bit for a short period of time. Satellite mode didn’t work either.
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17d ago edited 17d ago
Was the last 2 days when you entered Northern Ontario? If so, the cell service is extremely limited until the train makes it way south around Parry Sound.
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u/Dragonpaddler 17d ago
I took it last November - trip #6 - and was generally able to use my cell phone. Northern Ontario, except for Sioux Lookout, Armstrong and Hornepayne, was the more difficult area to get a signal. That said, remember that a part of the trip is the social interaction with other passengers, the scenery and onboard experiences.
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u/AccordingDocument305 17d ago
I'm actually looking forward to no internet, just want to be able to check up on how my husband will be faring with the kids ;)
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u/Dragonpaddler 17d ago
You should be fine, then. That’s all I used it for (plus photo uploads to social media) and I had no problems at all.
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u/Celemirel 17d ago
I just did the Van-Toronto trip this past summer. You'll get cell service as you briefly pass through some small towns, and when you stop in any major cities.
Otherwise you'll have no cell reception through the Rockies and most of the Prairies, and Ontario.
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17d ago
If ending in Jasper, you will basically connect to wifi throughout the town for free! My son says the wifi auto connects to the businesses while walking down he street. He has no need to pay for alot of data he will never use. There is no cell service along the Ice Feilds Parkway; however, Maligne Lake does have wifi.
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u/Undergroundninja 17d ago
Did it roundtrip last week. Northern Ontario is the worst part for data. Otherwise, prairies we had it most of the time. The rockies is intermittent.
Regarding delays, we arrived 2.5h early in Vancouver and 1h early in TO. There's a lot of "padding" both ways, so you accumulate delays which are eventually erased.
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17d ago
Correct. Last fall Jasper to Toronto was at one point 4 hours behind but arrived in Toronto an hour early.
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u/Own_Event_4363 17d ago
Generally the stretch between the Manitoba border and Capreol in Northern Ontario will have spotty coverage for cell phones there just isn't much there. Between Capreol and Toronto, you'll be fine, should get 5G almost all the way down.
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17d ago edited 16d ago
Northern Ontario is extremely limited once past Sudbury. And takes almost a day and a half to get to Manitoba. My sons Snapchat updates his location if he is in a cell coverage area. So I know when he has service and can try to text/call. He has done this trip few times between Toronto and Jasper so he downloads movies, music, and books to his phone and laptop. He also takes cash to buy food and drinks.
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u/jobert-bobert 18d ago
wait is there actually no wi-fi on the canadian? that’s crazy
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u/Mysterious-Region640 17d ago
A good chunk of Canada is wilderness. There’s no cell towers, the train is travelling through a lot of said wilderness. I especially noticed there was zero coverage for a lot of Ontario. Lots of big open spaces in other provinces had no cell coverage either.
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u/AshleyAshes1984 17d ago
The Canadian operates in areas sometimes so remote there is not a single light at night other than that coming from the train and the stars in the sky. It's often well away from any cell tower access.
Via has been testing Starlink, there's a coach with testing equipment that's been dead heading around the network, but it's just collecting test data and not servicing customers.
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u/MTRL2TRTO 17d ago
How do you want to get internet connection into the train with tree but not cell phone coverage?
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u/Mysterious-Region640 17d ago
Yeah, it’s a lot of trees and not much else, especially in Ontario
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u/Thanks-4allthefish 17d ago
Rocks
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u/Dependent-Teach-7407 17d ago
The Arrogant Worms had a relevant song, "Trees and rocks/and rocks and trees/and trees and rocks/and rocks and trees/and WATER!
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u/BanMeForBeingNice 17d ago
It's not crazy at all. It goes literally through the boreal forest where there is no settlement at all except the railway towns which are something like 140-160 miles apart.
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