Is it possible to go by train from Ontario, Canada to Davenport, Iowa??

Question

Also if so, what train company would it be? I need fares, schedules, times etc.

Answer 1

It's possible but sounds like a very long & grueling journey. Here's one scenario:

Take train 97 from Toronto to the US Border. Connect there with train 464 to New York. This takes a little over 13 hrs. Then from New York, take Amtrak to Chicago, Union Station, then connect with service to Galesburg, Illinois, which is about 30 miles from Davenport, IA. That's about 20 hours more plus connection time. Davenport, IA has no Amtrak service.

You need to visit both the Viarail and the Amtrak websites to get schedules. Both permit you to enter dates of travel and the station names that you want. To get fares information, you must specify which class you want and whether you want a sleeper, etc.

The link to Viarail in English is:
http://www.viarail.ca/en_index.html?wt.ad=english_link_view&wt.ac=click_English_link

The link to Amtrak is:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/Page/Schedules_Index_Page&c=Page&cid=1080072922206&ssid=3
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A much shorter alternative method would be to fly from Toronto to Chicago (ORD) and connect to Moline, IL (MLI). Moline is across the river from Davenport.

Answer 2

The easiest way to do it would be go catch the Maple Leaf (the train that goes from Toronto to New York City) and then change to the Lake Shore Limited (the train that goes from New York City to Chicago) at Buffalo (in upstate New York) rather than go all the way to New York City and back. (In fact, the Lake Shore Limited and the Maple Leaf use the same track from Buffalo to New York City.) This would probably cut many hours if not days off your trip and would also avoid spending the night in New York City's Penn Station waiting for the Lake Shore Limited to leave. According to the current schedule, you'd leave Toronto at 8:30 in the morning, get off at Buffalo and spend the next ten or so hours there, leaving Buffalo at about midnight and getting into Chicago at about 9:45 the next morning, although that train is often a few hours behind schedule.

(I should also mention that the train from Toronto to New York can be booked for the entire journey through either VIA or Amtrak, and since you'll do most of your travel in the 'States, I'd suggest booking through Amtrak.)

Answer 3

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