June 9, 2003 -- If you're thinking of a summer road trip, consider taking the train instead. Especially for families, traveling by train in North America can be a new, exciting adventure. There's plenty of room for the kids to run around, they can go to the bathroom every 15 minutes if they feel like it, and the trains often travel through scenery much more striking than the shoulder of an Interstate highway. (For the childless, train trips can be romantic, too, especially if you've got a sleeper cabin to yourself.)
See Canada, Via Rail
Canada's VIA Rail is offering the newer discount. Buy your tickets by June 19, and you can get the following discounts:
- Up to 50% off tickets in the heavily-traveled Ontario/Quebec corridor, including trains between Windsor, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. When we checked this discount out, we got a C$85.12 ($63.52) roundtrip ticket from Montreal to Quebec reduced to C$65.56 ($48.92) - a decent 23% discount. A roundtrip between Toronto and Ottawa fell from C$132.68 ($99.01) to C$102.72 ($76.66) - also a 23% discount. This one's only good for travel through August 28.
- Up to 50% off tickets on trains between Montreal and Nova Scotia or eastern Quebec, both in economy and sleeper class, for travel through mid-October
- 25% off the train from Halifax to Sydney, in Nova Scotia, for travel through mid-October
- 25% off economy and first class fares on the Canadian cross-country train for travel through mid-October. When we checked, a one-way run from Toronto to Vancouver in coach class dropped from C$692.29 ($516.63) to C$519.22 ($387.47), and a ticket for a sleeping berth dropped from C$1409 ($1051) to C$1056 ($788).
- 25% off first class tickets on the trains between Jasper and Prince Rupert, or between Winnipeg and Churchill, for travel through mid-October.
The easiest way to book these discount fares is to call 888/VIA-RAIL and ask for discount code SPL, the "summer discount." You can do it online, too: go to www.viarail.ca/tickets/en_index_tick.html. After you've selected your trains, you'll be presented with a "Passengers" screen. In the "Enter Your Special Discount" box, under "Discount Type" pick "Other Special Discounts" and enter SPL in the "Discount Code" box. Click on "Fares" and you'll see the new, lower fare. Tickets must be bought 7 days before departure.
For families, the deal's even sweeter: one child 11 or under can travel free with every adult ticket purchased on every Canadian train except the Bras d'Or between Halifax and Sydney, as long as they're traveling before August 28. To combine this deal with the other discount, ask the phone guys for code SPL for the adults and code CHD03 for the kids. If you're booking online, enter SPL in the Discount Code box for the adult passengers and CHD03 in the boxes for each child. With the combined discounts, we got a one-way trip from Montreal to Quebec for a family of four from down to C$158.74 ($118.46) down to C$65.58 ($48.94) - an incredible 58% discount!
For more on VIA Rail, including routes and schedules, head to www.viarail.com.
On The Right Amtrak
US travelers shouldn't feel too envious of their northern cousins. Amtrak's offering a similar discount if you buy tickets by June 15, with 25% off most trains for travel until December 18.
We priced a few trains between the US and Canada on this deal. A one-way ticket from New York to Montreal dropped from $68 to $51; a ticket from Seattle to Vancouver dipped from $31 to $23.25. (The discount doesn't apply on tickets to Ontario.)
Domestically, a ticket from LA to Portland drops from $78 to $59, and a ticket from Pittsburgh to Chicago drops from $46 to $35. For more details, head to www.amtrak.com/savings/banner1.html.
To get this discount, buy your ticket online at www.amtrak.com and enter promotion code H315. Up to two kids per adult can ride along at half the discounted fare.
There's a ton of restrictions and fine print on this deal, alas. It doesn't apply to those Ontario trains, nor to Acela Express or Metroliner high-speed trains in the Northeast, the Downeaster train to Maine, or any train between Washington and Boston leaving from 11 AM to 11 PM on Fridays and Sundays, and there are blackout dates around major holidays. Still, it makes a cross-country rail journey this summer just a bit more affordable.