Empire Builder vs. Canadian
Info excepted from an internet message board:
Which is better? Empire Builder (Amtrak route thru Montana) or the Via Rail Canadian route?
"the equipment is nicer on the Canadian, and also the cost is substantially higher"
"Note that everything between East Glacier and Devils Lake is "big sky country," i.e. remarkable primarily for its expanse"
"I rode the Canadian back when it was less money than the Empire Builder - and loved it. I am glad I did it at that time. True, the equipment and the food is much better on the Canadian, but I am not sure I would pay today's prices" (2017)
"VIA's Canadian is 'worth it', for me"
"The Empire Builder is one of my "home" trains, I use it fairly regularly to head to the east. I also have ridden the Canadian regularly for the last few years. There is no question in my mind that the Canadian is the superior experience. And ride it eastbound"
"You spend most of the day in, or close to, the mountains the first full day, as opposed to the Empire Builder where you are done with the mountains by 10:30 am or so"
"The prairies through either Saskatchewan and Manitoba or eastern Montana and North Dakota are pretty similar"
"The last full day through boggy northern Ontario is no great shakes. I just like being on that train, so I am ok with miles of swamp."
"Be sure and keep an eye on Via "Sleeper Plus" deals page, http://viarail.ca/en/deals. For selected departures, you can get quite a good deal if you are flexible, the deals only come up 4 - 8 weeks (at most) in advance".
"I take the train in the off-season, when it is a "normal" train 8 car train full of Canadians instead of the 26 car tourist monster it becomes in the summer. Plus you have all day access to the Park car as a Sleeper Plus passenger in the off season"
"I feel the scenery is better on the Empire Builder. Even better scenery is on the California Zephyr."
"The Canadian has the far superior trainset, staffing, and food. The dome cars alone make it a better experience but it's so much more than that. The Canadian features on-board scenery and history narrations and daily events like beer tasting, wine tasting, games, etc."
"The Empire Builder does have some nice scenery in the west and sometimes offers on-board historical narrations by NPS volunteers"
"Amtrak's food can't touch The Canadian's. Having said that, fares are less on Amtrak. Timekeeping on the EB is usually better than The Canadian's (but there are exceptions)."
"I rode the Canadian a few years ago eastbound from Vancouver to Toronto and thoroughly enjoyed the four nights on the train"
"The Canadian is sloooow. If that matters to you."
"for me, the journey itself is my vacation. Where I'm going is almost immaterial. Plus, the Canadian still uses streamlined cars built by the Budd company, and it's pulled by all EMD power, now that's cool!"