Article on VIA Canadian and Schedule question

Here are additional articles - including links within that posted, regarding The Canadian. They certainly suggest the "bloom is off the rose":

https://globalnews.ca/news/6591508/via- ... e-canadian

Now what follows is heresy to some, but it represehts a bowing to reality.

Scrap the timetable and just say there will be eight departures in each direction monthly. The departures would simply be identified as, say, the fourth Westward departure during April, as #1(4)IV. Passengers would then book whichever was closest to their intended departure date. This noted departure would leave Toronto during the four day range of April 12. Passengers would be notified by text, email, or robocall, as the train progressed Westward perfecting its station arrival time as it went.

So far as the CN is concerned, it is simply a "Passenger Extra".

Crazy I know, but at least there would never be a late train again!

There is some sense to that. If you're traveling across the country slowly, expect to travel slowly.

As it stands, the Via website is frustrating to use. One inputs their requested date, Via comes back with "it's not avaiable that day, try day 4". Well, what is day 4? To some of us it's Wednesday and some it's Thursday. I have no idea what system Canada is on.

Tadman wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:39 am As it stands, the Via website is frustrating to use. One inputs their requested date, Via comes back with "it's not avaiable that day, try day 4". Well, what is day 4? To some of us it's Wednesday and some it's Thursday. I have no idea what system Canada is on.

Its rght on the Schedule Page (4 is Thursday)

I guess it's what you are used too!...…. I find the Amtrak site difficult to navigate at times.

For numbering of days of the week, see https://www.timeanddate.com/date/week-numbers.html

Specifically:

"There are at least six different week numbering systems currently in use around the world.

The most common is the International Standard ISO 8601, where Monday is the first day of the week followed by Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and with Sunday as the seventh and final day. Using ISO 8601 can help diminish uncertainty and confusion when communicating internationally." This is what VIA uses.

However, USA, Australia and New Zealand may not follow this standard. Likewise Canada, except that VIA is headquartered in Québec, which tends to follow international standards.

Clear? (maybe not!)