My post was based on experience, not theory.
Yet you have not actually provided an example of a rail passenger being left at the border due to delays in processing paperwork.
Originally Posted by
YVR Cockroach
it would appear the train is allowed nearly 2 hrs to clear southbound, and an hour north.
Originally Posted by
YVR Cockroach
If the Maple Leaf/Empire Service train doesn't make its allocated slot at Buffalo, it may be hours before it can get going as there could be a whole line of freight trains scheduled to travel.
Amtrak trains, by federal law, are given priority over freights. Does this always happen in practice? No. But you won't see a train leave for the reason of missing its "slot" (this isn't LGA or DCA we're talking about here). As you note, the train is given 2 hours to cross the border into the US.
I still contend that in the absence of any hard evidence, saying that the train is more likely to "leave without you" than another form of transportation is pure speculation. A two-hour window to clear the train should be sufficient.