Originally Posted by
bosnyc
I've always wondered how the border crossings work. Do agents scan/ stamp passports like at airports, or do they just "visually inspect" documents while walking through the cars? Do the Maple Leaf and Cascades work the same way?
The Adirondack currently is the only train where all customs work is done on the train. And even that could change in a few more years if a planned facility is actually built in Montreal and agreements are modified with Canada. If that happens, then the procedures described below for the Cascades service will be used here too.
On the Maple Leaf all passengers are taken off the train when it arrives into the Canadian Niagara Falls stop and they are cleared in the station before being allowed to reboard the train with their luggage.
Returning to the US, most times it is done on the train, although occasionally everyone is taken off. That said, a new facility & station is planned (may even be under construction now), and when that is finished everyone will always be taken off the train.
Out west for the Cascades, the train runs sealed from the border to Vancouver. At Vancouver the train pulls into a track that is fenced off from the rest of the tracks and the gate is locked behind it. All passengers detrain, pick up any checked bags, and proceed into the station within a special walled off area for customs.
Coming back to the US, US agents take over the facility in the station and do the customs check and a pre-clearance check before you board the train. After crossing the border, agents board the train again for the final clearance check.