Ozflier,

It's really hard to predict what will happen at the boarder crossing. A lot depends on how many passengers are on the train and where they are from.

Amtrak does build in time for the crossing, typically about 2 hours. When I went to Toronto last summer, Canadian customs went very smoothly and they were done in about an hour or so. In fact the train couldn't leave the station, since it wasn't departure time. So we were allowed to get off the train for a while and walk around.

On the other hand coming back, US customs wasn't as efficient and they delayed the train by well over an hour. This was do largely to the fact that 3 of the customs officers thought that it was more prudent to hang out in the train's lounge car laughing and telling jokes, rather than help the one officer who was actually checking the passengers papers. Although 4 people were removed from the train too.

So, as others so often say on FlyerTalk, YMMV. But at least you'll be sitting in a comfortable seat, instead of standing in a line at the airport.