Adirondack Border Crossing
Jul 27, 11, 8:51 am
#1
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Join Date: May 2005
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Adirondack Border Crossing
Hey there! I have a bunch of AGR point and was thinking of taking the train NYP to Montreal. Is there a proper border passport inspection like at an airport? What is the procedure?
Jul 27, 11, 11:17 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Yes, absolutely. Amtrak will require you to provide your personal info and passport or document data upon booking. The Adirondack will stop at the border for inspection (CBSA northbound, USCBP southbound). Agents will walk the train and check everyone's documents. Beware that, if there are problems with anyone, the entire train may be held for minutes or even hours. 
Jul 27, 11, 3:47 pm
#4
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No problem! I have not had my passport stamped in either direction on any of Amtrak's transborder routes. But it never hurts to ask. 
Have a good trip! This train's pace is leisurely on a good day. But the scenery is fantastic, especially as it hugs Lake Champlain.
Have a good trip! This train's pace is leisurely on a good day. But the scenery is fantastic, especially as it hugs Lake Champlain.
Jul 27, 11, 3:54 pm
#5
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Jul 27, 11, 4:10 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Yes, absolutely. Amtrak will require you to provide your personal info and passport or document data upon booking. The Adirondack will stop at the border for inspection (CBSA northbound, USCBP southbound). Agents will walk the train and check everyone's documents. Beware that, if there are problems with anyone, the entire train may be held for minutes or even hours.
Jul 28, 11, 1:22 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 2003
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They do (it happened on our train when Mr. travelmad478 and I took this trip a couple of years ago) but it still takes a dog's age for the whole situation to get handled. We were at the border for more than an hour, as I recall. One passenger in our car got marched off the train.
Jul 28, 11, 1:25 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2009
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They do (it happened on our train when Mr. travelmad478 and I took this trip a couple of years ago) but it still takes a dog's age for the whole situation to get handled. We were at the border for more than an hour, as I recall. One passenger in our car got marched off the train.
Jul 28, 11, 2:23 pm
#9
Join Date: Apr 2003
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This didn't have anything to do with the "travel industry"--and everything to do with Canadian border patrol. If Amtrak had really been interested in "hustling" then they should have been coming through the cars with a snack cart during the delay!
Jul 28, 11, 2:33 pm
#10
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How does this relate to the travel industry? It's the authorities (Canadian or USA as the case may be who aren't releasing the train).
Jul 28, 11, 3:31 pm
#11
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Amtrak's only part in this is to collect the required passport/travel document info and forward it to customs and to ensure that everyone boarding the train actually has said documents on them.
After that, Amtrak has no more say. Once that train crosses the border, it remains in the control of the respective country's agents until such time as those agents decide to release the train with or without all the passengers. It is entirely their call how long they're going to delay the train while they check documents and decide if they're going to deport anyone who came over the border.
Jul 29, 11, 7:19 pm
#12
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If where you live in one of the states that offers the Enhanced Drivers License/ID try to get. It cost a little more than the standard license or id, but it replaces the uses of a passport for all land/sea/rail entry into the US.
http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_edl.html
You other option is to get a Passport Card
http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_uspc.html
Like the Enhanced Drivers License, this is only valid for land/rail/sea entry into the US
http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_edl.html
You other option is to get a Passport Card
http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_uspc.html
Like the Enhanced Drivers License, this is only valid for land/rail/sea entry into the US
Jul 30, 11, 9:46 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2009
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I think in Washington State, train service does not cross the Canadian border. Amtrak buses do the crossing. Maybe that is somehow related to the risk involved in Canadian border patrol taking control of an entire train. A bit amazing that there would even be a train track that doesn't stop at an international border. I'm sure that is common in Europe (the Orient Express crosses many). But here in North America?
Jul 30, 11, 10:11 am
#14
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Amtrak also provides train service between Washington State and Vancouver on its Cascades route. There is a U.S. pre-clearance facility at the Vancouver train station for southbound rail passengers. (The train makes no stops in Canada.)
Originally Posted by LuvAirFrance
I think in Washington State, train service does not cross the Canadian border. Amtrak buses do the crossing. Maybe that is somehow related to the risk involved in Canadian border patrol taking control of an entire train. A bit amazing that there would even be a train track that doesn't stop at an international border. I'm sure that is common in Europe (the Orient Express crosses many). But here in North America?
Jul 30, 11, 10:12 am
#15
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I think in Washington State, train service does not cross the Canadian border. Amtrak buses do the crossing. Maybe that is somehow related to the risk involved in Canadian border patrol taking control of an entire train. A bit amazing that there would even be a train track that doesn't stop at an international border. I'm sure that is common in Europe (the Orient Express crosses many). But here in North America?
