What is "CBN" ?
 

When searching for train from NYP to TWO the website says that I have to connect at "cbn". What exactly does it stand for?

At the moment I can't for the life of me think of what CBN actually means, but it's got something to do with the Canadian Border. When that train crosses the border into Canada it stops running with Amtrak crews and starts running with a crew from VIA Rail, Canada's version of Amtrak. The train even gets a new train number when it crosses the border.

You however don't even have to move out of your seat. They do customs right on board the train, the new crew boards the train, and off you go in the very same car.

You will also get two tickets, one to hand to the Amtrak crew, one to hand to the VIA Rail crew.

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Perhaps "Canadian border Niagara (Falls)"?

There you go! Thanks! :)

I just couldn't think of it last night.

It is actually a hidden station code that means "Canadian Border New York" used for tariff and revenue operations only -- to account for the portions of revenue that go to Via Rail Canada once they cross the Niagara bridge ;)

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Wow, this is an old thread that got bumped...

I took the Leaf recently from Toronto to NYC and at Niagara Falls, NY, we deboarded into a special room for passport checks and declaration forms (not the regular station). We were allowed to leave hand luggage on the train, but it was to have had a special transborder tag given out in Toronto. This was a different process from both the Cascades (border control in the Vancouver station) and, if I recall correctly, the Adirondack (done onboard with border agents who got on from a wayside hut).

Worth noting, in case it applies to anyone, is that Nexus cards are accepted when crossing at CBN, though you get no special priority handling. This is what you would expect since it's a WHTI-compliant land crossing document, but the Nexus paperwork doesn't say so explicitly.

Slightly off-topic but
 

Couldn't resist- when taking the old Montrealer and living in NYC I would go to DC for the beginning of the trip. The border crossing at Rouse's Point, C&I would knock at bedroom door, me:"Entree SVP." Very European, always full of intrigue to see the pax taken off, refused entry into Canada.

That train had the most amazing club car: an upright piano to accommodate musicians with gigs NYC, etc. Alas, all gone now.

Crossing between Port Huron and Sarnia (on the route from Chicago to Toronto) is also gone. In the GTW days, the Canadian Customs staff would start clearing the train at about Lansing,. Michigan.

More recently, they made everyone coming into the US get off at Port Huron and stand outside the train w/ all their luggage and wait to be cleared.

Not a fun experience when the weather was good and even worse in the winter.

Bob H

yup, it stands for Canadian Border.

Don't make the mistake I did back in October. Amtrak printed (and I believe still does) two tickets on ticket stock for the NYP to Toronto trip (NYP to CBN and CBN to Toronto). I mistook the CBN to Toronto ticket for my receipt and left it at home. The VIA crew which reboarded the train after clearing customs was not amused or sympathetic -- it cost me an additional $55 bucks on board to get to Toronto.

Other than that it was a great trip.