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Via has much improved in recent years, but still has a way to go. I agree that smoking should be prohibited everywhere, and currently Via's policy forbids smoking on all trains in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor. Effective last May, The Ocean is now an entirely non-smoking train. The Canadian has improved its non-smoking policy, but it is still allowed in the skyline car (economy passengers) between 10am and noon, 2pm and 5 pm and between 8pm and 8am. For the mural lounge in the Park Car (first class passengers) Via has the rather strange policy of permitting smoking from June 1st to October 31st during the same times as the skyline car. Smoking is banned everywhere else on the train. Possibly Via allows smoking during the summer season to accommodate the many smoking travellers from overseas. I do hope that this policy will change for the better in the near future.
Smoking policy varies on trains in the remote regions of Canada, in that it is allowed on the Hudson Bay in the dining car except during meal times, and it is allowed in bedrooms in the sleeping cars--bring your gas-masks on this train. For the rest of Via's fleet smoking is prohibited.
This information is available on Via's website, but for some reason it is rather difficult to find.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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