Travelling from Montreal, Canada to Sheffield, Massachusetts

[infobleep]

In June I need to get from the international airport in Montreal to Sheffield, Massachusetts.

Hiring a car isn't an option as I don't drive. One way is to fly to New York and then get a bus taking 2-3 hours Sheffield. Not sure how long the flight is.

Another alternative is the train from Montreal to New York. I like the sound of that journey but it is 10 hours and my family are concerned if something goes wrong in my travels I'll be stranded. I'm travelling alone to Sheffield. The flight to Canada is 7 hours.

Although I can change my flight, it is with Air Canada and they don't fly from London to New York.

I then be doing the reverse also in June.

Does anyone have any experience of doing this or similar journeys between Canada and America. I have visas for both counties.

Thanks

 

[Auden Hoggart]

Consider taking the Adirondack train from Montreal to Hudson, New York. You're then about 30 miles from Sheffield. Perhaps someone could pick you up or you could contact local taxis and see what they'd charge to take you the rest of the way.

 

[181]

I've used the Montreal-New York Adirondack, in both directions in 2005 and southbound only in 2017, and can recommend it. It's mostly very slow but very scenic -- the 100 miles or so along Lake Champlain is more like the West Highland line beside Loch Lomond than any British main line. The part south of Albany along the Hudson River is much faster but also very scenic, as long as you get to it before nightfall.

I would advise not planning any onward travel that relies on a punctual arrival -- both my southbound journeys arrived about an hour late. The timetable allows an hour for border formalities, but on my more recent journey the train was full and it took about twice as long as that. Anyone who isn't a US or Canadian citizen is asked to go to the buffet car to be processed. The US immigration officials can be quite intimidating, but if all your documents are in order you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

It appears from https://www.rome2rio.com that it's possible to get by bus from Albany to Sheffield and so avoid going south to New York and back, but I'm not sure of the timings -- you might still have to spend a night in Albany; and of course you may want to visit New York anyway.

The same site suggests that a taxi from Hudson (south of Albany on the Adirondack route) to Sheffield would cost 80-100 dollars -- if this saved you a hotel bill as well as some time, it might be worth considering.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the nearest Amtrak station to Sheffield, is still not very near, and is served only once a day -- the timings don't allow same day connections to/from Montreal.

If your timings allow you to take an extra day and you want to use a different route in each direction, there is an alternative (which I haven't used, although I did consider it). I believe Port Kent on the Adirondack route is connected by a ferry to Burlington, Vermont, which in turn is about 10 miles from the Essex Junction stop of Amtrak's Vermonter. You'd need to spend the night in the Burlington area. The Vermonter runs to New York and Washington via Springfield, Massachusetts -- in the southbound direction, there's a 50 minute connection (I don't know how reliable it is) into the train to Pittsfield, but this doesn't work going the other way.

Might you get more replies in the International Transport section?

 

[infobleep]

Thanks for your replies. Apologise for not thanking you sooner.

 

[edwin_m]

If your timings allow you to take an extra day and you want to use a different route in each direction, there is an alternative (which I haven't used, although I did consider it). I believe Port Kent on the Adirondack route is connected by a ferry to Burlington, Vermont, which in turn is about 10 miles from the Essex Junction stop of Amtrak's Vermonter. You'd need to spend the night in the Burlington area. The Vermonter runs to New York and Washington via Springfield, Massachusetts -- in the southbound direction, there's a 50 minute connection (I don't know how reliable it is) into the train to Pittsfield, but this doesn't work going the other way.

I did that transfer in 1986 to get a bus from Burlington to Boston. Port Kent "station" appeared to be a grade crossing where you are called to the last door on the train, the conductor tells the driver when to stop and you disembark onto the road!

 

[cactustwirly]

A quick look on Google maps suggests Greyhound from Montreal to Albany, the Lake Shore limited to Pittsfield, then a local bus to Sheffield.
I wonder if the Adirondack connects with the lake shore limited?

 

[infobleep]

A quick look on Google maps suggests Greyhound from Montreal to Albany, the Lake Shore limited to Pittsfield, then a local bus to Sheffield.
I wonder if the Adirondack connects with the lake shore limited?

When I did a Google journey search, which I fully admit is open to errors, if it's anything like there public transport data in the UK, it suggested train to Albany. Personally I prefer long distance trains to buses. Sheffield isn't that far from Montreal by car.

My trip has now been postponed but I do like the idea of the train journey.