retzie

What number did you call? From the ESTA FAQ:

They are open East Coast business hours.

rpjs

Just noting that sometime next year a new customs facility will open in Montreal so all rail passengers to the US will be precleared there (and passengers to Canada will be processed on arrival in Montreal too), so the Adirondack train will no longer stop at the border for customs and immigration processing in either direction.

As far as I know the Maple Leaf train between NYC and Toronto will continue to be processed at the border at Niagara Falls but this will be the only cross-border Amtrak train that does so from next year.

Rete

Great news on the Montreal / NY Adirondack track. Lovely ride but long with stops at every flea bite station on the line and then a change of trains in Albany.

crg

If you are VWP eligible, and never applied for an ESTA, you can seek admission under the VWP by land coming from Canada/Mexico without applying for ESTA. Having ESTA streamlines the process at the land crossing but is not required.

However, the guidance for people who have a denied ESTA is the same for all modes of transport and all crossings. Obtain a visa before seeking admission.

Any claim that people are "always free to seek permission to enter the US at the border" is complete rubbish. There are multiple scenarios where this isn't true.

Seeking entry at the land border after being advised in writing to seek a visa when ESTA was denied is a bad idea. Attempting entry without the visa will most likely result in the traveler being processed for an adverse action and sent back. In this case, the adverse action would most likely be a VWP refusal and assignment of an alien number. Depending on how the inspection goes there could be additional consequences.

Either see if ESTA can sort out the issue, or get a visa.

ian-mstm

I agree... and I've said nothing to the contrary. I said you're always free to seek permission to enter - which you are. I wasn't attempting to assess the risk of doing so. If you're going to take the time to respond, you should at least respond to what's actually written... not what you think is written.

Ian

rpjs

It is indeed very slow, although very scenic, between Albany and Montreal. We've done that round trip twice now but never had to change trains at Albany (they do change the locomotives there). One thing we did to break the journey was to get off at the summer-only flea-bite (love the description, Ian) of Port Kent, NY and took the also very scenic ferry across Lake Champlain to Burlington, VT and spent a couple of nights there.

There are also plans to restore the NYC - Montreal via Burlington service sometime in the future after the new customs facility opens.

quiltman

We've done the Vancouver/Seattle Amtrak several times - both ways. Lovely ride and some nice coastal scenery. going either way you clear immigration at Vancouver , coming north the train does sometimes stop briefly at the border - at Blaine where the tracks run close by the road crossing, and US officials get on/off - presumably shift changes or similar?
We had one occasion whereby we were going to Seattle and had to pay for an I94 at the station as we'd flown into Vancouver , but otherwise never a problem.

crg

Is someone who has been ordered removed previously also "always free to seek entry"? I guess they can, but I guess there's no need to mention that it may be a felony punishable by 2 to 20 years and a $250,000 fine.

The problem with such "always" blanket statements is that it ignores the people who aren't free to seek entry. I suppose anyone can seek entry, but it's worth mentioning that everyone who seeks entry is detained (even briefly for normal processing) until a decision is made. They can't just decide to return foreign on their own. Many will be offered the opportunity to withdraw if found inadmissible, but that isn't always the case since being allowed to withdraw an application for admission is a benefit the government does not have to offer.

You may want to include that being formally refused entry can create additional problems in obtaining a visa in the future. They could create an alien file, assign an FBI number, allege that the traveler made misrepresentations or is inadmissble for other reasons.

People without a valid passport, visa, or the wrong visa can be summarily ordered removed and barred for 5 years just for seeking entry, but I guess they too are free to do so. I just think that information would be good to convey as well.

Pulaski

I don't believe that Rete has experience as a railroad engineer and I suspect that that is what she meant by "a change of trains ", as opposed to "we had to change trains".

Rete

I love Ian but no, I don't want to be him

And nope, again. I had to get off the train and wait for another train for the continued trip to Yonkers, New York which was my hometown at that time. Was glad that I had to do that because you couldn't smoke on the train but back then you could still smoke on the platform.

scrubbedexpat099

Smoking is bad.

rpjs

Oops, apols for the misattributation.

Rete

No problem. I'll just look for you at Silver Tips when I next visit the grandkiddy.

Guindalf

I would have argued wth you, bit I managed to quit nearly 16 months ago after smoking for the best part of 45 years!

So proud of myself and I'll brag at every opportunity I can get!






If anyone wants to know, I used Chantix and it worked for me with almost zero side-effects!

rpjs

Lol, not been there in a while actually, I should remedy that.