FAQ – Baggage

Remember to identify each of your pieces of baggage by attaching a tag with your name, home address, phone number and email address.

Make sure to remove or store hooks, hangers, straps and sharp objects so that they cannot snag or damage other travelers' baggage. Also avoid attaching items to backpacks.

All items must be transported in their original box or in a rigid container providing adequate protection. Boxes must be attached with a rope or handle allowing them to be moved easily and must also have a baggage tag with contact information.

Visit our Packing your bags page for more tips.

Carry-on baggage is an item that you can bring on board that can either be stored under the seat in front of you, on the overhead shelf or in a baggage rack.

Please note that handbags/purses are not considered as carry-on baggage, nor are strollers measuring less than 25.5 cm (10 in) in diameter and 92 cm (36 in) in length when folded.

Consult our Carry-on baggage page to learn more.

Checked baggage are items that are stored in a baggage car on long distance trains.

For all information regarding carry-on baggage allowance, please consult our carry-on baggage allowance page.

Golf bags, folding bikes, skis and snowboards, may be brought on board and will count as one (1) item in your carry-on baggage allowance.

Please visit our Sports and recreational equipment page for more details.

Toddlers and infants (up to 2 years old) holding a ticket or traveling on an adult's lap are entitled to the same carry-on baggage allowance as the accompanying adult (diaper bag or supplies needed for duration of journey count as carry-on items for the child).

Learn more on our Baggage for toddlers and infants (aged 0-24 months) page.

A bag must always be checked at least 45 minutes prior to departure at terminal stations and 30 minutes prior to departure at intermediate stations.

It is not possible to check bags in the Corridor as there are no baggage cars, but passengers can bring carry-on bags.

A carry-on bag is an item that passengers can bring on board and that can either be stored under the seat in front of them, on the overhead shelf or in the spaces designated for this purpose. For more information, please consult our Fare comparison table.

Carry-on baggage is accepted on the entire VIA Rail network without exception.

On long-distance and regional routes, additional bags beyond the basic allowance will be checked in the baggage cars. For more information, please consult our Fare comparison table.

Articles that fit under the seat, such as purses, laptops or small backpacks, are considered as personal items.

Your backpack is considered a personal item if it is below the maximum dimensions of 43 × 15 × 33 cm (17 × 6 × 13 in). If the backpack exceeds this limit, it is considered a carry-on baggage item.

There are 2 ways to determine your baggage allowance, depending on how you book your trip.

If you book your trip online:

• Go to our booking engine page.
• Enter your departure and arrival stations.
• Enter your travel dates.
• Click on the "Search" button.
• Choose your desired departure in the list of proposed itineraries.
• The baggage allowance for your trip is provided in the "Review" stage of the booking process.
• Your baggage allowance is also be indicated at the time of booking in your itinerary confirmation.

You can also visit our Carry-on baggage page and our Checked baggage page to learn more.

If you book your trip by phone or at a station ticket counter:

The baggage allowance of your trip can be found within the booking confirmation, which is e-mailed to you once the booking process is complete. Our agents in station are also able to inform you of the baggage allowance for your trip.

If you are planning a connection with one of our travel partners, please consult their website for information on their baggage policy, as their policies may differ from ours.

If you are crossing the Canada-US border on trains 97 or 98, you are subject to Amtrak's baggage policy. Please consult their policies on carry-on baggage and checked baggage to make sure you comply.

We announced a new baggage policy last november, valid across our network for Corridor trains, long distance trains and long distance trains with a connection in the Corridor.

Here are the changes made last november:

• The baggage policy is now differentiated by fare types (Escape, Economy, Economy Plus, Business and Business Plus) rather than by class of service (Economy and Business).
• We are making changes to the base allowance, as well as the allowance for additional items.
• We have adjusted our baggage sizing standards.

• On board baggage space is maximized so that you can find nearby space for your carry-on baggage, including under the seat and in the overhead shelf.
• You enjoy a better boarding and deboarding experience as the complexity of baggage handling is reduced.

Following the review of our policy, for certain fares we’ve updated the baggage allowances and fees for additional bags.

The policy has been simplified for travel on long-distance and regional routes and will allow our customers to enjoy a more personalized experience when travelling in the Corridor.

• You are now able to select a fare option with the basic baggage allowance required for your trip. Baggage becomes a differentiated feature so that you pay only for the allowance you need.
• As passenger volumes increase, changes to the basic baggage allowance, additional baggage allowance, and accepted standard baggage sizes, will allow us to provide better customer experience in the station and on board the train.

The basis of our revised baggage policy remains unchanged: we provide various options for baggage size and fees for additional bags, depending on the selected fare.

As part of the changes coming into effect, for certain fares we’ve updated the baggage allowances and fees for additional bags. For example, the cost associated with adding an additional bag in Economy class now varies depending on the chosen fare. For more information, please consult our Fare comparison table.

Baggage policies with associated fees are a common and standard industry practice and our baggage policy has always included fees for additional bags.

While items that are included in the basic baggage allowance do not need to be declared, any additional or special item(s) you are allowed to bring must be declared during the booking process.

While items that are included in the basic allowance do not need to be declared when travelling in the Corridor, any additional or special item(s) you are allowed to bring must be declared during the booking process.

If a passenger brings an additional bag as part of their allowance that was not declared during the booking process, they may not be able to travel with it, as baggage space is subject to availability.

Baggage space on VIA Rail trains is subject to availability.

Please note that the baggage allowance that corresponds to your fare type must be respected in quantity of bags, size and weight as our employees will rigorously apply our baggage policy.

Passengers cannot travel with any extra baggage not part of their allowance.

For long-distance and regional services, basic allowance and additional checked bags that are included in your selected fare do not need to be declared in advance.

If you wish to prepay the fee for your additional bag, you can call the VIA Customer Centre or pay for your bags in station prior to your departure.

However, sports and recreational equipment must always be declared by calling the VIA Customer Centre prior to your arrival at the station.

We are doing our best to avoid having baggage in a different car by assigning baggage towers in your car. However, please note that we cannot know in advance which baggage tower will be available.

We continue to provide baggage assistance for passengers with specific needs and approved accessibility requests. However, each passenger is responsible for their own baggage. As a passenger, you must only bring baggage that you can carry and store under the seat in front of you or on the overhead shelf unassisted.

There is no priority boarding for passengers with large baggage items.

Although we continue to provide baggage assistance for passengers with specific needs and approved accessibility requests, each passenger is responsible for their own baggage. As a passenger, you may only bring baggage that you can carry and store under the seat in front of you or on the overhead shelf unassisted.

With the new baggage policy, students are entitled to the allowance linked to the fare type paid.

With the new baggage policy, retired and current members of the Canadian military are entitled to the allowance linked to the fare type paid. However, you can benefit from an unlimited number of additional bags by contacting our Customer service.

Visit our Military baggage page to learn more.

No, there is no baggage benefit for Premier members.