Travellers have two more days to take advantage of a 60 per cent discount off Via Rail Canada trips completed before Dec. 14, a spokesperson for the transportation corporation said this afternoon.

The deadline, originally Wednesday, was extended after frustrated customers trying to purchase tickets online or over the phone ran into hours of website glitches and busy tones.

“Due to the overwhelming response from customers, Via has decided to extend the deadline to Friday at 11:59 p.m. … an additional 48 hours,” Via Rail spokesperson Ashley Doyle said this afternoon.

The extension couldn’t have come a moment sooner, as customers’ moods had quickly turned sour earlier today when many of them decided to stand in a lengthy lineup at Union Station to ensure they met the deadline.

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By Danielle Wong, TheStar.com >>> continue reading

You would think that with the high cost of air travel that people would be flocking to trains as an alternative, but judging from the discounts that you can get for train travel these days then they must be having problems of their own.

VIA rail is offering 50 per cent off its regular peak fares for one-way trips on its Toronto-Jasper-Vancouver, Montreal-Halifax and Montreal-Gaspé routes. The deal applies to both economy and sleeper class tickets.

Here are some sample prices: one way from Toronto to Vancouver, $662 in an upper berth; Vancouver to Jasper, $447 plus tax per person for double occupancy. Travel must be finished by May 31 for these two trips.

One-way eastern routes include Montreal to Halifax for $187, or Montreal to Gaspe, $164.50, taxes not included. You can get more details at viarail.ca, or call 888-VIA-RAIL.

Rocky Mountaineer, which offers four spectacular rail routes through British Columbia and Alberta, is offering up to $2,400 worth of add-ons to entice passengers to climb aboard their trains. Their bonus is offered per couple to apply to airfare, meals, accommodation, sight-seeing tours and more when booking a minimum five-night rail vacation until March 31, 2009.

To receive the maximum $2,400 bonus, passengers must book the six-night/seven-day Classic Rail Circle package for travel between June 2 and September 29 for two adults in GoldLeaf Service with Fairmont Deluxe accommodation. This package features an all-rail journey onboard the Whistler Mountaineer and two Rocky Mountaineer train routes.

The Rocky Mountaineer train offers passengers a two-day, all daylight rail journey through Canada’s West and the Canadian Rockies. The Whistler Mountaineer train offers a daily three-hour journey between North Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.

If you want to know more you can contact Rocky Mountaineer at (800) 665-7245 or visit www.rockymountaineer.com.