Nova Star: Rough seas behind – challenges ahead

Returning in 2014 after a four-year absence, the seas have been rough and the challenges great for the ferry service between Yarmouth and Maine. Traffic volumes were lower than anticipated, costs higher than expected, and the owners were unable to arrange an off-season charter for the vessel. As a result, the first season’s operation consumed the entire provincial subsidy that was supposed to last for seven years. The government decided to contribute more funding to the cause – a portion of which was not immediately disclosed, ultimately landing Rural Development Minister Michel Samson in political hot water. The grand total has now surpassed 28 million dollars. Unlike other ferry services in this region the Yarmouth-Maine run is completely supported by the government of Nova Scotia, with only minor federal assistance and none from the state of Maine.

The Nova Star will be back this year for a second season – one that many see as being crucial to the long-term future. The challenge in 2015 will be to increase traffic, reduce costs, and lessen the Province’s subsidy to what taxpayers would consider an acceptable level.

On the positive side, this year’s schedule is already known, so reservations can be made well in advance, as opposed to 2014 when bookings could be made and confirmed only days before the first sailings. This is important, as many travellers and tourists – especially the tour bus market – plan many months in advance. Fuel costs, a major expense last year, should be lower, reducing operating expenses marginally.  Cheaper gas prices and the lower Canadian dollar should encourage more American tourists to come to Nova Scotia, which could be a source of additional traffic for the Nova Star. However there is a downside here, as fares are in US dollars which may result in fewer Canadian customers. As well, provisions and fuel are purchased at the US port.

The ferry also faces a major challenge competing with the highway on cost, convenience, and the time to get there. Driving time from Halifax, for example, to the Boston area is only about twelve hours. Highway competition makes it difficult for the ferry to establish a solid base of truck traffic – a mainstay for other ferry services, especially in the shoulder season.

It is difficult to measure the contribution the ferry made to tourism or provincial revenue last year.  Certainly it made a substantial difference in the Yarmouth area and all of southwestern Nova Scotia, and that is no doubt why the Province chose to continue its funding.  But the government will face some tough and potentially unpopular decisions if 2015 does not bring a substantially improved financial picture.

Chronicle-Herald columnist Rachel Brighton put it this way in her column on January 24: “If our dollar stays low and Nova Star cruises can’t entice enough American passengers aboard with their greater spending power, then it will be time to call it a day. If that should happen it will also be time for Yarmouth’s business community and political leaders to find an alternative economic stimulus.”

In a late breaking development, the Province announced on February 3 it is prepared to offer an additional $13 million in support for the 2015 season, but indicated it may issue a new tender call for subsequent years.

– by Donald R MacLeod

New North Sydney terminal opening soon

A gleaming new building, two levels, floor to ceiling glass windows.
An architect’s rendering of the new North Sydney ferry terminal building

Marine Atlantic customers will soon be enjoying a new, larger and more convenient ferry terminal building in North Sydney.  Construction is nearing completion on the $20-million state-of-the-art structure, which will replace a smaller 30-year-old facility that had become inadequate to meet modern operational requirements.

Marine Atlantic CEO Paul Griffin says the new building will move the ferry service firmly into the 21st Century, adding that it is really configured around customer needs, while meeting all current security requirements as well.  Mr. Griffin escorted a group of dignitaries, including Transport Minister Lisa Raitt, on a tour of the facility in late December.

Two men and a woman stand in front of a ferry.
Marine Atlantic CEO Paul Griffin (r.) escorted Transport Minister Lisa Raitt on a tour of the new facilities. CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke is on the left.

It’s expected to be ready for occupancy in late spring, according to Marine Atlantic spokesman Darrell Mercer. He expects passengers will be pleased to have ready access to the amenities of downtown North Sydney while waiting to board.  They will simply have to step out the main entrance to avail of a variety of dining options and other attractions and services just a short walk away.  He said the company has been working closely with the business community as the project unfolded, and suggested there would be mutual benefits for the town, the company, and the travelling public.

The building will offer improved access for walk-on passengers and those connecting with Maritime Bus, and the new location offers much more public parking than was available previously.  The design incorporates all the latest advances in services for passengers with special needs, as well as cutting-edge environmental technology.  It will also have a dedicated lounge for commercial drivers.

VIA tightens Ocean Schedule

There has been a slight improvement in the Ocean schedule, with the issue of a new timetable shortening the overall time between Montreal and Halifax by one hour.  Effective February 18, train 15 departs from Halifax at noon instead of 1100, and arrival of #14 will be an hour earlier at 1735.  Arrival and departure times at Montreal remain unchanged.

The schedule tightening is partially due to track improvements completed in 2014, but the dwell time built into the schedule to accommodate switching at Matapédia for the now-dormant Gaspé service has also been eliminated.  One permanent slow order that hasn’t changed is on the Bathurst to Miramichi segment, which still requires an hour and 41 minutes.  Sixty years ago the steam-powered Ocean Limited covered the 44 miles in well under an hour.

Last fall, Steve Del Bosco, chief advisor to VIA’s CEO, told Transport Action Atlantic that discussions were ongoing with CN regarding track speed.  (Mr. Del Bosco retired at the end of January after 36 years of service, having been with the company since its earliest days.)  Unconfirmed reports suggest that the new timetable is but an interim step, and that further improvements may be pending.

Fifty years ago the Ocean ran between Moncton and Campbellton in four hours flat, a time that changed little over the next four decades.  But the effects of deferred maintenance eventually came into play, as more and more slow orders were imposed, adding over two hours to the scheduled time by 2014.  The new schedule, while an improvement, still requires more than 5½ hours for the Moncton-Campbellton run.

The schedule change also restores some lost bus connections at Moncton and Truro for passengers to and from PEI, Cape Breton and the Newfoundland ferry.  While all are now theoretically possible assuming on-time arrivals, the situation at Truro is complicated by the unfortunate fact that Maritime Bus no longer calls at the VIA station there.