One of the extra trains during the 2015-16 holiday season departs Halifax with a stainless steel consist in tow.
The Maritimes will be seeing extra passenger trains for the Christmas holiday season once again this year. It might seem early to be thinking about Christmas, but VIA is clearly trying to make sure that people have extra options when they look to book their Christmas travel, which many will do well in advance.
Similar to last year, there will be 3 extra trains in each direction, plus rescheduled trains from both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve (which fall on Sundays this year, so the trains that would run those days are cancelled), meaning that there will be a total of 5 trains each way running on unusual days of the week.
Also in keeping with past years, a set of HEP (Budd-built stainless steel) equipment will be running on 3 departures in each direction. This equipment should include a Skyline dome car, a full dining car, and sleeping cars with upper and lower berths, roomettes, and double and triple bedrooms.
The dates of operation from Dec. 20th to January 5th are listed below. Unusual dates of operation are in bold. Again, three of those are added departures, and two are rescheduled dates. The type of equipment (Renaissance of HEP) is also indicated for each trip.
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#14 Montreal-Halifax
Wednesday, Dec. 20 Ren
Thursday, Dec. 21 HEP
Friday, Dec. 22 Ren
Saturday, Dec. 23 Ren
Tuesday, Dec. 26 HEP
Wednesday, Dec. 27 Ren
Friday, Dec. 29 Ren
Saturday, Dec. 30 HEP
Monday, Jan. 1 Ren
Wednesday, Jan. 3 Ren
Friday, Jan. 5 Ren
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#15 Halifax-Montreal
Wednesday, Dec. 20 Ren
Friday, Dec. 22 Ren
Saturday, Dec. 23 HEP
Tuesday, Dec. 26 Ren
Wednesday, Dec. 27 Ren
Thursday, Dec. 28 HEP
Friday, Dec. 29 Ren
Tuesday, Jan. 2 Ren
Wednesday, Jan. 3 Ren
Thursday, Jan. 4 HEP
Friday, Jan. 5Ren
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These extra trains will provide nearly daily service during that period, and will hopefully make it easier for more people to use the train for their holiday travels.
Federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May and New Brunswick provincial leader David Coon are among elected officials who have received copies of Riding the Ocean’s Next Wave.
“VIA Rail’s Ocean is dying.” So begins the report recently completed by transportation consultant and advocate Greg Gormick for the advocacy group Save Our Trains in Northern New Brunswick. The new report is titled “Riding the Ocean’s Next Wave: A proposal for VIA Rail Canada’s Maritime services”, and was released in mid-August with considerable media coverage.
Gormick is no stranger to VIA’s Maritime services. He has completed reports on rail service in the region in the past, and toured Atlantic Canada as part of the “National Dream Renewed” campaign several years ago, aiming to generate support for improvements to VIA’s services across the country at a time when the future was looking particularly bleak.
His assessment of the current situation boils down, in essence, to three points: VIA is struggling to compete with discount airlines for end-to-end travel; their equipment is deteriorating; and the inconvenience of a tri-weekly schedule is simply unable to generate adequate ridership or effectively serve any part of the market. These are concerns that are generally shared by TAA. Continue reading “A New Proposal to Rehabilitate the Ocean”→
One of the last trains that ran to Sydney prior to the discontinuance of service is seen making its way across the now dormant rail line in Cape Breton. Thanks to an agreement with the Province of Nova Scotia, the tracks will be staying in place for at least another year. (Photo by Tim Hayman)
The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia (CBNS) Railway has reached a deal with the Province of Nova Scotia to keep its rail line through Cape Breton in place for at least another year. The province will pay CBNS up to $60,000 per month to cover valid expenses, including salaries, insurance, security and building maintenance directly attributed to the line between St. Peter’s Junction and Sydney. Repairs or improvements to the line will not be reimbursed under this agreement. In exchange, CBNS will not apply to abandon the line for the next year. It’s not yet clear whether this agreement would be extended on an annual basis.
From the provincial news release: ““This agreement preserves the existing rail line, which is a key component of the proposed container terminal in Sydney,” said Geoff McLellan, Minister of Business. “Government continues to work together with businesses, community and municipal leaders on economic development related to Cape Breton. Strong transportation links are a key component of building a stronger economy.”
From CBNS, in the same release: ““We are pleased to work with the Government of Nova Scotia to allow economic development initiatives like the proposed container terminal unfold,” said Louis Gravel, president of Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway. “We would like nothing more than to one day see a thriving operating railway between Port Hawkesbury and Sydney.” ”
Any action from the province to help maintain this rail line is valuable, and it maintains the possibility that it may once again see trains at some point in the future. Losing the right of way and basic railway infrastructure would all but guarantee that trains would never again run across Cape Breton. However, this agreement will not do anything directly to restore service on the line, nor does it seem to suggest that there is any thought of re-opening the line unless the proposed container terminal in Sydney goes ahead.
Regardless, it is a better outcome for the time being, and provides both a glimmer of hope and an indication that the province has some level of interest in preserving the rail link for the future.
