Ocean (passenger train)
Encyclopedia
The Ocean is a Canadian
passenger train operated by Via Rail
between Montreal, Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia
. It is currently the oldest continuously-operated named passenger train in North America. The Oceans schedule takes approximately 21 hours, running overnight in both directions. Together with The Canadian
and Via's corridor trains, the Ocean provides a transcontinental
service.
Ocean Limited Inaugurated by the Intercolonial Railway of Canada
(IRC), the Ocean Limited was created to supplement the Maritime Express as a summer-only "limited stop" service beginning on July 3, 1904. In Halifax, it connected with the Dominion Atlantic Railway
's luxury train, the Flying Bluenose
. During the immigration boom of the early 1900s, the Ocean Limited and other passenger trains on its route saw increased use as they provided key winter-time connections for both the Grand Trunk Railway
and Canadian Pacific Railway
in moving sponsored immigrants to lands in the Prairie provinces.
In 1918, the IRC was merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR) and the Ocean Limited continued its operation much as before. During both the First and Second World Wars, the Ocean Limited provided important service to the port of Halifax.
Ocean CNR changed its name to the bilingually appropriate Canadian National/Canadien National (CN) in 1960, however passenger trains and other company assets were slow to evolve. However by 1966, the Ocean Limited had been renamed to the Ocean/Océan, while maintaining the same schedule and train numbers.
During a landslide which affected the old IRC line near Rimouski, Quebec
, in 1977, for six months CN diverted the Ocean onto another parallel line several hundred kilometres to the south, maintaining the same Halifax–Montreal schedule times.
In 1976, CN placed operation of all its passenger services under a new division using the marketing slogan "Via". In April 1978 this division was created as a separate Crown corporation named Via Rail Canada, taking with it all CN passenger trains and equipment. The new national passenger rail service did not begin to change train names and operations until 1979, following the October 1978 assumption of all CPR passenger trains and equipment.
The Ocean did not get renamed by Via and in fact became supplanted on the Halifax–Moncton portion of its route in 1985 by another Via train, the Atlantic (formerly the Atlantic Limited), which saw its eastern terminus extended to Halifax from Saint John. This train also assumed the train numbers and equipment of the defunct CN passenger train Scotian, which survived only into the first few years of the Via era.
Under Via, the Ocean underwent several changes in its operation:
(1981–1985) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions, albeit as the only through train between Halifax-Montreal, following cancellation of the Atlantic.
(1985–1990) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions between Moncton and Montreal, following reinstatement of the Atlantic, which became the through train to Halifax. Passengers on the Ocean were forced to change trains at Moncton.
(1990–1994) Operation three days a week in both directions between Halifax and Montreal following Via budget cuts. The Atlantic also operated three days a week and equipment rotated on the two trains. Service between Moncton and Halifax and between Saint-Hyacinthe and Montreal, the only common portions of the two routes, was six days a week.
(1994–present) Daily operation (six days a week) in both directions between Halifax and Montreal. The second cancellation of the Atlantic resulted in increased operation on the route of the Ocean. CN sold its portion of the Oceans route between Rivière-du-Loup, QC, and Moncton, NB, to a shortline operator which operated the section from Rivière-du-Loup to Campbellton as the Chemin de fer Matapédia et du Golfe and the section from Campbellton to Moncton as the New Brunswick East Coast Railway
. CN re-acquired these portions on November 3, 2008, and, as a result, the Ocean now again operates solely on CN trackage. October 26, 1998, saw CN abandon its scenic route along the waterfront of Levis, Quebec
, which served the combined railway station and ferry terminal. Via Rail was forced to relocate the Ocean stop for the Quebec City region to Charny, necessitating a reverse move in each direction.
(2006) The gradual phasing out of the restored stainless steel Budd cars was to have taken place, with all departures in both directions to have been operated in favor of the more modern European-built Renaissance equipment. However, Via has experienced occasional problems with this equipment and has had to press the Budd cars into service as needed. Work on upgrading the Renaissance fleet has resulted in the need to operate one Budd consist (with the two other consists Renaissance outfitted) during the winter season. This is taking place through the winter of 2010–2011, although it is unclear as to whether it will occur again in winter 2011–2012. A stainless steel Park Car is attached to the end of every train for passengers in Easterly Class during peak season.
and the city's skyline and suburbs, the lower St. Lawrence River valley, the Matapédia River
valley, the south shore of Chaleur Bay
and the forests of eastern New Brunswick, the Tantramar Marshes
, the Cobequid Mountains
and Wentworth Valley
, the edge of Cobequid Bay
and mixed farmland through central Nova Scotia to Halifax.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
passenger train operated by Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
between Montreal, Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. It is currently the oldest continuously-operated named passenger train in North America. The Oceans schedule takes approximately 21 hours, running overnight in both directions. Together with The Canadian
The Canadian
The Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1955 and 1978. It is currently operated as an Inter-city rail service by Via Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in...
and Via's corridor trains, the Ocean provides a transcontinental
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
service.
Ocean Limited Inaugurated by the Intercolonial Railway of Canada
Intercolonial Railway of Canada
The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway , was a historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways...
(IRC), the Ocean Limited was created to supplement the Maritime Express as a summer-only "limited stop" service beginning on July 3, 1904. In Halifax, it connected with the Dominion Atlantic Railway
Dominion Atlantic Railway
The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley....
's luxury train, the Flying Bluenose
Flying Bluenose
The Flying Bluenose was a Canadian luxury passenger train operated by the Dominion Atlantic Railway between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia from 1891 to 1936...
. During the immigration boom of the early 1900s, the Ocean Limited and other passenger trains on its route saw increased use as they provided key winter-time connections for both the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
and Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
in moving sponsored immigrants to lands in the Prairie provinces.
In 1918, the IRC was merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR) and the Ocean Limited continued its operation much as before. During both the First and Second World Wars, the Ocean Limited provided important service to the port of Halifax.
Ocean CNR changed its name to the bilingually appropriate Canadian National/Canadien National (CN) in 1960, however passenger trains and other company assets were slow to evolve. However by 1966, the Ocean Limited had been renamed to the Ocean/Océan, while maintaining the same schedule and train numbers.
During a landslide which affected the old IRC line near Rimouski, Quebec
Rimouski, Quebec
Rimouski is a Canadian city in the central part of Bas-Saint-Laurent region in eastern Quebec. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Rimouski River, north-east of Quebec City....
, in 1977, for six months CN diverted the Ocean onto another parallel line several hundred kilometres to the south, maintaining the same Halifax–Montreal schedule times.
In 1976, CN placed operation of all its passenger services under a new division using the marketing slogan "Via". In April 1978 this division was created as a separate Crown corporation named Via Rail Canada, taking with it all CN passenger trains and equipment. The new national passenger rail service did not begin to change train names and operations until 1979, following the October 1978 assumption of all CPR passenger trains and equipment.
The Ocean did not get renamed by Via and in fact became supplanted on the Halifax–Moncton portion of its route in 1985 by another Via train, the Atlantic (formerly the Atlantic Limited), which saw its eastern terminus extended to Halifax from Saint John. This train also assumed the train numbers and equipment of the defunct CN passenger train Scotian, which survived only into the first few years of the Via era.
Under Via, the Ocean underwent several changes in its operation:
- (1979–1981) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions between Halifax-Montreal. Another Via train, the
New Brunswick East Coast Railway
The New Brunswick East Coast Railway was an historic Canadian railway that operated in the province of New Brunswick.It included of track of which were mainline between Campbellton and Pacific Junction near Moncton...
. CN re-acquired these portions on November 3, 2008, and, as a result, the Ocean now again operates solely on CN trackage.
Lévis, Quebec
Lévis is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre Laporte Bridge, connect western Lévis with Quebec City. The Société de transport de...
, which served the combined railway station and ferry terminal. Via Rail was forced to relocate the Ocean stop for the Quebec City region to Charny, necessitating a reverse move in each direction.
Route
The route taken by the Ocean runs through a very scenic portion of eastern Canada including the Island of MontrealIsland of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
and the city's skyline and suburbs, the lower St. Lawrence River valley, the Matapédia River
Matapédia River
The Matapédia River is a river on the Gaspé Peninsula in the province of Quebec, Canada. It runs 65 km from Lake Matapédia to the village of Matapédia where it flows into the Restigouche River on the interprovincial boundary with New Brunswick.Matapédia Lake becomes Matapédia River at Amqui ,...
valley, the south shore of Chaleur Bay
Chaleur Bay
frame| Satellite image of Chaleur Bay . Chaleur Bay is the large bay opening to the east;the [[Gaspé Peninsula]] appears to the north and the [[Gulf of St...
and the forests of eastern New Brunswick, the Tantramar Marshes
Tantramar Marshes
The Tantramar Marshes is a National Wildlife Area on the southern part of the Isthmus of Chignecto, which joins Nova Scotia to New Brunswick and the Canadian mainland. It is the site of the historic Battle of Fort Beauséjour, the final chapter in the long battle for Acadia by the British and French...
, the Cobequid Mountains
Cobequid Mountains
The Cobequid Mountains, also sometimes referred to as the Cobequid Hills, is a Canadian mountain range located in Nova Scotia in the mainland portion of the province.-Geologic history:...
and Wentworth Valley
Wentworth Valley
The Wentworth Valley is a valley in the Cobequid Hills of northwestern Nova Scotia, Canada.The valley is located in a glacial trough north of Folly Mountain and comprises the lowest elevation pass through the Cobequids...
, the edge of Cobequid Bay
Cobequid Bay
Cobequid Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and the easternmost part of the Minas Basin, located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The bay was carved by rivers flowing into the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy....
and mixed farmland through central Nova Scotia to Halifax.
See also
- Nightstar (train)Nightstar (train)The Nightstar was a proposed overnight sleeper service from various parts of Britain to continental Europe, via the Channel Tunnel. To run alongside the Eurostar and north of London day time Regional Eurostar services, the Nightstar was the last part in a round the clock passenger train...
the Alstom-built UK rolling stock that was converted to "Renaissance" cars for use on the Ocean