Ocean(train)

TheOcean(French:L'Océan), previously known as theOcean Limited,is apassenger trainoperated byVia RailinCanadabetweenMontreal,Quebec, andHalifax,Nova Scotia. It is the oldest continuously operated named passenger train in North America.TheOcean'sschedule takes approximately 22 hours, running overnight in both directions. Together withThe Canadianand Via'scorridor trains,theOceanprovides atranscontinentalservice across Canada.

Ocean

APark carbrings up the rear of No. 14 atBelmont, Nova Scotia,on August 13, 2005.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Operating
Locale	Quebec,New Brunswick,Nova Scotia,Canada
Current operator(s)	Via Rail(1978–)
Former operator(s)	IRC(1904–1918), CN(1918–1978)
Ridership	1,487 weekly (FY 2019)
Annual ridership	78,353 (FY 2019)
Website	Via Rail - The Ocean
Route
Termini	Montreal,Quebec Halifax,Nova Scotia
Distance travelled	1,346 km (836 mi)
Average journey time	22.6 hours (Train 14 (Eastbound)), 23 hours and 23 minutes (Train 15 (Westbound))
Service frequency	Three trips in each direction per week.
Train number(s)	14, 15
On-board services
Class(es)	Economy and Sleeper Plus class
Seating arrangements	No Reserved Economy seating
Catering facilities	Dining car, service car (takeout counter)
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in)
Track owner(s)	CN(since 2008)
Route map km 0 Montreal Central Station Victoria Bridge over theSt. Lawrence River 7 Saint-Lambert Richelieu River 54 Saint-Hyacinthe Atlantic ended 1994 100 Drummondville 247 Charny bypassed 2014 254 Sainte-Foy 311 Montmagny 371 La Pocatière 439 Rivière-du-Loup 482 Trois-Pistoles 543 Rimouski 572 Mont-Joli 619 Sayabec 643 Amqui 665 Causapscal 722 Matapédia Restigouche River QC NB 741 Campbellton 772 Charlo 797 Jacquet River 825 Petit Rocher 842 Bathurst 913 Miramichi Northwest Miramichi River Southwest Miramichi River 949 Rogersville Atlantic ended 1994 1042 Moncton 1103 Sackville Missaguash River NB NS 1119 Amherst 1146 Springhill Junction 1243 Truro 1346 Halifax

History

TheIntercolonial Railway of Canada(IRC) inaugurated theOcean Limitedon July 3, 1904, as a summer-only "limited stop" service to supplement theMaritime Express.In Halifax, it connected with theDominion Atlantic Railway's luxury train, theFlying Bluenose.During the immigration boom of the early 20th century, theOcean Limitedand other passenger trains on its route saw increased use as they provided key wintertime connections for both theGrand Trunk RailwayandCanadian Pacific Railwayin moving sponsored immigrants to lands in thePrairie provinces.

Ocean Limited promotional poster, c. 1915

In 1918, the IRC was merged into theCanadian National Railways(CNR) and theOcean Limitedcontinued its operation much as before. During both theFirstandSecond World Wars,theOcean Limitedprovided important service to the port of Halifax.

In 1964 theOceanreceived ex-Milwaukee RoadSkytop Loungelounge-sleeping cars.

CNR dropped the "Limited" from the train's name in 1966 as part of the company's adoption ofbilingualnames.Despite the name change references to theOcean Limitedremain commonplace.

During a landslide which affected the old IRC line nearRimouski, Quebec,in 1977, for six months CN diverted theOceanonto another parallel line several hundred kilometres to the south, maintaining the same Halifax–Montreal schedule times.

Via Rail

In 1976, CN placed operation of its passenger services under a new division using the marketing slogan "Via". In April 1978 this division was split off as a separateCrown corporationnamedVia 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.

TheOceandid not get renamed by Via, and in fact became supplanted on the Halifax–Moncton portion of its route in 1985 by another Via train, theAtlantic(formerly theAtlantic 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 trainScotian,which survived only into the first few years of the Via era.

Under Via, theOceanunderwent several changes in its operation:

• (1979–1981) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions between Halifax-Montreal. Another Via train, theAtlanticalso served these cities over a different route.
• (1981–1985) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions, albeit as the only through train between Halifax-Montreal, following cancellation of theAtlantic.
• (1985–1990) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions betweenMonctonand Montreal, following reinstatement of theAtlantic,which became the through train to Halifax. Passengers on theOceanwere forced to change trains at Moncton.
• (1990–1994) Operation three days a week in both directions between Halifax and Montreal following Via budget cuts. TheAtlanticalso 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.
• (1994–2012) Daily operation (six days a week) in both directions between Halifax and Montreal. The second cancellation of theAtlanticresulted in increased operation on the route of theOcean.CN sold its portion of theOcean'sroute between Rivière-du-Loup, QC, and Moncton, NB, to a shortline operator which operated the section from Rivière-du-Loup to Campbellton as theChemin de fer Matapédia et du Golfeand the section from Campbellton to Moncton as theNew Brunswick East Coast Railway.CN re-acquired these portions on November 3, 2008, and, as a result, theOceannow again operates solely on CN trackage.
• (1998) October 26, 1998, saw CN abandon its scenic route along the waterfront ofLévis, Quebec,which served the combined railway station and ferry terminal. This section of the railway was redeveloped as an urban cycling trail, although the former Lévis train station and platform remain. Via Rail was forced to relocate theOceanstop for the Quebec City region to Charny, necessitating a reverse move in each direction. Via offers a connecting shuttle van service forOceanpassengers between Charny and Quebec City (in 2014 Via moved the stop from Charny to Sainte-Foy - both the eastbound and westbound trains travel in to Sainte-Foy forward, and reverse back to the main line).
• (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-builtRenaissanceequipment. However, Via has had occasional problems with this equipment and has had to use the Budd cars. 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 took place through to the winter of 2011/2012, and ended after the service was reduced to three trips a week, with the exception of extra Budd-equipped trains during the Christmas holidays in 2014 and 2015. A stainless steelPark Car(originally built in 1954) was attached to the end of every train for passengers in Easterly Class (named "Sleeper Plus" ). Though initially available only during the peak summer season and the Christmas holidays, the Park car was part of every train year-round. The Renaissance cars' European couplers made it necessary to insert a barrier vehicle known as a transition car (numbered 7600–7602) between the Renaissance sleeping cars and the Park Car (or other Budd HEP cars). The transition car is converted from a Renaissance sleeper shell and is effectively an empty walk-through corridor with carpeted floor and handrails along the walls.
• (2012) On June 27, 2012, Via Rail Canada announced plans to reduce frequency of theOceanfrom six to three times per week. Starting October 2012, theOceandeparted Montreal on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and departed Halifax on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The Tuesday departure from Halifax was later changed to Wednesday, so the departure days are the same in both directions.
• (2014) In 2014, CN threatened to abandon the Newcastle Subdivision, an action which would have jeopardized theOcean.As part of an agreement, the government of New Brunswick announced it would give $25 million to CN to upgrade and maintain freight service on the line's northern and southern sections. CN committed to spend an equal amount to maintain and operate these two pieces for freight services for the next 15 years. However, a 71-kilometre (44 mi) section of track between Bathurst and Moncton was not part of the deal and the lack of rail traffic initially kept this part of the route from being saved. However, in May 2014, the federal government pledged $10.3 million to rebuild the line to save theOcean.
• (2014) The Ocean celebrates its 110th year of service.
• (2020) Via Rail shuts down theOceandue to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
• (2020) On November 1, 2020, Via Rail's lease with the Halifax Port turnaround loop ended, meaning the train is not able to make the return trip, jeopardizing the train's future.
• (2021) On August 11, 2021, theOceanstarted a gradual return to service, departing once a week in Halifax and once a week in Montreal. Via Rail opted to have the locomotives in a back to back consist, something unique and atypical of them. However, this made the train able to return to Montreal despite not having a turnaround loop in Halifax.
• (2022) Starting June 3, 2022, Via Rail resumed the three times weekly schedule each way, with departures from both Montreal and Halifax on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
• (2022) Due to the December 23, 2022 ice storms throughout much of Eastern Canada, both Ocean trains departing from Montreal and Halifax were stuck in Campbellton and Rivière-du-Loup respectively for over 24 hours. Due to fallen trees and debris from the storm blocking the Mont-Joli Subdivision, no CN workers cleared the tracks until mid-Christmas day, by which point both trains were already ordered to return to their respective departure terminals. Via Rail gave out thousands of dollars worth of free vouchers and coupons to customers affected by this.

Route

Train route (suspended Gaspé branch in brown)

The route taken by theOceanruns through eastern Canada including theIsland of Montrealand the city's skyline and suburbs, the lowerSt. Lawrence Rivervalley, theMatapédia Rivervalley, the south shore ofChaleur Bayand the forests of eastern New Brunswick, theTantramar Marshes,theCobequid MountainsandWentworth Valley,the edge ofCobequid Bayand mixed farmland through central Nova Scotia to Halifax.

Rolling stock

Via Ocean 14 Jacquet River NB July 31, 2006

Three Renaissance train-sets supported theOceanroute, but the reduction to three departures in each direction per week in late 2012 reduced the need to only two sets of equipment. These sets range from as few as 14 cars in the off season to as many as 21 cars during the peak summer period, and each includes a baggage car, several coach cars, a dining car bracketed by two service cars, multiple sleeping cars, a transition car (see discussion above) and a"Park" Sleeper Buffet-Lounge Dome Observation Car.TheOceanis almost invariably hauled by a pair of London, Ontario-built GMF40PHlocomotives, all of which CAD Railway Industries of Montreal has upgraded to the F40PH-3 model. A third locomotive is sometimes added in autumn and winter to help deal with difficult track conditions.

For several years prior to 2012, Via Rail removed one set of Renaissance equipment from service during the winter for upgrade work and replaced it with Budd-built stainless steel "HEP1" equipment (including a baggage car, coaches, a"Skyline" dome car,a dining car,"Château" sleeper cars,and a "Park" car). This practice ended after the service reduction, as only two sets of equipment were required. However, in 2014 and again in 2015, Via added trains during the Christmas holiday period, which they ran using a set of "HEP1" equipment much like in past years. These runs have been popular with railfans and the travelling public, as they provide more types of sleeping accommodations, a dome accessible to coach passengers, and a full dining car with meals cooked on board (a contrast to the catered meals in the normal Renaissance dining cars).

Prior to August 2013, theOceanran from Montreal toMatapédia, Quebec,joined to Train 16/17, the "Montréal–Gaspétrain "(formerly called theChaleur) three times per week. In Matapédia, the trains were separated with Train 16 continuing to the Gaspé peninsula and Train 14 (theOcean) continuing to Halifax (and vice versa with Trains 15/17). Train 16/17 had its own locomotive which ran from Montreal, resulting in the combined trains (14 + 16 and 15 + 17) running with three locomotives between Montreal and Matapédia. The Montréal–Gaspé train used Budd-built stainless steel passenger cars, including a "Skyline" dome car. It was not possible to pass between the two trains when connected. Trains 16/17 were suspended due to infrastructure problems on the line to Gaspé, and service will not resume until the line is upgraded.

The balloon track at Halifax used to turn locomotives and passenger cars located in thePort of Halifax's South End Container Terminal was taken out of service in late 2020 to create more storage space for containers and the balloon tracks were severed in the fall of 2021.This necessitated certain operational changes to maintain service in both directions. The two F40PH locomotives are coupled "back to back", unique for Via Rail trains, to enable the locomotives to couple on to the opposite end of train in Halifax for the return trip to Montreal. A result of the inability to turn the train set in Halifax is that the lead car on the eastbound Ocean (Train 14), typically a Renaissance baggage car, becomes the trailing car on the westbound Train 15 (in 2022, there is a second baggage car, a Budd HEP1 car, on the opposite end of the train). This situation has also resulted in the dropping of the iconic Park car (customarily the trailing car on Via's long-distance trains) from the Ocean train consist.

References

• Smith, Douglas N.W. (2004).TheOcean Limited:A Centennial Tribute.

External links

Media related toOcean (train)at Wikimedia Commons

• Via Rail's site for theOcean
• The Oceantravel guide from Wikivoyage

External videos
"The Ocean 🇨🇦 Via Rail, Halifax to Montreal"onYouTube,Wingin' It! Paul Lucas,2020-11-5