Restoration of the Ocean to Gaspe

[Miss Chief]

Quebec to fund Gaspé rail revival

Written by Keith Barrow, Associate Editor, International Railway Journal

The Premier of Quebec Philippe Couillard announced on May 5 that the province will allocate C$100 million ($73 million) towards the rehabilitation of the Matapédia-Gaspé line.

Quebec acquired the 325-km (201.9-mile) line in 2015 after declining revenues forced the Gaspé Railway (SFG) into receivership. Via Rail had suspended Montreal-Gaspé passenger services east of Matapédia in August 2013 due to the poor condition of infrastructure.

Work on rehabilitating the line is expected to begin within the next few months and will initially focus on the Matapédia-Caplan section. The government of Quebec says it is also committed to the rapid revival of the Caplan-Port Daniel Gascons stretch and studies will be carried out into the repair of 16 structures on the Port Daniel-Gaspé section.

Couillard says facilitating the restoration of passenger services is an objective of the project, although he concedes it will be several years before this is accomplished.

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/sus ... vival.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Thoughts?

[NS VIA FAN]

It will probably be years before passenger service resumes...

"Couillard says facilitating the restoration of passenger services is an objective of the project, although he concedes it will be several years before this is accomplished."

$100 million would be better spent increasing service in the corridor where people are actually riding trains.

[timberley]

The important thing to remember here is that restoration of passenger service is part of the goal, but it's not the entire focus of the project - it's also to allow the continuation and expansion of freight traffic. Things like the cement plant at Port Daniel, and the wind power manufacturer in Gaspé, which has been trucking windmill blades to New Richmond and sending them out on trains from there. Plus a potential to draw new businesses in.

A big part of the question re: the timeline will be whether VIA will be willing to resume partial service (i.e. to New Carlisle), which could happen much sooner as the project gets going, or if they'll wait until the full route to Gaspé is done. Recall that they did short-turn the Chaleur at New Carlisle for a while during the last period before they stopped running the train.

One point to the OP: the title of this thread is wrong. The Ocean has never run to Gaspé - that train was the Chaleur, and in later years VIA dropped the name so it was just the "Montreal-Gaspé train". I certainly hope we'll see it return, though it's a little too soon to celebrate just yet.

[NS VIA FAN]

One point to the OP: the title of this thread is wrong. The Ocean has never run to Gaspé - that train was the Chaleur, and in later years VIA dropped the name so it was just the "Montreal-Gaspé train". I certainly hope we'll see it return, though it's a little too soon to celebrate just yet.

Actually the Ocean was shown as running from Gaspe to Montreal in the October 1971 CN Timetable. The e/b train to Gaspe was the Scotian. These were the Gaspe sections of the main Hoalfax<>Montreal trains...added or split out at Matepedia, The Chaleur name had been dropped.

[timberley]

Actually the Ocean was shown as running from Gaspe to Montreal in the October 1971 CN Timetable. The e/b train to Gaspe was the Scotian. These were the Gaspe sections of the main Hoalfax<>Montreal trains...added or split out at Matepedia, The Chaleur name had been dropped.

Alright, well, you got me there Need to be more careful with the "never" declaration...

However, I highly doubt that the original post was thinking back several decades, and certainly for recent context the thread would be more accurately titled as "Restoration of the Chaleur"

[NS VIA FAN]

Here's a link to a little history on the Chaleur posted here in 2009 (so it does need some updating)

viewtopic.php?f=59&t=64697" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[NS VIA FAN]

It's July 1975 in Matapedia, Quebec and the power from the e/b Scotian is placing the through cars to Gaspe on the back station track.....then the waiting RS18s and Steam Generator back down onto the train.

[NS VIA FAN]

In 1979.....the through cars were replaced by a connecting RDC Railiner to Gaspe......then in 1983 the Chaleur was restored.

[marquisofmississauga]

I had heard there was a fire at the VIA station, but it would be restored. We were in Gaspé in October (on a cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2 - its first call at that port. If you can't get there by train, a splendid ocean liner will do!) and noticed the station is gone. My attempt to post photos has failed - invalid it says.

The large VIA sign near the end of the bridge is still there. Also, the "Train L'amiral" with its four former GO Transit single-level coaches is at the location of the former station. The people in the tourist office say it is stranded there due to the condition of the track.

[NS VIA FAN]

VIA built a new station in Gaspe after the fire....but it has yet to see a VIA train. The Tourist Info Centre is the new Station.

https://goo.gl/maps/5Jkz2MNw6Lw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mark0f0]

Some encouraging words from the President of VIA during the 2017 Annual Public Meeting's Question and Answer session:

https://youtu.be/Bty5eWfYlek?t=2301" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;