Atlantic/Scotian Service

Do I understand correctly that the former CP line through Maine has either been severed and/or substantially downgraded, so it stands to reason that it would be extremely difficult or even impossible to reinstate this service even if funding were to become available again.

Would they be able to at least reinstate service between St. John and Halifax???

kmillard wrote:Do I understand correctly that the former CP line through Maine has either been severed and/or substantially downgraded, so it stands to reason that it would be extremely difficult or even impossible to reinstate this service even if funding were to become available again.

Would they be able to at least reinstate service between St. John and Halifax???

The xCP line across Maine is still fully intact and conceivably a through passenger train could be operated. But the line is now operated by short-line railways.....the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Rwy. and the Eastern Maine/New Brunswick Southern Rwy. From Saint John to Moncton it is an active CN freight line and from Moncton to Halifax, part of CN’s transcontinental mainline still used by VIA’s Ocean.

There’s been active discussion on the revival of the Atlantic over at the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Forum. Click this link.....
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 47&t=49209

Why was the Atlantic canceled again? I thought it was due to the route/track etc. VIA was running the Ocean tri-weekly and then swapping to operate the Atlantic tri-weekly. The trains operated on an every other day basis, except for one day during the week. Now, just the Ocean exists to run six days a week.

On three of the days that the Ocean wasn't running, VIA was running the Chaleur (to Gaspe), so there was a (presumably cost-saving) cut of three long distance trains (each way) per week.

jp1822 wrote:Why was the Atlantic canceled again? I thought it was due to the route/track etc. VIA was running the Ocean tri-weekly and then swapping to operate the Atlantic tri-weekly. The trains operated on an every other day basis, except for one day during the week. Now, just the Ocean exists to run six days a week.

CP had approval to abandon the the line across Maine effective Jan 1, 1995 unless the line could be sold. It was actually abandoned for a few days in early January until a short-line operator was found. VIA could have continued service until Dec 31, 1994 but the travellers boarding the long pre-Christmas trains along the route served only by the Atlantic would have no way home after the holidays. The last runs for the Atlantic were on Dec. 15, 1994 just before the Christmas rush began and the Ocean became a six day/week train. The Ocean was then combined with the Chaleur on three of those days.

NS VIA FAN wrote:

jp1822 wrote:Why was the Atlantic canceled again? I thought it was due to the route/track etc. VIA was running the Ocean tri-weekly and then swapping to operate the Atlantic tri-weekly. The trains operated on an every other day basis, except for one day during the week. Now, just the Ocean exists to run six days a week.

CP had approval to abandon the the line across Maine effective Jan 1, 1995 unless the line could be sold. It was actually abandoned for a few days in early January until a short-line operator was found. VIA could have continued service until Dec 31, 1994 but the travellers boarding the long pre-Christmas trains along the route served only by the Atlantic would have no way home after the holidays. The last runs for the Atlantic were on Dec. 15, 1994 just before the Christmas rush began and the Ocean became a six day/week train. The Ocean was then combined with the Chaleur on three of those days.

So a short-line operator was found and technically, VIA could have re-instated the Atlantic (say in February 1995), IF it wanted to?

jp1822 wrote:

NS VIA FAN wrote:

jp1822 wrote:Why was the Atlantic canceled again? I thought it was due to the route/track etc. VIA was running the Ocean tri-weekly and then swapping to operate the Atlantic tri-weekly. The trains operated on an every other day basis, except for one day during the week. Now, just the Ocean exists to run six days a week.

CP had approval to abandon the the line across Maine effective Jan 1, 1995 unless the line could be sold. It was actually abandoned for a few days in early January until a short-line operator was found. VIA could have continued service until Dec 31, 1994 but the travellers boarding the long pre-Christmas trains along the route served only by the Atlantic would have no way home after the holidays. The last runs for the Atlantic were on Dec. 15, 1994 just before the Christmas rush began and the Ocean became a six day/week train. The Ocean was then combined with the Chaleur on three of those days.

So a short-line operator was found and technically, VIA could have re-instated the Atlantic (say in February 1995), IF it wanted to?

Arguably, the Ocean has a better route in terms of patronage and there isn't any justification for two Halifax trains. From what I've seen, there are days when a single motorcoach would be overkill. Running a train through the Maine woods just wasn't economically viable for VIA. You have to remember that there were many painful budget cuts in Canada during this era.

I wonder if St. John and Fredericton couldn't be candidates for some type of DMU/RDC service to connect to the main line at Truro.

kmillard wrote:I wonder if St. John and Fredericton couldn't be candidates for some type of DMU/RDC service to connect to the main line at Truro.

There was a Fredericton – Saint John – Moncton - Halifax RDC from Nov. 1981 when the Atlantic was originally discontinued until the summer of 1985 when it was reinstated. This was the first passenger train into downtown Fredericton in nearly 20 years. The Atlantic stopped only at Fredericton Jct about 40 KM south of the city where you transferred to a shuttle bus into the city.

The track between Fredericton and the Jct has been abandoned for a number of years now but the New Brunswick Southern Rwy (xCP mainline) still runs from there into Saint John where it connects with a CN line to Moncton (90 miles east) Here it meets CN’s transcontinental mainline onto Truro and Halifax.

Timewise, Acadian Lines (bus) today provides a much better service than a train could. It would take at least two hours from Fredericton to Saint John with a shuttle bus transfer to a train at the Jct. than another two and a half hours (at least) from Saint John to Moncton on tracks that haven’t seen passenger trains in 20 years.

By Bus: Fredericton direct to Moncton on a recently constructed freeway is 1 hour and 45 minutes. Saint John to Moncton is also about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

NS VIA FAN wrote: There was a Fredericton – Saint John – Moncton - Halifax RDC from Nov. 1981 when the Atlantic was originally discontinued until the summer of 1985 when it was reinstated. This was the first passenger train into downtown Fredericton in nearly 20 years. The Atlantic stopped only at Fredericton Jct about 40 KM south.

Some further comments on the Fredericton RDC service. The F'ton - Halifax trains operated as Via's 615 / 616, beginning November 15th, 1981, ending May 31st, 1985. On June 01st, which was the re-start date of the restored Atlantic through Maine, VIA initiated a F'ton - St. John RDC service, until September 15th.

Train 158 ( ex. Sun ), departed F'ton @ 0830, arrive St. John @ 1015.

Train 157 ( ex. Sun ), departed St. John @ 1630, arrive F'ton @ 1815.

The prime purpose of the train itself was to allow Frederictonians same day return with the Canada Summer Games, being held in St. John, in the summer of 1985. I used this train many times during the 3 1/2 months it operated.

The 22 mile Fredericton Sub., F'ton - F'ton Junction branch, saw it s last train on November 29th, 1993, a Canadian Atlantic Railway freight train. A short stretch of the branch itself along with a " Y ", still exists in Fredericton J'c't, which is now on New Brunswick Southern's mainline.

Here's the VIA RDC at Fredericton York Street Station in August 1983.



The Station was derelict for a number of years but is now being restored

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/communityc ... tation.asp

Here is a web cam link below to view the renovation project to the Fredericton Station.

New Brunswick Liquor Corp. will have a retail outlet to the east side of the station, where the freight shed existed. The new facility should open within a few months from now. From the web cam view, the majority of the new project is behind the station and to the right.

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/trainstationwebcam.asp