Questions regarding the Chaleur

My wife and I are booked on a mid-September 2009 trip on the Chaleur and I have some questions and would like some clarifications that I have not found (or understood) from previous posts.

Will the Chaleur be operating separately from the Ocean during this period? The current online schedule implies joint operation to Matapedia. If they operate jointly, as a Comfort Class Sleeper passenger would we have access to the Park Car? Are their two diners on the joint train (the schedule indicates Easterly Class passengers have priority for seating in the diner and I would hate to miss dinner in the diner?)

If they operate separately, does the Chaleur now sport a Park Car?

When does one make diner reservations on the Eastbound Chaleur since it leaves right at dinner time? Can they be made in advance?

Does the Gaspe depot have a Budget Rental location? I have made car reservations on the VIA/WWTE web-site but the confirmation implies the cars are located at the airport, even though a VIA booking agent indicated there is a Budget location at the Gaspe depot.

I appreciate any assitance or advice from you more experienced VIA travelers. Thank you.

The last few times I've been on the Ocean (most recently early this week in fact), the two trains were operating together between Matapedia and Montreal.

The Chaleur is tacked on the front of the Ocean, so there is a baggage car separating the last car of the Chaleur and the first coach of the Ocean. There is no passenger access between the two trains (partially because there is no proper diaphragm/walkway between the last Chaleur car and the Renaissance baggage). So if you're in the Chaleur, you're limited to whatever cars make up the Chaleur, and have no access to any cars that make up the Ocean, and vice versa. If the Chaleur itself has a Park car at that time of year, I still think it may only be easterly class passengers who can access it. All passengers in Comfort (coach or sleeper) have access to the Skyline car that runs year round. In terms of the dining car, there would be one on the Chaleur and the one or two separate ones on the Ocean. Again, passengers are restricted to their own trains. Dinner service is always with Easterly class priority, but there are multiple sittings and only so many of those passengers, so you should be able to get in.

That's about all I can help you with, but hope it's something.

Thank you so much for your reply. I was unaware that they had Easterly Class on the Chaleur. I will check that out with VIA.

RobbMorin wrote:Thank you so much for your reply. I was unaware that they had Easterly Class on the Chaleur. I will check that out with VIA.

Sorry, no Easterly Class and no Park Car on the Chaleur but like timberley says, you will have full access to the Skyline Dome.

The Chaleur may have a full Diner depending on the number of sleepers operating. If not, meals are in the Chaleur's Skyline car with a similar menu and just as good. You will probably be offered a dinner reservation while checking in at Montreal Central Station. There is a booth set up adjacent to the track gate and after checking in you will be directed to the Panorama Lounge to wait.

Sorry, I wasn't sure about the Easterly class business either. I have never ridden the Chaleur (only the attached Ocean), so I don't know how its class set up was. Also, I had thought I had recollection of seeing a photo of the Chaleur with a Park car, but on further recalling, it would seem that was the Bras d'Or (when it was still running...I think it had Easterly class as well).

RobbMorin wrote:My wife and I are booked on a mid-September 2009 trip on the Chaleur and I have some questions and would like some clarifications that I have not found (or understood) from previous posts.

Will the Chaleur be operating separately from the Ocean during this period? The current online schedule implies joint operation to Matapedia. If they operate jointly, as a Comfort Class Sleeper passenger would we have access to the Park Car? Are their two diners on the joint train (the schedule indicates Easterly Class passengers have priority for seating in the diner and I would hate to miss dinner in the diner?)

If they operate separately, does the Chaleur now sport a Park Car?

When does one make diner reservations on the Eastbound Chaleur since it leaves right at dinner time? Can they be made in advance?

Does the Gaspe depot have a Budget Rental location? I have made car reservations on the VIA/WWTE web-site but the confirmation implies the cars are located at the airport, even though a VIA booking agent indicated there is a Budget location at the Gaspe depot.

I appreciate any assitance or advice from you more experienced VIA travelers. Thank you.

This is a fantastic train route - the Chaleur out to Gaspe and back. It is a lot "quieter" I would say than the Canadian and even Ocean - even during peak season. They typically run up to three coaches and up to three sleepers with a Skyline Dome Car and Diner in between - that's during peak season as demand commands, if you will. Mid-September, you may just have two coaches, two sleepers and the Skyline Dome Car. But as mentioned, the Skyline Dome Car is almost equivalent to that of the diner, when it operates. Same menu etc. I've travelled with both - one consist with a diner and one without and it didn't influence my trip.

Skyline Dome is likely where you will spend most of your time. Typically the Skyline Domes on the Chaleur are not as "run down" as what one finds sometimes on the Canadian. No Park Car unfortunately.

I am not sure where the Budget Rental Car is - and that's from someone who has been to the Gaspe train station. You will most likely have to get a cab or perhaps Budget will come down and pick you up at the train station. I would get a local number from the Budget Car Rental place and call them for where they are located and IF they can pick you up from the train station etc.

Thank you all for your information and assistance.

I have just two comments to add. There have been photos of the Chaleur with a Park car. Until two years ago, the Chaleur ran a Park car for about two weeks during the Christmas season.

There is a Budget car hire desk in the Gaspe station. When I made my first booking for a car I used the link provided by VIA and it also said the location was at the airport. When I went to Budget's Website directly it acknowledged that there is a location at the railway station. Incidentally, we never got to hire the car at the station. I made three bookings and three cancellations due to the fact that we couldn't get to Gaspe by train. Not one of my group of five was interested in going by bus. We eventually did get to Gaspe, but by then we were fed up with making car and hotel reservations and cancellations so we decided to just do a same-day turn-around so we had no need for a car.

In the "off season" - however Christmas time and other holidays in this time of the year often make VIA appear it should be operating in peak season - VIA Rail, in my opinion should have extra Park Cars around that it could run - for the Chaleur, Ocean or Hudson Bay Route. However, I would have to wonder, with the Ocean running largely with Renaissance cars, could the Chaleur operate a Park Car year-round? It would only need one! The trick I guess would be to make sure that all the connecting gadgets, including the coupler on the rear of the Park car is in good operating order! Could the Chaleur even operate on the end of the Ocean when it has a Park Car and the Ocean doesn't? I am sure there are logistical issues, which really makes me believe the Chaleur and Ocean should be two separate trains for most of the year!

jp1822 wrote:In the "off season" - however Christmas time and other holidays in this time of the year often make VIA appear it should be operating in peak season - VIA Rail, in my opinion should have extra Park Cars around that it could run - for the Chaleur, Ocean or Hudson Bay Route. However, I would have to wonder, with the Ocean running largely with Renaissance cars, could the Chaleur operate a Park Car year-round? It would only need one! The trick I guess would be to make sure that all the connecting gadgets, including the coupler on the rear of the Park car is in good operating order! Could the Chaleur even operate on the end of the Ocean when it has a Park Car and the Ocean doesn't? I am sure there are logistical issues, which really makes me believe the Chaleur and Ocean should be two separate trains for most of the year!

VIA could operate Park Cars on the Chaleur but it would probably have to be a similar “premium” service like Easterly Class on the Ocean. Can’t see them charging extra for the use of the Park on the Ocean and not on the Chaleur. Logistically it might be possible to operate a combined Ocean/Chaleur with two Park Cars but probably difficult with the mix of Budd and Ren equipment. Better option would be separate trains during the summer months but that gets expensive.

I’m on the Ocean often and even when the Park Car was open to all sleeping car passengers, about the only time it was busy was during the complimentary breakfast service in the morning. IMHO Park Cars and Skyline Dome are a railfan thing in the east where the majority of passengers are actually using the trains as transportation. Most probably couldn’t care less if there was a dome in the consist or not……Just give them an adequate lounge/seating area and even then most just remain in their accommodations.

It’s a different story in Silver & Blue on the Canadian and Totem Class on the Skeena where the domes are marketed for the mountain views. Also Easterly Class on the Ocean, a touring class as opposed to basic transportation. Would there be enough "touring class" passengers on the Chaleur to jestify a Park Car year 'round and the extra cost of separate trains?

My wife and I were on the Gaspe train during late May. We had 2 sleepers, 1 coach, 1 baggage, and the dome/diner. Seating was at 6 tables and all meals were cooked onboard in the small kitchen. There was never a problem getting a seat. Coming out of Montreal, the Halifax train was on the rear. As mentioned, the equipment is generally the smaller European equipment and there is no real access between the two trains.

A quick note on a rental car at Gaspe since it was mentioned.

Budget is at the station. Staff come in from the airport to handle the business and there are normally a few cars parked at the station

National is at the airport and will come pick you up.

National and Budget normally have about the same price but National generally includes more free kilometers.