Interesting article in the T&T today.
It sounds as if the VIA
Ocean may be in peril.
It's a long storey, but the meat of the matter is that the European Renaissance cars used by VIA on the service are not bidirectional (capable of travel both forwards and backwards at speed), and the only way VIA can use these cars on the east coast is because of a rail loop on Halterm property next to the downtown passenger train station. Halterm has apparently given VIA notice that they will no longer be able to use the loop as of November 1st. The only option VIA has is to back the train up to a "Y" shaped segment of track in Truro(!) to allow for decoupling and reversal. That would be 100 km of backtracking, which is obviously not practicable.
Apparently VIA is still looking seriously at an intercity service between Campbellton and Moncton, and Moncton and Halifax, which would be daily, but at the present time, this would be a replacement service for the
Ocean.
If this transpires, the Maritimes would be cut off from the transcontinental passenger rail system, and to add insult to injury, the current luxurious service (dining car, sleepers, lounges) would be replaced with diesel pusher cars.
This sounds pretty outrageous to me!!!
