After Mum & Dad took the ViaRail “The Canadian'” service from Toronto to Vancouver last year we were interested to try the sleeper train for ourselves and so they suggested this option as a means for getting from Montreal to Halifax.
You don’t take the train because it’s faster or cheaper than flying from A to B it is however a much more enjoyable experience and allows a feature of the journey rather than just a means of transport. It’s also a great way to soak up some of the local scenery without any effort.
Thanks for the treat, Mum & Dad !
This route from Montreal to Halifax is called “The Ocean”
When booking a private sleeping cabin you get access to the Park Car which has a lounge with refreshments downstairs and then an upper floor with glass domed roof allowing good views.
Each Park Car in the ViaRail fleet has it’s own name, ours being Strathcona Park
Inside the Park Car, this is the downstairs lounge area
A short steep flight of stairs lead up from the lounge
To the Upper Lounge with lots of seating and the glass domed roof.
Lots of old detailing reflect the fact that all of these Park Cars date back to the 1950’s
The four of us at one of the brief station stops
We had a private cabin which by day was made up with a sofa and table. In the evenings the cabin crew come around and make the room up into bunk beds.
The private bathroom in the cabin offered a shower, toilet and washbasin. Compact but it was all there and everything worked great !
There weren’t a lot of view photos while on the journey from Montreal to Halifax, due in large part to very wet rainy weather on our second day. However, we got a couple of pics on our first evening as we were departing Montreal.
Views from the upstairs lounge of the Park Car
David in the Park Car with the Montreal skyline behind as we depart the city.
Views from the Park Car as we cross the Saint Lawrence river on the Victoria Bridge.
