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VIA Rail - Train travel in Canada

The Ocean

The Ocean leaves Montréal in the evening and travels through the small villages on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, past Quebec City (Charny) before entering the Matapédia Valley. From there, the Ocean heads south across New Brunswick, where it stops in Moncton before noon, and then continues on to Nova Scotia to arrive at Halifax around mid-afternoon. In the other direction, the Ocean leaves Halifax in the afternoon to reach Montréal the next morning.

The Ocean passes through both English speaking Canada and French speaking Canada and areas full of history. This part of Canada is full of history and is where to all intents and purposes where European North America started

Pass details

Why buy this

The Ocean, one of Canada’s most historic trains, runs six times a week in each direction between Halifax and Montreal. The Ocean has been serving the same 841 miles of track for over 100 years making it the longest-running regularly scheduled and named passenger train in Canadian history. You will be following in the footsteps of history as until the advent of mass air transportation Halifax was the gateway to Canada and almost everyone that arrived in Halifax caught the Ocean onwards towards their final destination.

History aside this is a very comfortable train that after leaving Halifax and the Atlantic Ocean, follows the Northumberland Strait and crosses French speaking New Brunswick before reaching Quebec and turning west to follow the St Lawrence seaway to Montreal. Whilst not remote in the true sense of the word it is an area that is not much visited by overseas visitors and if you choose to get off en-route you are sure of a genuinely warm welcome.

	High Season	Low Season
	Adult	Adult
Seat	£125	£125
Comfort class sleeper	£218	£131
Easterly class	£241	Not available

Child, Senior and Student discounts are available on request.

Potential stops / Your itinerary

The Ocean is the ideal choice for visiting Québec and exploring the Atlantic region. It is also very handy for short journeys in Nova Scotia and in New Brunswick.

If you are traveling on a full fare Comfort class ticket you may break your journey at any point en-route. If you are traveling on any form of discounted ticket (including student tickets) or are traveling in Easterly class you cannot break your journey.

Montreal
Saint-Lambert
Saint-Hyacinthe
Drummondville
Charny
Montmagny
La Pocatiere
Riviere-du-Loup
Trois-Pistoles
Rimouski
Mont-Joli
Sayabec
Amqui
Causapscal

Matapedia
Campbellton
Charlo
Jacquet River
Petit Rocher
Bathurst
Miramichi
Rogersville
Moncton
Sackville
Amherst
Springhill Jct.
Truro
Halifax

What you get

There are three levels of service on the Ocean:

Comfort (Economy) Class, for any Canada train trip, with its roomy seats, is synonymous with comfort and enjoyment.

Comfortable reclining seat in the coach car
Footrest
Headrest
Reading Light
Large picture windows
Pillow and blanket on overnight services
Access to the Dining Car in off peak season
Access to the Café where you can purchase snacks

Comfort Sleeper Class, combines all the amenities with some of the savings of comfort class with the additional comfort of a bed rather than a seat.

Comfortable sleeping quarters supplied with pillows and blankets
Some services, in the off-season, offer a choice of a berth, single, double or triple bedrooms
Most services offer double and double deluxe bedrooms - the latter with its own shower
Access to the exclusive Dining Car (in peak season priority will be given to Easterly Class passengers)
Access to the Café where you can purchase meals and snacks to eat in or take away
Access to the Comfort Lounge

Easterly Class, like the soft wind from the sea it was named after, refreshes and inspires sweet dreams.

Double bedroom (double bedrooms available for sole use at a modest supplement)
Some services offer double and double deluxe bedrooms - the latter with its own shower
All meals are included in your fare in the exclusive Dining Car
Access to the Park Car with its intimate Mural lounge, Bullet lounge with wraparound windows and on the upper level a 360 degree scenic dome
Activities, such as wine tasting, arranged by the onboard coordinator
Priority baggage handling
24 hour complimentary tea and coffee service
Only available mid-June to mid-October

What you don’t get

Almost every need is catered for on the Ocean - the only things you may need to buy are:

Food and drinks are charged extra in Comfort and Comfort Sleeper Class
Alcoholic Drinks
Souvenirs

How it works

You will be issued with a voucher, which must be exchanged at the departure station for your actual ticket. Before boarding the train you must take your voucher and passport to the VIA Rail ticket office where they will issue you the ticket for your journey. Please arrive at the station at least 1 hour prior to the departure of the train. VIA Rail only sell the same number of tickets as there are seats on board. If you do not have a reservation you will not be allowed to board unless there is space available - standing is not an option.

Cancellations and refunds

Vouchers which are lost, stolen or validated/exchanged cannot be refunded. Refunds are only accepted on vouchers returned to International Rail before the start of their validity. Vouchers returned for cancellation or alterations have a standard 15% cancellation/exchange fee in addition to an administrative charge per ticket. Cancellation/alteration fees will be charged on each voucher returned. Duplicate or replacement vouchers cannot be issued under any circumstances.