Do we have anyone out there who have been following the performance of the Chaleur? I am book for a weekend round trip on this run in May, and in looking through the web I have heard reports that in December the line was washed out past New Carlisle (but a January report shows that this has been repaired), and that sometimes if the train is running late it is turned at New Carlisle. Other reports show this as exagerrated and that most experience the train running through. I have also heard that calls to VIA rail often yield no true reports as to if the train is running beyond New Carlisle or not. Can anyone put an end to these rumors and put my mind at ease?
By the way, if anyone wants to make a trip to Eastern Canada now may be the time. The US dollar is doing better now and VIA is offering 50% discounts for spring travel. I got a round trip from Saint Lambert to Gaspe in a roommette (sorry, single bedroom) for 298 American round trip. How can you beat that??
Posts: 38 | From: Highland, NY, USA | Registered: Jul 2003
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Regrettably, the Chaleur is one of Via's most unreliable trains. This line was out of service for a considerable time last year. Problems with an unsafe bridge, washouts as well as many service disruptions. Via also has the nasty habit of short-turning the train at New Carlisle, and putting people on a bus for the remainder of the journey just because the train is late and they don't want to make the full run to Gaspe. Just one year ago this month, some friends and I decided to take a winter trip to the Gaspe. Somewhere near the town of Grand-Riviere, Via claimed a snowplough blocked the track and therefore the train was discontinued on the spot. Via refused to return the train to Montreal and forced the passengers onto buses for a miserable journey to Campbellton N.B. where we were promised sleeping cars onward to Montreal. We were lied to. There were no sleeping cars and we were forced to spend the night in a lounge car.
What was particularly outrageous, was that Via thought it was perfectly fine to eject people from their drawing rooms (my accommodation) and put them on buses and expect first-class passengers to accept this without complaint. Via also refused to refund the full cost of the ticket. Quite frankly I would have grave doubts about taking this train, especially in the winter. As for May, perhaps the train will run, or not, as you can never receive a straight answer from Via as to the status of this train.
As for those who say this train’s poor service is exaggerated, these are the same peculiar people who think that riding a bus is just fine and can’t understand why anyone would complain about not having the comfort of a sleeping car.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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It is no rumour; this is a very unreliable service compared to the rest of the system with the possible exception of the Hudson Bay train to Churchill. Having said that, considering there are (in theory) 156 departures per year it is likely that the majority of these trains actually get through to Gaspé Last year was worse than normal due to the number of wash-outs. I made four attempts last year to prove to my wife that you can get to Gaspé by train. We never made it. Fortunately, except for the first attempt we were able to postpone the trips prior to leaving Toronto. We are going to try again this spring.
There are many railfans who think it is perfectly acceptable for VIA to discontinue the train when it is late and subject passengers to the horror of a lengthy bus ride. Yes, they do compensate you when this happens, but I empathise with the residents of the Gaspé peninsula who are fed up with VIA's treatment of this train. Of course no-one can blame VIA when the track is washed out or there is a derailment that prevents the train from operating, but there are far too many occurrences when VIA just can't be bothered running the train for which, I must add, they receive a considerable subsidy from the taxpayers. VIA does not break down the figures for the Chaleur vs the Ocean, but the most recent information I have from VIA is that for the "eastern services" passengers pay only 44% of the operating costs for these trains. (But this is up from 38% just two years ago.) Residents of the Gaspé region were furious last year when a derailment west of Matapédia forced the rerouting of the Ocean. But the Chaleur, which of course could not be rerouted, was replaced by bus service for its entire 1047 kilometre overnight run for a week, even though VIA could have run it for two-thirds (the overnight portion) of its route. VIA management made the excuse that it wasn't convenient to turn the train at a point other than the usual "Y." Of course, a locomotive could have been put on the rear of the train and it could have simply been hauled back to Montreal or to some other “Y.” There was another reported incident of the Chaleur being replaced by buses for the entire route because of a shortage of engineers one time during the summer season when the Chaleur and Ocean are run separately all the way unlike most of the year when they are combined between Montreal and Matapédia. If there was a reason why VIA could not have combined the trains as they do most of the time, I never heard it.
Posts: 216 | From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 2000
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As I get closer to my next attempt to ride the Chaleur, I am checking periodically with VIA to see how it is running. Sunday's train from Montreal was short-turned at New Carlisle. Although the line is open, the Chaleur was late (what a surprise!) so passengers getting to and from Gaspé were treated to "alternate transportation."
Posts: 216 | From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 2000
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