VIA Rail’s The Ocean Train – A Journey from Montreal, Quebec to Halifax, Nova Scotia

I’ve never slept overnight on a train before so was really looking forward to this part of our trip.

Leaving Montreal in the evening, the Ocean train follows the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, along the coast of New Brunswick and into Nova Scotia before reaching Halifax late afternoon the following day. We joined the train at Sainte Foy Station which is about 20 minutes from Quebec City.

It is the oldest continuously operated named passenger train in North America and operates 3 times a week in both directions. You can take the 21 hour trip in one go, or do as we did and disembark in Moncton to explore New Brunswick. You can re-join the train at a later date and continue your journey onto Halifax.

We slept in Sleeper Plus class - Cabins for 2 with showers and private toilets. The beds are top and bottom berths or bunks. There is not a lot of space so just take a small overnight bag with you. Suitcases and large items are put into the baggage car. There is an attendant for each car who makes up the beds/seats and gives you a safety briefing. The bed was comfortable, I slept quite well with the train rocking me off to sleep. The bathrooms are small but have everything you need. The shower is certainly not a power shower but it does the job. Do remember to keep the curtain closed in the morning as the train does stop at stations!

Meals and soft drinks are included in Sleeper class as well as access to the lounge area and dome at the rear of the train. We certainly got plenty of exercise walking between our cabins, the dining car and the lounge. It takes a little while to gain your ‘train legs’ and get used to the motion of the train. Refreshments are available in the lounge as well as the service car but wifi is only available in the service car. There is limited seating in the dome and a rotation system would have been a good idea so everyone could take a turn. There were people dozing up there rather than taking in the views when we went up to have a look!

There are several sittings for meals in the dining car and the helpful staff make announcements to let you know. The food wasn’t gourmet but it was really tasty and the service was very friendly. There is a separate service car for those travelling in economy. We left the train in Moncton to explore New Brunswick for a couple of days.

When we re-joined the train, we were seated in economy class. The seats are in pairs with singles across an aisle. They are more spacious and comfortable than airline seats with a bigger recline. Not sure I could have slept overnight in one but they were fine for our afternoon trip to Halifax. It was a great to sit back and let the countryside roll by.

The route that the Ocean takes can’t match the spectacular mountain views of its’ sister trains on the west coast of Canada but it is a very pleasant and relaxing way to travel and see the beautiful countryside.