Wi-Fi........now on the Ocean

[NS VIA Fan]

VIA is now offering Wi-Fi on the Ocean.......here’s the receiver mounted on the roof of the Lounge/Service Car:

Consist of w/b #15 on July 14 included 4 Ren Coaches, 8 Ren Sleepers, 1 Ren Diner and 2 Lounges along with Budd Sleeper Chateau Bienville + Assiniboine Park bringing up the markers.......and after combining with the former Chaleur at Matapedia that evening.......it arrived into Gare Centrale with 25 or 26 cars the next morning.

http://www.viarail.ca/en/travel-info/onboard-train/wireless-internet

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Hopefully this helps stops the tide of declining reidership on the Ocean, or this train could get axed. I don't understand how the ridership could be so low if there's so many railcars in the consist.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

.................I don't understand how the ridership could be so low if there's so many railcars in the consist.

Summer ridership on the Ocean has always been good and “Touring” or “Sleeper Plus” Class is also offered from June to October. It’s the off-season when ridership really drops.

In 1997, the "Eastern Transcon” service as VIA calls it, carried 289,515 passengers. By 2010 the ridership numbers for the Ocean had fallen to 127,000).....a very significant drop

(**Eastern Transcon designation may have included the Chaleur but it would be a small portion of that figure)

The Ocean’s ridership started to slide around 2000 when Air Canada got some competition from LCCs out of Halifax such as CanJet, JetsGo and Canada 3000. Now there’s WestJet and Porter and they operate out of Moncton also.

People are taking the 2 hr and usually cheaper flight vs: 24 hrs on the train. They just aren’t riding the Ocean anymore.....perhaps if they were we would have seen an increase in service.....not a cut to 3 a week!

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

.................I don't understand how the ridership could be so low if there's so many railcars in the consist.

Summer ridership on the Ocean has always been good and “Touring” or “Sleeper Plus” Class is also offered from June to October. It’s the off-season when ridership really drops.

In 1997, the "Eastern Transcon” service as VIA calls it, carried 289,515 passengers. By 2010 the ridership numbers for the Ocean had fallen to 127,000).....a very significant drop

(**Eastern Transcon designation may have included the Chaleur but it would be a small portion of that figure)

The Ocean’s ridership started to slide around 2000 when Air Canada got some competition from LCCs out of Halifax such as CanJet, JetsGo and Canada 3000. Now there’s WestJet and Porter and they operate out of Moncton also.

People are taking the 2 hr and usually cheaper flight vs: 24 hrs on the train. They just aren’t riding the Ocean anymore.....perhaps if they were we would have seen an increase in service.....not a cut to 3 a week!

The only way I see to stop this huge ridership slide is to restart the Atantic through Maine. Maybe a daily, overnight service on that route would attract much more passengers.

I don't expect the smallest low-cost airlines to pose much of a threat to VIA Rail or Air Canada except WestJet. CanJet only has 5 planes, Porter has 27, JetsGo is dead, and Canada 3000 is also done with it.

Edit: small error

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Sure CanJet*, JetsGo & Canada 3000 are long gone but it was their cheap fares and the competition in the early 2000's I see as the start of the downslide in the Ocean’s ridership. I could fly to Toronto on CanJet for $69 in 2 hours…….VIA took 26 hrs and the coach fare was nearly double that. (*CanJet survives but mainly operates to winter sun destinations now)

Yes, Porter might only have 27 aircraft but today alone they have 560 seats available out of Halifax to central Canada and throw in Air Canada and WestJet……there’s nearly 4000 seats out of Halifax today just to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. And this doesn’t even include flights out of Moncton (Bathurst or Mont Joli)……..all in direct competition to the Ocean.

And depending on when they bought their ticket, there’s people travelling to Toronto today on Porter for a little as $119 + taxes/fees. VIA’s fare is not much different but it will take you 26 hours.

A restored Atlantic wouldn’t help the situation any. Can you imagine the hassles now having to cross the US/Canada border twice? Back in the early ‘90s the border situation on the Atlantic was driving passengers to the Ocean and this was pre 9-11 (though they did eventually work out a deal with US Customs to seal the train in the US)

The Atlantic traversed the line through Lac-Megantic where the oil train disaster took place a week ago. This is now very slow short-line trackage and there’s the possibility the MM&A Ry might not even survive.

 

[railiner]

Sad to see the Ocean 'foundering', so-to-speak. Times are indeed tough for public land transport in Canada, with this and the recent demise of Acadian Lines in the Maritimes.

The way its going, it may soon be "fly or drive". I hope not....

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Sure CanJet*, JetsGo & Canada 3000 are long gone but it was their cheap fares and the competition in the early 2000's I see as the start of the downslide in the Ocean’s ridership. I could fly to Toronto on CanJet for $69 in 2 hours…….VIA took 26 hrs and the coach fare was nearly double that. (*CanJet survives but mainly operates to winter sun destinations now)
Yes, Porter might only have 27 aircraft but today alone they have 560 seats available out of Halifax to central Canada and throw in Air Canada and WestJet……there’s nearly 4000 seats out of Halifax today just to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. And this doesn’t even include flights out of Moncton (Bathurst or Mont Joli)……..all in direct competition to the Ocean.

And depending on when they bought their ticket, there’s people travelling to Toronto today on Porter for a little as $119 + taxes/fees. VIA’s fare is not much different but it will take you 26 hours.

A restored Atlantic wouldn’t help the situation any. Can you imagine the hassles now having to cross the US/Canada border twice? Back in the early ‘90s the border situation on the Atlantic was driving passengers to the Ocean and this was pre 9-11 (though they did eventually work out a deal with US Customs to seal the train in the US)

The Atlantic traversed the line through Lac-Megantic where the oil train disaster took place a week ago. This is now very slow short-line trackage and there’s the possibility the MM&A Ry might not even survive.

If the Ocean goes bust or turns into a cruise train, then it'll soon be just Air Canada vs WestJet. Porter is something to consider, but it's small fry compared to the big boys. They only fly turboprops with no TV at all compared to Air Canada and WestJet which both fly lots of jets with PTVs.

Sad to see the Ocean 'foundering', so-to-speak. Times are indeed tough for public land transport in Canada, with this and the recent demise of Acadian Lines in the Maritimes.The way its going, it may soon be "fly or drive". I hope not....

I agree that this doesn't look good. Harper is really putting the axe down. Greyhound Canada is cutting service and losing subsidized routes despite a flood of trasnferring buses from the US. At least I hope the Whitehorse lifeline stays in action, I want to ride by land up to Alaska someday.

 

[railiner]

I've ridden by bus all the way to Fairbanks back in 1970 on the old Coachways System (since absorbed by Greyhound Canada. Currently there is still a minibus or van from Whitehorse to Alaska run by Alaska Direct, but who knows for how much longer this option will exist, along with GLC's route into Whitehorse from the South.....

As the former operator's of the old CZ used to say in their final advertising campaign...."Ride it, While You Can".........

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Have you ever flown Porter? They have a real niche market here in the east and many are willing to give up that seatback entertainment for the Porter service: Lounge access for everyone (even on the cheapest ticket) at the larger airports, complementary inflight beer, wine and a snack…..which is a little more substantial than the bag of peanuts Air Canada or WestJet throw at you. Seat pitch on the Q400 Turboprops is about the same as AC but more than WestJet and block time from Halifax to Ottawa for example in about 15 > 20 minutes longer than the jet.

Porter uses the downtown airport in Toronto and they DO give VIA competition on the runs to Ottawa and Montreal when you consider the extra time involved in getting out to Pearson.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I've ridden by bus all the way to Fairbanks back in 1970 on the old Coachways System (since absorbed by Greyhound Canada. Currently there is still a minibus or van from Whitehorse to Alaska run by Alaska Direct, but who knows for how much longer this option will exist, along with GLC's route into Whitehorse from the South.....As the former operator's of the old CZ used to say in their final advertising campaign...."Ride it, While You Can".........

Have you ever flown Porter? They have a real niche market here in the east and many are willing to give up that seatback entertainment for the Porter service: Lounge access for everyone (even on the cheapest ticket) at the larger airports, complementary inflight beer, wine and a snack…..which is a little more substantial than the bag of peanuts Air Canada or WestJet throw at you. Seat pitch on the Q400 Turboprops is about the same as AC but more than WestJet and block time from Halifax to Ottawa for example in about 15 > 20 minutes longer than the jet.
Porter uses the downtown airport in Toronto and they DO give VIA competition on the runs to Ottawa and Montreal when you consider the extra time involved in getting out to Pearson.

Nope, I haven't, but I'm not fan of the Q-400 and I usually only fly overwater becuase I use land transport whenever I can. Maybe I should try it out, you know, ride the Ocean to Halifax and fly Porter back. I better do it before the Ocean gets cut or becomes super-expensive as a cruise train. But I'm nowhere near Montreal right now.