Tom - I'd thought that station might be a possiblity, but I note a footnote on that pdf timetable which states 'No local service between Montreal and Dorval' (and VIA website won't give a fare suggesting they don't want your custom for that journey) which I took to mean you could not get on if you were a local passenger. Is this just one of those rules that is ignored and that you can get on and ride?
DL
G'day DL,
Mea culpa - in my quest to be of further assistance, I am guilty of not reading the fine print! That CAN and DOES get one into hot water, eh
Once upon a time . . . the train did carry you into downtown's Central Station. Apparently VIA has discontinued the boardings at Dorval. No great loss though, for it wasn't the most convenient location to get to from the airport. Last time I traveled it was in 2005 . . .
Apologies!
Tom
Good afternoon folks,nice to see the chat still surviving here.Tom I don't remember seeing a few of those pictures either. I may have but they just dissapeared in the mists of my mind
Marc- Those Tee's are in much better shape.The Northbay examples will likey stay in an outside setting. Currently they are parked behind the old CPR station in North Bay ( which itself has just been restored and turned into a flea market ) at least the building has been preserved. CPR stopped thier service to North Bay years ago.
On a partially related note,both the Fedreal and Provincail govt ( Ontario ) have pledged money to help upgrade the passenger service, both equipment and trackage. On the Algoma central so that it can continue to serve the populations north of the Agawa canyon. Wisconcin central and now CN who own the ACR had both deffered the maintenance on the trackage out of the park. CN maintains the Sault to canyon portion because of the successfull dinner and excursion trains rrunnin gon that portion of the line.However the givt has declared the rest of the line a vital service much like the ONR's lines from Cocheran to Mooseanee / Moose Factory.
Lars nice shots of the Super Continental. too bad that VIA did away with that sernice I did much prefre it in the original Suoper continental scheme of the CNR's Black / Green / and Gold.
See you at the bar
Rob
The Dorval train station is VERY close to Trudeau airport in Dorval (about one mile) I haven't lived in Montreal for quite a while, but I was under the impression there was going to be a shuttle service from the airport of the CN station. The CN and CP/local transit stations are opposit each other so be careful what platforms you are on. Also I dont know the schedules for the local transit trains from Rigaud to Montreal. One question Can you take the Montreal Metro Line that goes to Ile Ste Helene/Longueuil & then take a South Shore local bus to get to the rail museum in Delson?
To TOM:
Great to see the topic you started quite a while ago again attracting lots of traffic. I tried to resurect my old morse key & sounder, but the wires were quite brittle and frayed, so it's back on the shelf. It would have been a lot easier if I had learned your morse, as I would just have had to buy a door buzzer, rather than trying to restore an antique.
G'day Gents!
I guess it all depends on one's definition of "very close." When lugging baggage AND the shuttle between the airport and train station is either very, very late or not operating - that can be one hulluva walk! <grin>
Anyway - Grinandbearit - glad to know that there are trains operating to downtown - just no longer VIAs.
Morseman - I still have my speed key (bug), but hardly ever drag it out. My skills are most probably rather rusty - although - from time to time I get the urge! <grin>
Good to see ya over here, Rob! Appears as if my response to our friend in NL either got "lost" or . . .
Just a matter of time to determine whether this Thread has indeed been resurrected. The idea of it was - and is - to share our thoughts about Canadian passenger railroading - past and present. I'll be checking in from time to time - but spend most of my online time over at "Our" Place on the Classic Trains - General Discussions Forums.
Later!
Well thank you gents - must sign off now thoigh as have plane to get so I can ride canadian passenger trains - thanks for those tips about Dorval. My bag is pretty light!
DL UK
DL - UK wrote: Well thank you gents - must sign off now thoigh as have plane to get so I can ride canadian passenger trains - thanks for those tips about Dorval. My bag is pretty light!
Don't count on being allowed to board a VIA train at Dorval to get to downtown Montreal. The only "local" train service between Dorval Station and Central Station is offered by the commuter train service of the Montreal Transit Commission.
The "no local service" rule is so that VIA Rail doesn't compete with local public transit or taxi services. (FYI, even the inter-urban bus services follow this rule.)
Your best bet is to arrange to take a shuttle bus from the airport directly to your hotel; or to the main bus terminus in downtown Montreal and then taxi or metro to your hotel. Ask about this at the airport or with your travel agent. Its not as convenient as a taxi door-to-door; but its cheaper.
To: DL UK
Looking forward to your posting and your views on VIA Rail, Montreal Quebec City Our Metro Subway. Were you able to get to the RR Museau in St.Constant? I lived in Dorval, in an adjacent suburb about 25 years ago, so things have certainly changed siince I was there last.
DL - Sounds like you are having a whale of a time there I do hope you can make it out to the museum though, they have an absolute ton of equipment of all vintages and modes of rail transit and freight.You may get your wish for a new corporate logo for the Metro. They are currently looking into replacement cars from Bombardier.Who knows a new logo may come out of it as well.What they really need to do is reinstate street railway service back to the city of Montreal
DL,
A couple comments about your recent observations...
First of all, the STM (Société de transport de Montréal), the public transit authority in Montréal responsible for bus and metro service, does indeed have a logo for the metro. It is a circle with an inverted arrow inside (usually white on a blue background), as you can see on their web site : http://www.stcum.qc.ca/English/metro/a-index.htm or http://www.stcum.qc.ca/English/en-bref/a-logos.htm . It can be argued that they seem to use this logo sparingly on the streets.
The AMT (Agence métropolitaine de transport http://www.amt.qc.ca/english/welcome.asp ) is responsible for the commuter trains de banlieu (suburban trains). Being a separate entity from the STM, it is not surprising that their stations and schedules don't co-ordinate very well. To be frank, these commuter train links were an afterthought. Only in the last few years, have the powers-that-be decided that integration and co-ordination of the greater Montreal region's many public transit systems is a good idea.
Second, the primary focus of the STM, AMT and most public transit authorities in Canada (and, indeed, in North America), is to provide transportation at peak (rush) and business hours -- specifically, Monday to Friday, 6am to 6pm. Weekend, evening, holiday and overnight service is often extremely limited. Unfortunately, this is of little use to people who work or need to get around outside those hours. Let's face it, we North Americans love our cars, so governments historically have spent money on highways instead of making public transit services more efficient and convenient.
Thirdly, and this is a minor point, but the term interstate is an American term. There are no interstates in Canada. In Canada, the term(s) used for a divided, multi-lane, limited access highway vary from province to province. In the province of Québec, what an American would call an interstate is known as an autoroute.
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