Chaleur (passenger train)

The "Chaleur" is a tri-weekly passenger train operated by VIA Rail between Montreal and Gaspé, Quebec. Its name is derived from the easternmost part of its route along the northern shore of Chaleur Bay.

{| Railway line header

Schedule

The "Chaleur" leaves Montreal in the evening and arrives in Gaspé at about noon the following day. The train departs Gaspé mid-afternoon and arrives in Montreal in the morning.

Operation

In recent years between Montreal and Matapédia, Quebec the train is normally merged with the "Ocean". The consist of the "Chaleur" in recent years is composed exclusively of cars built by the Budd Company, many originally used by the Canadian Pacific Railway's "The Canadian".

This had been the case until 2004 for the "Ocean" as well, however the introduction of the Renaissance cars on the "Ocean" has resulted in both trains operating separately during the summer months (when trains are longer) and combined during the winter; the reason for this policy appears to be related to the braking effort of a combined train.

When operating separately, the "Chaleur" will run several minutes ahead of the "Ocean". When combined, the trains run together as far as Matapédia, Quebec, before the "Ocean" continues to Halifax, Nova Scotia and the "Chaleur" proceeds to Gaspé.

Route

The following are stations served on the 1,041 kilometer (647 mile) route, listed from west to east:
*Central Station (Montreal)
*St. Hyacinthe, Quebec
*Drummondville, Quebec
*Charny, Quebec
*Montmagny, Quebec
*La Pocatière, Quebec
*Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec
*Rimouski, Quebec
*Mont-Joli, Quebec
*Matapédia, Quebec
*Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec
*Chandler, Quebec
*Percé, Quebec
*Gaspé, Quebec

From Central Station to a point several miles west of Rivière-du-Loup, the train operates exclusively on tracks owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN).

Between Rivière-du-Loup and Matapédia, the train operates on tracks of the Chemin de Fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe (Matapedia & Gulf Railway), a subsidiary of the Quebec Railway Corporation.

From Matapédia to Gaspé, the train operates on tracks of the Chemin de fer de la Gaspésie which is owned by local municipalities. This section of the line is contracted for maintenance and operation with the Chemin de Fer Baie des Chaleurs, another Quebec Railway Corporation subsidiary. Until 2001, this entire line was owned and operated by the CFBC. That year saw the CFBC sell the portion east of Chandler to the municipally-owned CFG. In 2007, CFG purchased the remainder of the line west of Chandler after the CFBC listed it for abandonment.

Sample Consist

As an example, this is the train's consist on a day in October 2005.

*GMDD F40PH
*Baggage car
*Coach car
*Skyline dome car
*Dining car
*3 Sleeping cars

All cars were built by Budd.

References

* [http://www.viarail.ca/trains/en_trai_queb_mope.html VIA Rail Canada]
*"By Rail to the Gaspé, VIA The Chaleur; A Return Trip in 2005", by John C. Dahl, "Empire State Express", 2005. Published by Hamburg: Niagara Frontier Chapter, NRHS