{"id":15297,"date":"2021-07-15T19:11:54","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T22:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chmafm.com\/welcome\/?p=15297"},"modified":"2021-07-15T19:18:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T22:18:23","slug":"the-ocean-is-back-with-less-service-and-older-trains-but-the-future-of-the-sackville-train-station-is-uncertain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chmafm.com\/welcome\/the-ocean-is-back-with-less-service-and-older-trains-but-the-future-of-the-sackville-train-station-is-uncertain\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ocean is back (with less service and older trains) but the future of the Sackville train station is uncertain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Sackville train station platform, October 2020. Photo: Erica Butler<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

VIA Rail\u2019s The Ocean will continue to stop in Sackville when it resumes its bare bones service on August 11<\/a>, but a public transportation advocate says its unlikely the station will ever be reopened to waiting passengers, unless the community takes it over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping stations open is a \u201chigh cost operation\u201d for VIA, says Transport Action Atlantic<\/a>\u2019s Ted Bartlett, \u201cthat\u2019s why they discontinued it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bartlett says the community takeover of passenger stations abandoned by VIA has happened elsewhere in Canada, including Amherst and Rogersville. \u201cIt’s a very widespread solution in the US,\u201d says Bartlett, \u201cwhere Amtrak has literally hundreds and hundreds of stations that they do not staff, but are maintained by the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Sackville train station, October 2020.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Amherst, VIA turned over its closed station to the town of Amherst, who in turn signed a lease-to-own agreement with a local restauranteur. In Rogersville, the village has owned and maintained the station for many years, says Bartlett. \u201cThey ensure that the waiting room and washrooms are open at train time, and they use the rest of the building for their own purposes,\u201d he says. \u201cIt’s a visitor information centre in the summer, and they’ve actually leased out some office space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VIA Rail announced last week that The Ocean will resume its round trip between Halifax and Montreal once a week. The train will take passengers westward from Halifax on Wednesdays starting on August 11, and return from Montreal on Sundays starting on August 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before it was shut down due to the pandemic on March 13, 2020, the Ocean ran three weekly round trips between Halifax and Montreal. Before 2012, the service ran six round trips per week. Earlier in its history, the service ran multiple times per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s an encouraging sign,\u201d says Bartlett of the return to service, but it\u2019s going to be a \u201clong road back\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hear Ted Bartlett on Tantramar Report:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n