Ocean Extravaganza: Part 1 - Travels in Spring 2026

 Ocean Extravaganza: Part 1 – Travels in spring 2026

It’s been a while since my last report, and somehow this summer is already nearly in the rear-view. We’re now nine months into 2026, and I’ve made several trips on the Ocean through this spring and summer. While I have plenty of observations from these rides, there hasn’t been a particularly interesting or notable theme for any specific trip. So I’ve decided to put these together as a combined “Ocean Extravaganza”. To keep things manageable, we’ll subdivide this into two parts, lumping the spring and summer rides together separately.

In part 1, we’ll begin in March, with a quick visit to Amherst and a surprisingly snowy ride back to the city. Then we’ll head away at the end of April, for a visit to Ottawa with a quick stop in Montreal, and then returning to Halifax once again.

A visit to Amherst

Amherst station in late March, looking very much like January.

In late March, the Cumberland Area Railway Club held their annual model train show in Amherst. This show has been going for several years now, having sprung up seemingly out of nowhere and evolved into a very nice little show and a valuable addition to the local roster. For the last few years, the show was held at the Amherst mall, where the Cumberland club was also setting up their modular layout. For 2026, the show moved to a new venue: the Lion’s Club, conveniently a stone’s throw from the train station.

It used to be possible to make a trip to Amherst by bus in the morning and return by train later in the day. The long walk from the bus stop (at a gas station just off the highway) was inconvenient, but the trip worked out well otherwise. I did this once in 2019, when the show was being held in the fall. Post-Covid, Maritime Bus now only runs once a day to Amherst, with the bus departing Halifax at noon and arriving in Amherst at 2:50pm. The eastbound train is scheduled to leave Amherst at 2:57pm. Even factoring in the usual delays, that hardly gives any time to actually attend an event in town!

So lacking a viable transit option in the morning, I managed to find a ride with a friend up to Amherst first thing, and booked the train for the return. We had an unexpectedly exciting drive up, as the rain in Halifax quickly changed to wet snow for much of the way (especially over the Cobequid Pass), but we took it slow and made it safely. The show itself was well attended and an enjoyable time.

Around lunch time, I wandered over to the station to try out Bambino’s Pizza, which now occupies half of the station building. At lunch time they only have a small seated area by their takeout counter, but there still seemed to be a good flow of people coming through. I picked up pizza and grabbed a seat at a bench on the platform. Though their presence in the station is more recent, this place is a long standing local institution, and easy to see why. Very tasty!

Pizza on the platform - even in the snow and with no trains rolling through, this was quite nice.

Later that afternoon I returned to the station ahead of #14’s arrival. The train was running a little over an hour late, but not too bad. The station in Amherst has had its waiting room re-opened for several years now, but the last time I took the train from there, it was locked. This time around everything was open as it should be, and I was quite impressed with the space. The waiting room has plenty of seating, is clean and well heated, and has a small bathroom that appeared to be in good shape. Information screens inside update on the train’s status, and automated announcements are made about the train arrival. There were several other people waiting to board, so the space was well used.

Inside the waiting room, bathroom visible to the left.

More views of the waiting room.

Waiting room, with the TV screen updating on train arrival. The station was cozy in the winter, but I don't know how comfortable it will be in the heat of the summer.

Another view of the waiting room, trying to avoid catching other passengers in the shot.

A train! I think...hard to see through the mini-blizzard.

The train rolled in at 4:05pm. We were boarded in the Renaissance coach, as the single HEP1 coach was already quite full. There were almost a dozen passengers getting off, about half from the HEP coach and half from the Ren. The coaches were very busy, and we had about another 20 or so passengers boarding at Truro. Much of this was March break traffic, and the crew expressed frustration that they only had 2 coaches on even during this busy time (the other accessible Ren coach - 70108 - apparently had a leaking roof, and was not being used unless the accessible space is required).

Snowy arrival of 14.

VIA 14 - note the Renaissance equipment up front, now that the train has again be reoriented.

This was also not long after the major disruptions that stemmed from the January 12 derailment at Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska QC. That forced weeks of alternating cancellations, and then VIA also temporarily pulled all of the Renaissance sleepers off of one train for maintenance and inhibited bookings for more than a month’s worth of departures, before re-opening some. It made for a messy winter, and things were just starting to settle out again around the time I made this short trip.

Another change keen-eyed observers might note is that the train orientation had changed. After a few years of running with the HEP equipment at the east end of the train, a move made to improve scenic views for most sleeper passengers, VIA had abruptly decided to re-orient the train the way it was set up when bidirectional operation first launched in 2021, with the Renaissance equipment on the east end and the HEP equipment at the west end. I gather that this was done for operational convenience, making servicing the train in Campbellton easier (due to the location of watering equipment) and also making for easier operations at the Montreal Maintenance Centre, where the train has to be split in parts to work on inside. Scuttlebutt is that the more scenic orientation was a directive from now ex-CEO Mario Peloquin, and operational considerations forced this reversal shortly after his departure in January.

VIA 14 – March 21, 2026 (ex-Montreal March 20)

6434 F40 [forward]

6443 F40 [backward]

7009 Renaissance baggage

70108 Ren accessible coach [not in service]

7516 Ren Sleeper (39)

7522 Ren Sleeper (38)

7520 Ren Sleeper [not in service]

7309 Ren service car

7402 Ren dining car

7314 Ren service car

7227 Ren coach

7602 Ren transition

8118 HEP1 Coach

8221 Chateau Radisson (40)

8212 Chateau Latour (41)

8219 Chateau Montcalm

8609 HEP baggage

 

I was told by the service manager that only 2 of the Ren sleepers (7522 and 7516) were in service, along with 2 of the Chateaus (Radisson and Latour). Despite the Ren sleepers just being added back on to this set, sleeper 7520 had a bunch of plumbing issues and was not useable. It even had the door missing from bedroom 1, something I could see from outside while walking up the train at the station! 

 

Snowy views from my Renaissance coach seat.

Wintery views from the service car lounge.

Renaissance service car, quiet at this point in the trip.

More wintery views. Is it really almost April?

Approaching Halifax, with a bit of nicer sky opening up over the Bedford Basin.

Once on board, the remainder of the trip was smooth and uneventful. I picked up coffee from the service car, and generally enjoyed the surprisingly wintery ride into town. We arrived at 7:32pm, less than an hour behind, and still in daylight.

Halifax arrival.

Halifax, with one of the engineers doing post-trip inspections on our lead unit.

To Ottawa in April

Halifax station - a really beautiful facade after the recent renovations.

My next ride on board the Ocean would come just over a month later. Transport Action Canada (TAC) was holding its Annual General Meeting in Ottawa at the start of May. This would be a historic milestone, as TAC marked 50 years as an organization. I was set to head up to attend the festivities, and decided to make a slightly longer trip of it to spend about a week visiting family.

For this trip, I would depart Halifax on April 26^th. I made my way to the station on what was a really beautiful late April day, and got checked in and boarded. Despite having several Chateau sleepers on the train, this was one of the last departures before that HEP space was made available, so only the Renaissance sleepers were actually in service and available on this train. The Chateaus continued to be kept on the train largely due to chronic issues with the Ren sleepers, ensuring VIA had space to move passengers in the case of issues with other cars. The fourth Ren sleeper had also just been re-added to this set, as it had been running with only 3 for a while previously.

VIA 15 – Dep. Halifax April 26, 2026

6402 F40 [forward]

6408 F40 [backward]

8605 HEP baggage

8212 Chateau Latour

8202 Chateau Bienville

8220 Chateau Papineau

8140 HEP1 coach

7601 Renaissance transition

7208 Ren coach

7303 Ren service car

7401 Ren dining car

7312 Ren service car

79501 Ren accessible sleeper (30)

7506 Ren sleeper (37) *Room 6

7518 Ren sleeper (38)

7519 Ren sleeper (39)

70217 Ren accessible coach [not in service, locked]

7003 Ren baggage

Consist board at the station. A few little errors in what's shown, but overall a good layout of the train.

Our train; still with the rather drab looking baggage car on the rear.

With the consist now reversed, as I noted earlier, the walk to my sleeper was very short. Boarding car 37, I found everything seemed to be in reasonable shape, but unfortunately the window in my room was badly fogged between the glass panes, which would make for a rather obstructed view. This is particularly unfortunate when the train has limited places to go to enjoy the scenery.

Renaissance sleeper - room 6. A bedroom with shower.

A look at the storage closets in the room. Bathroom door to the left. There's also room for bags under the couch.

Look at the centre console closed up.

Bathroom, which becomes the shower.

Looking back out the door to the hallway. There isa window across the hall, but annoyingly these don't line up so you can see well while sitting down.

On this trip, lunch sittings would be at 12 and 2pm, and I opted for the first one shortly after our on time departure. Dinner later on would be at 5, 6:30, or 8pm.

Underway, water views across the hall. With the train now reversed again, the Renaissance sleeper rooms lose their view of the Bedford basin.

Lunch menu

Fishers on the Shubenacadie river, as we zipped by over lunch.

Main course - the ravioli. Quite good!

The long-standing classic carrot cake for dessert.

This particularly trip was quite uneventful, and I spent most of the time (outside of meals) between my sleeper room and the service car lounge, reading and taking in the scenery. I was seated with someone at lunch, but he was pretty quiet and we didn’t really talk. I then went for the late supper, and it was quiet enough that I had a table to myself, though I did end up chatting a bit with a couple at the table across the aisle.

The only notes I jotted down from that afternoon and evening was that we had stops at Amherst, Sackville and Rogersville, a very short stop at Miramichi, and a stop at Jacquet River. The speed west of Bathurst had also improved quite a bit, and we were able to make the run between there and Petit Rocher much faster than scheduled, keeping us on time that evening.

Back in my room, here's a look at the lousy condensation in the window. Not great for enjoying the views...

Back at the rear of the train, the door ahead of the accessible Ren coach was locked. No extra space to hang out this trip, though the service car was generally only moderately busy.

Peeking into the accessible coach. Some extra linens stored in the baggage racks.

Just before this trip, the latest issue of Railroad Model Craftsman arrived. Jason Shron's column felt very appropriate to read while relaxing on the train!

This issue of RMC also had a great feature on Jason Baxter's superb layout, which includes regular appearances from the Canadian over the Caramat Sub. The layout captures the region so well that it brings back memories of riding through there on #1/2.

Service car views, heading into New Brunswick.

Sackville! Some other great recent news is that the station will soon be home to an independent printing company, and the owner plans to re-open the waiting room to passengers much like in Amherst.

Crossing the Miramichi

Across the Miramichi, approaching the remnants of the once busy paper mill.

Dinner time! With longer days and running on time, it's still daylight by dinner.

Dinner menu

I decided to try the salad appetizer. Quite decent, all in all, though the tomato bisque is still always a great choice.

Sunset over supper.

Main course, cod with lobster sauce. Quite good, and the fish was decently cooked; not always the case with these pre-prepared meals.

More nice sunset views, coming alongside the Baie des Chaleurs. Hard to see from the well lit diner, but by putting my phone against the glass I was able to capture it reasonably well.

Bonfire! Some people on the beach making the most of a lovely evening.

More evening views along the bay. There's only a limited period of the year while this is possible.

Cherry cheesecake dessert.

Out for fresh air at Campbellton.

My room, from the outside.

 

The next morning we were running early. We had no stop at Drummondville (somewhat unusual), and had meets with VIA 20 at St-Perpetue and VIA 22 at St-Basil-le-Grand. Arriving in Montreal we had to wait briefly for VIA 33 to clear, and then we arrived in Montreal Central station at 9:46am, about 8 minutes early. Not at all uncommon for #15 at this time of year, and a nice change versus my last trip through to Montreal!

 

Breakfast!

Mediterranean egg bites. One of the best egg breakfasts I've had on this train.

Meeting VIA 20 over breakfast.

St-Hyacinthe. Ren cars reflected in the station windows, me reflected in the interior windows...

VIA 33 heading out to Ottawa. Almost could have made that as a super early connection!

Arriving at Montreal, VIA 65 on the adjacent track. The LRCs will very soon be a thing of the past. Just about a week earlier, VIA started requiring unoccupied LRC buffer cars on the ends of any LRC consist, hence the backwards club car here. This is to address growing concerns about the structural condition of the cars, which will ultimately see them sidelined by 2027.

VIA 15 to the left, 65 to the right. A single HEP2 Business class car in the mix.

LRC Business class, open for business for a short while longer...

Montreal

With the early arrival I’d have even more time to kill until catching #35 to Ottawa, so I hopped on the REM to take a little ride. I first rode back out through the tunnel to the new Cote-de-Liesse station. This had opened since my last visit (covered in the last blog post), so it was nice to now see it fully operational and with Mascouche line trains staged in the new yard. One of these times with a longer visit I’ll need to get out and ride that line, but for now it was nice to see the interchange setup.

Arriving at Cote-de-Liesse on the REM, Exo trains staged in the new yard to the right.

Cote-de-Liesse platform.

Cote-de-Liesse platform, with a split rail derail protecting the storage yard.

Looking down to the Exo storage yard, with 4 Mascouche consists staged for later in the day.

Code-de-Liesse from above.

Heading back, I stayed on the REM through to Île-des-Sœurs station. This gave a nice aerial tour of the VIA MMC out and back, and I was able to spot quite a bit of neat equipment – more details in the photo captions.

The equipment from #15 earlier is now over at the MMC, being backed in and prepared to be split up for servicing. The Renaissance and HEP sections are normally separated while the train is worked on.

Equipment at MMC, a good mix of both in service and stored equipment.

Panoramas! These cars have been stored for some time, and unfortunately seem unlikely to ever run again. They would have been ideal for the bidrectional Ocean, if they were in good enough shape. Some out of service Ren cars can be seen badly tagged.

There's the other Panorama in there. Only one car got some work done on it a few years ago, and after that they decided it would be too much to do all of them, while they also need to prioritize refurbishments on sleepers and other critical cars.

There's Glenfraser, VIA's one-off ex-BC Rail lounge car, another one unlikely to see future use. The Ocean equipment has also moved over to the background (this was on my return)

Another angle of MMC, coming back on the REM.

Lumi! VIA's special Venture set, done up to mark the mid-way point of the fleet delivery, and as a nod to the old Turbo scheme (yes, it should be blue if it were a true recreation; but it's supposed to be "inspired", not a straight heritage train)

Back at Central station, I noticed that there was a bit of chaos around the Amtrak departures area. The morning’s Adirondack departure (to New York) had been delayed and then cancelled due to mechanical issues, and passengers were being informed that they’d be bussed south, at least part of the way.  

Departures board. Bad news for passengers heading to New York.

It was better news for me on train 35, as we were estimated to be about 20 minutes late but no major issues. We would ultimately depart Montreal about 20 minutes late and end up closer to 45 minutes late in Ottawa, thanks to a delay meeting another train.

VIA 35 – Dep Montreal April 27, 2026

2302 Venture Cab Car (05)

2802 Venture Economy (04) * Seat 10A

2902 Venture Economy (03)

2702 Venture Business (02)

2602 Venture Business (01)

2203 SCV-42 Locomotive

 

The ride was comfortable and smooth, and really not much to comment on.

At my seat, I noticed this QR code to scan for the Economy menu. Printed menus also available, but this is the first time I had seen this.

Decided to try the turkey banh-mi. Overall pretty okay sandwich. 

On board this Venture coach

Arrival in Ottawa

Ottawa!

Tulip festival was coming up soon, so appropriately festive display in the station.

During the following week in Ottawa I’d have a chance to make a few brief rides on the O-Train, and again enjoyed being able to check out both the Stadler FLIRTs and a double-LINT set on Line 2.

Single-LINT train on the airport spur, Line 4, coming in to South Keys station.

Stadler FLIRT at Bayview on Line 2

Stadler FLIRT viewed from onboard one of the Alstom LINT trains, running as a coupled-set on Line 2.

The main event of this visit, TAC’s AGM and 50^th anniversary celebration, was certainly worthwhile. It was great to be able to celebrate the rich history of this advocacy organization, and to connect with many current and former members, directors, and past presidents. Former Transport Minister David Collinette and recently departed VIA CEO Mario Peloquin were both in attendance, and I was pleased to have a chance to spend some time with both of them over the course of the evening. All in all, an enjoyable and interesting day.

With the visit and the main event all wrapped up, it was time to head back home to Halifax. I would make my return on VIA 26 on May 3, connecting through to 14. It was a beautiful day heading out of Halifax, and we’d start off on 26 with Venture trainset 13.

Ottawa station, ready to leave. I always enjoy the very bright and open feel of this station. And unlike in Halifax, the "Trains" sign really does mean that in plural...

Beautiful day to Venture out...

VIA 26 – Dep Ottawa May 3, 2026

2213 SCV-42 Locomotive

2612 Venture Business (01)

2712 Venture Business (02)

2912 Venture Economy (03) *Seat 12D

2812 Venture Economy (04)

2312 Venture Cab Car (05)

 

The ride out was smooth, and aside from a short meet with VIA 35 at Carlsbad Springs, it was quite uneventful. As we arrived in Montreal, I spotted the equipment for #14 already at the station.

On board and ready to depart.

Venture seats across the aisle. As I've said before, I'm generally a fan of these seats. I find them quite a bit better than the latest generation of seats in the refurbished LRCs and HEP2s. 

Views along the Alexandria Sub

Arriving in Montreal, the equipment for train 14 is already in the station being prepped for departure.

I did have a little bit of time to kill in Montreal between trains, so this time I dropped by bags at the checkroom for storage and decided to head out for a bit of a walk. The Montreal Canadiens were playing game 7 of their first round playoff series against Tampa Bay, and even though the game was in Tampa, the atmosphere around the Bell Centre was already building, as a huge watch party would fill the streets later in the evening. I would be able to tune in by radio feed from the train later on, well enough to hear the Canadiens claw their way to a 2-1 win and move on to the second round.

Montreal, crowds already gathering near the Bell Centre for the indoor and outdoor watch party.

Back at the station, I picked up my bags and got checked in for #14. We boarded right around 6pm, and would depart at 6:32pm (2 minutes late). The first dinner sitting would get underway at 7pm, and I’d opted for the later 8:30pm option, which would end up delayed a bit and not underway until around 8:50.

VIA 14 – Dep Montreal May 3, 2026

6406 F40 [forward]

6402 F40 [backward]

7003 Renaissance baggage car

70217 Ren accessible coach [not in service]

7519 Ren sleeper (39)

7518 Ren sleeper (38)

7506 Ren sleeper (37)

79501 Ren accessible sleeper (30)

7312 Ren service car

7401 Ren dining car

7303 Ren service car

7208 Ren coach

7601 Ren transition

8130 HEP1 coach

8140 HEP1 coach

8220 Chateau Papineau (40) *Roomette 7

8202 Chateau Bienville (41? Partially in use)

8223 Chateau Latour (crew)

8605 HEP baggage

 

If you’re paying close attention, you may have noted that this is the same consist as the trip west, with one of the locomotives swapped and a second HEP coach added. Some sections of the HEP coaches were taped off for overnight passengers, and the Renaissance coach was left empty until Ste-Foy, where it was filled completely. The second HEP coach would ultimately have all Moncton-bound passengers, and would be empty after that point in the trip. The sleepers were quite busy. Only car 40 was actually open to book, but it seemed that some passengers had been relocated from one of the Ren sleepers, as Chateau Bienville was opened up at some point and did have some passengers.

This way to Halifax! Short walk to the HEP sleepers, long walk to the Rens here.

During the off-season, there are no activities for sleeper passengers. As such, the accessible Ren coach is typically left closed, unless it’s needed. Some crews may choose to open it as additional sleeper “lounge” space, but that’s not a guarantee until the learning coordinator is on for the summer – more on that in part 2. There’s also no self-serve tea/coffee or snacks set up, but sleeper passengers can still get free tea, coffee or hot chocolate from the service car canteen (or ask your attendant).

On our way out, we stopped before St-Lambert to allow VIA 28 to overtake us. We then met the Amtrak Adirondack on the Victoria bridge. We would later meet VIA 29 before Drummondville, where we also caught up to 28 and had to wait for a little while. There was also a freight meet at St-Perpetue. After all that, we ended up being only slightly late at Ste-Foy, though after a long pair of stops there we’d be about half an hour behind as I got settled down and off to bed.

On the way out from Montreal, with the REM sailing high overhead.

VIA 28 overtakes us before the bridge.

Passing the Montreal Metropolitan Airport at Longeuil. Formerly a much more secondary airport, this is now seeing more service with Porter starting up some flights to and from the airport this year.

Passing Exo trains past Mont-St-Hilaire

Sunset views from my roomette

More sunsets while waiting on supper, and listening to the Habs game on the radio. Not a bad way to spend an evening!

Dinner menu

The cheese plate appetizer

Paneer tikka masala, a classic that pops up on the menu from time to time

Cherry cheesecake dessert, again

Late night meet with a freight train after Ste-Foy.

Trois-Pistoles QC, in the early morning hours.

Meeting the westbound train 15 between Trois-Pistoles and Rimouski. I'm not usually up for this meet, but had woken up and realized we were at about that time. The head end crews swap trains at this meet and work back to their respective terminals of Ste-Foy and Campbellton.

The next morning we were running about an hour behind schedule. I was up for breakfast after Campbellton, and noted that we made stops at Jacquet River and Petit Rocher. We had a brief delay at Pacific Junction, but not too bad, and we ended up at Moncton about 40 minutes behind schedule.

Breakfast

Breakfast; not as good as the option on 15, but not bad.

Breakfast views east of Campbellton

Petit Rocher, with a new sign on the fence before the platform.

Lunch options would be noon or 1:30, and I opted for the later option. Unfortunately that ended up with me eating lunch during the Moncton stop, and unable to step out for the fresh air break.

Lunch menu

Smoked turkey, berry and wild rice salad. Quite nice.

The carrot cake, again

Afternoon views through New Brunswick

Curve after Sackville

Heading onto the marshes, view from the now-emptied HEP1 coach.

We had a bit more delay at Oxford Jct, where we were run through the siding (and therefore at reduced speed), but had no meet - a work crew was at the east end, working on something that may have necessitated our run through the siding. There was a further wait at Truro for the local job to clear out of our way.

Coming through the siding at Oxford Jct., some work clearly being done at the east end.

Inside the now-empty HEP1 coach. This space is available to HEP sleeper passengers to hang out, if there are no economy passengers using the space.

Local job at Truro, with sizeable power for their work.

Some flooded areas after Truro, pretty typical at this time of year.

Bedford Basin views, the home stretch.

Despite all this, we made good time and were able to take advantage of the 30 minutes of padding in the eastbound schedule after Truro, so final arrival in Halifax was at 6:58pm, only 22 minutes late.

Arrived in Halifax, with a decently long walk down the platform. Bit of an overcast day, but an enjoyable return trip.

That brings us to the end of Part 1 of this “extravaganza”. I hope you’ve enjoyed following along so far! In Part 2, we’ll jump ahead a few months to the (extreme) heat of the summer, for another trip out aboard VIA’s Ocean, some bonus buses (but not replacing trains), and a little extra “Venturing” to boot!

________________________________

Extra! Extra! New fleet incoming!

There's been some very exciting news in the VIA world lately, with the procurement process for the new long distance fleet finally culminating in orders for new locomotives and new rolling stock. 

In July, the government announced a contract award to Stadler for 45 new locomotives, which will be built partially in Spain and then the remainder at a new assembly facility in Montreal. These will replace the venerable (and once again being rebuilt) F40s, so they have big shoes to fill! 

An initial rendering of the new Stadler locomotives for VIA's long distance fleet. Very modern and European in some ways, but with a bulky heft that seems right for a long distance North American locomotive (from Stadler/VIA Rail)

Then at the start of September, the even bigger announcement came - VIA's new long distance, regional and remote rolling stock fleet, to replace all of the ageing HEP and Renaissance equipment coast to coast, will be 100% Canadian designed and built, with the contract awarded to Alstom Canada. Major components will be built at La Pocatiere, and then shipped to Thunder Bay for final assembly. 

An overall rendering of the new fleet. Note the huge windows on all cars, upper level windows on the Panorama and dining cars, and that proper dome car mid-way along. (Image from Alstom/VIA Rail)

The new fleet will include modernized amenities, while trying to maintain the service level and classic appeal of long distance train travel. This will include long distance coaches, various types of sleepers, full-service dining cars, panoramic lounge cars, and a modern version of the dome car - something VIA was adamant about including, despite early objections from the builders that it would be too costly and difficult to make. 

A peak inside a render of the new dome cars. Note how the seats appear to be "walkover" style, so they can be reversed easily for either direction of travel. The dome also appears to be very large and will accommodate wheelchair access at one end. (Image from Alstom promotional video)

For the Ocean, this new fleet will mark a massive upgrade over the current service offering, and should also (at long last) see the return of both domes and full cooked-onboard meal service! Accessible sleeper space is also being dramatically increased; and while not all parts of the new trains will be fully accessible, there will be easy access to and from the major amenities. The overall fleet totals also mark a step up from the current available fleet, so this could open the door to expanded service. The first cars are slated to arrive in 2031, to enter service gradually mixed with the legacy fleet, and full fleet delivery by 2035. 

The "Panorama" car is another highlight of the new fleet plan. This car will be a full lounge car, with a variety of spaces and upper windows for better sightseeing. It will also have a cafe section at one end, to offer economy food service. (Image from VIA Rail/Alstom)

So there's a lot to be excited about in the future; but it's also a good reminder that if you want to get out and ride the classic stock (especially on the Canadian), the clock is now officially ticking...