(VIA Rail issued the following news release on August 29.)
HALIFAX — VIA Rail Canada is pleased to announce that the November 6, 2006, departure of its Ocean train leaving Montréal will be designated as the “War Bride Train.” VIA Rail Canada encourages war brides and their families to travel by train from Montréal to Halifax for a unique celebration of their arrival in this country.
Between 1942 and 1948, more than 40,000 war brides and 20,000 children came to Canada from Britain and Europe. The overwhelming majority arrived sixty years ago this year, in 1946, and first touched Canadian soil at Pier 21 in Halifax. Many travelled by train to their new homes across the country.
“We are really pleased to be helping the war brides relive, in reverse, their first historic voyage in Canada,” says Ron Jackson, VIA station agent in Halifax. The Halifax team behind this initiative were also responsible for VIA’s 2005 Remembrance Day train, and it was on that special train last year that the seed of the War Bride train was planted. “We met several war brides last year who were travelling with their husbands, and memories of their arrival in this country were flooding back to them on the train,” says Peggy Topple. “When we heard that many provinces were declaring 2006 the Year of the War Bride, we just knew what we had to do this year.”
Those who travel with VIA from Montréal to Halifax on November 6 will enjoy music by a ladies barbershop quartet while on board, and may even be able to participate in an oral history interview with a historian from Pier 21. On November 8, Pier 21 will host celebrations to mark the Year of the War Bride.
The War Bride Train will leave Montréal on November 6 at 6:44 pm and arrive in Halifax the following afternoon at 3:55 pm. A historic journey particularly considering VIA’s Ocean service between Montréal-Halifax is the longest running regularly-scheduled passenger train in Canadian history.
Travellers can take advantage of VIA’s off-peak fares. For more information, or to reserve a ticket, go to viarail.ca or call toll-free 1 888 VIA-Rail (1 888 842-7245) or 1 800 268-9503 (hearing impaired).
Travellers in need of accommodations in Halifax are encouraged to inquire about special rates at the Westin Nova Scotian, conveniently connected to the VIA Rail station and within walking distance from Pier 21. For more information email reservations@westin.ns.ca or call 1-877-993-7846 and ask for the War Bride rate.
The Pier 21 Society looks forward to hosting war brides from across the country on November 8, 2006. The day of museum activities will start with a non-denominational church service in Kenneth C. Rowe Heritage Hall at 10:00 a.m. After the service there will be guided tours of the exhibits and screenings of the multi-media presentation “Oceans of Hope” in the Andrea and Charles Bronfman In-Transit Theatre. The centerpiece of the day is a renewal of vows ceremony that will see veterans and war brides renew their wedding vows more than sixty years after originally taking them. At 1:00 p.m. the Reverend Charles Black will preside over this service which will also include an honour guard and musicians. The vow renewal ceremony will be followed by a swing dance and sing-a-long until 4:00 p.m.
Couples interested in participating in the vow renewal ceremony in Halifax on November 8 should contact Pier 21 at the contact listed below.
When asked how he felt about hosting the war brides, Pier 21 C.E.O. Robert Moody said, “I cannot imagine a more perfect way to honour Canada’s veterans and the women that they loved. We are all looking forward to what promises to be a very special day.”
As Canada’s national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada’s mandate is to provide efficient, environmentally responsible and cost effective passenger transportation services, both in Canada’s business corridor and in remote and rural regions of the country. Serving more than 450 communities with a network of inter-city, transcontinental and regional trains, demand for rail services continues to grow as more Canadians turn to train travel as a safe and convenient travel choice.