(VIA Rail issued the following news release on June 15.)
HALIFAX — This morning, VIA Rail Canada hosted its Maritime tourism industry partners and members of the media to a special breakfast at the Halifax VIA Rail Station. At the gathering, guests also enjoyed visiting redesigned Renaissance equipment, including the famous Park Car, plus VIA’s new Maritime Learning Experience, as seen on the new Easterly Class service.
VIA launched its new overnight Easterly Class: A Maritime Learning Experience service two weeks ago, on June 1, on the Montreal-Moncton-Halifax train, the Ocean, creating a rail journey that immerses travellers into the romance of the Maritime provinces. This new class of service is different from regular travel in that it creates, during the voyage, an educational experience for the traveller.
Says Keith Moulton, VIA’s Director of Eastern Services: “We believe in the long-term potential of tourism in the Maritimes, which is why we have invested over $80 million over the past five years. Adapting our service is part of our recipe for long-term success; it will help us attract travellers who are looking for a different kind of experience. Initial customer feedback has been very positive.” Added Mr Moulton: “I think this bodes well for economic development in the region’s tourism sector.”
Operating June through October 31 of 2005 and May through October beginning next year, the new Easterly Class service will be a seasonal upgrade to the Ocean’s already existing Comfort Sleeper class, which will continue to run year-round.
VIA added many learning components to the travel experience, one of them being the presence on board each train of a Learning Coordinator. This person’s role is to give insight and commentary relating to the scenery and area through which the train is traveling.
As Canada’s national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada’s mandate is to provide efficient and cost effective passenger transportation services. Serving more than 450 communities across Canada, demand for rail services continues to grow as more Canadians turn to train travel as a safe and convenient travel choice.