Saint-Laurent (train)

This article is about the passenger train. For other uses, see Saint Laurent.

The Saint-Laurent (French: Le Saint–Laurent) was a daily passenger train service operated by Via Rail along the St. Lawrence River from Mont-Joli to Montreal and later Quebec City.

Saint-Laurent

Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Quebec, Canada
Predecessor	Scotian
First service	October 28, 1979 June 1, 1985
Last service	May 28, 1983 January 14, 1990
Current operator(s)	Via Rail
Route
Termini	Mont-Joli Montreal (1979–1983) Sainte-Foy (1985) Quebec City (1985–1990)
Stops	15 (1979) 12 (1989)
Distance travelled	578 km (359 mi) (1979) 357 km (222 mi) (1989)
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	18, 19 (1979–1983) 631, 632 (1985–1990)
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Track owner(s)	Canadian National Railway
Route map Ocean to Halifax; Chaleur to Gaspé 0 km Mont-Joli 29 km 18 mi Rimouski 46 km 29 mi Bic 91 km 57 mi Trois-Pistoles 108 km 67 mi Isle-Verte 134 km 83 mi Rivière-du-Loup 175 km 109 mi Saint-Pascal 200 km 124 mi La Pocatière 260 km 162 mi Montmagny 319 km 198 mi Lévis Ferry to Québec City 332 km 206 mi Charny Pre-1985 route Quebec Bridge over the St. Lawrence River 335 km 208 mi Sainte-Foy 356 km 221 mi Quebec City 477 km 296 mi Drummondville 524 km 326 mi Saint-Hyacinthe 571 km 355 mi Saint-Lambert Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence River 578 km 359 mi Montreal

The train was first established in 1979 to supplement the Ocean in eastern Quebec following the cancellation of the Scotian. Service lasted until 1990, with a hiatus from 1983 to 1985.

History

The Canadian National Railway historically operated two daily passenger trains between Montreal and Halifax via Mont-Joli, Campbellton, and Moncton: the Ocean and the Scotian.

On October 28, 1979, Via Rail discontinued the Scotian in favor of extending the Atlantic, a former Canadian Pacific train, from Saint John to Halifax. To ensure twice-daily train service remained between Mont-Joli and Montreal, the Saint-Laurent was added with train numbers 18 and 19. Similarly in New Brunswick, an unnamed Campbellton–Moncton train was added.

From May 1983 to June 1985 the Saint-Laurent was replaced with an extension of the Chaleur. Before and after this time, the Chaleur and the Ocean ran together as one train from Montreal that divided at Matapédia station.

On June 1, 1985, the Saint-Laurent returned with a southern terminus in Quebec City (briefly in Sainte-Foy), coinciding with the reopening of the Gare du Palais as the endpoint of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. Timed transfers connected Saint-Laurent passengers with Corridor trains serving Montreal and points south. This version of the Saint-Laurent carried train numbers 631 and 632.

Service was discontinued on January 15, 1990, during a round of severe cuts to the Via Rail network overseen by Benoît Bouchard due to the 1989 budget.