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The ''Ocean'', previously known as the ''Ocean Limited'', is a Canadian passenger train operated by VIA Rail between Montreal, Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is currently the oldest continuously operated named passenger train in North America. The ''Ocean'' schedule takes approximately 23 hours, running overnight in both directions. Together with ''The Canadian'' and VIA's corridor trains, the ''Ocean'' provides a transcontinental service. ==History== The Intercolonial Railway of Canada (IRC) inaugurated the ''Ocean Limited'' on July 3, 1904, as a summer-only "limited stop" service to supplement the ''Maritime Express''. In Halifax, it connected with the Dominion Atlantic Railway's luxury train, the ''Flying Bluenose''.〔(Halifax Herald, July 4, 1904, OCEAN LIMITED STARTS TO-DAY and Flying Bluenose Begins 1904 Season )〕 During the immigration boom of the early 1900s, the ''Ocean Limited'' and other passenger trains on its route saw increased use as they provided key wintertime connections for both the Grand Trunk Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway in moving sponsored immigrants to lands in the Prairie provinces. In 1918, the IRC was merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR) and the ''Ocean Limited'' continued its operation much as before. During both the First and Second World Wars, the ''Ocean Limited'' provided important service to the port of Halifax. In 1964 the ''Ocean'' received ex-Milwaukee Road Skytop Lounge lounge-sleeping cars.〔 CNR dropped the "Limited" from the train's name in 1966 as part of the company's adoption of bilingual names. Despite the name change references to the ''Ocean Limited'' remain commonplace. During a landslide which affected the old IRC line near Rimouski, Quebec, in 1977, for six months CN diverted the ''Ocean'' onto another parallel line several hundred kilometres to the south, maintaining the same Halifax–Montreal schedule times. In 1976, CN placed operation of all its passenger services under a new division using the marketing slogan "Via". In April 1978 this division was created as a separate Crown corporation named Via Rail Canada, taking with it all CN passenger trains and equipment. The new national passenger rail service did not begin to change train names and operations until 1979, following the October 1978 assumption of all CPR passenger trains and equipment. The ''Ocean'' did not get renamed by Via and in fact became supplanted on the Halifax–Moncton portion of its route in 1985 by another Via train, the ''Atlantic'' (formerly the ''Atlantic Limited''), which saw its eastern terminus extended to Halifax from Saint John. This train also assumed the train numbers and equipment of the defunct CN passenger train ''Scotian'', which survived only into the first few years of the Via era. Under Via, the ''Ocean'' underwent several changes in its operation: * (1979–1981) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions between Halifax-Montreal. Another Via train, the ''Atlantic'' also served these cities over a different route. * (1981–1985) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions, albeit as the only through train between Halifax-Montreal, following cancellation of the ''Atlantic''. * (1985–1990) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions between Moncton and Montreal, following reinstatement of the ''Atlantic'', which became the through train to Halifax. Passengers on the ''Ocean'' were forced to change trains at Moncton. * (1990–1994) Operation three days a week in both directions between Halifax and Montreal following Via budget cuts. The ''Atlantic'' also operated three days a week and equipment rotated on the two trains. Service between Moncton and Halifax and between Saint-Hyacinthe and Montreal, the only common portions of the two routes, was six days a week. * (1994–present) Daily operation (six days a week) in both directions between Halifax and Montreal. The second cancellation of the ''Atlantic'' resulted in increased operation on the route of the ''Ocean''. CN sold its portion of the ''Ocean'' route between Rivière-du-Loup, QC, and Moncton, NB, to a shortline operator which operated the section from Rivière-du-Loup to Campbellton as the Chemin de fer Matapédia et du Golfe and the section from Campbellton to Moncton as the New Brunswick East Coast Railway. CN re-acquired these portions on November 3, 2008, and, as a result, the ''Ocean'' now again operates solely on CN trackage.〔 *(CN acquires three rail subsidiaries and ferry operation of Quebec Railway Corp. (QRC) for C$49.8 million )〕 * October 26, 1998, saw CN abandon its scenic route along the waterfront of Levis, Quebec, which served the combined railway station and ferry terminal. This section of the railway was redeveloped as an urban cycling trail, although the former Levis train station and platform remain. VIA Rail was forced to relocate the ''Ocean'' stop for the Quebec City region to Charny, necessitating a reverse move in each direction. Via offers a connecting shuttle van service for ''Ocean'' passengers between Charny and Quebec City (Note: in 2014 VIA moved the stop from Charny to Ste-Foy - both the eastbound and westbound trains travel in to Ste-Foy forward, and reverse back to the main line). * (2006) The gradual phasing out of the restored stainless steel Budd cars was to have taken place, with all departures in both directions to have been operated in favor of the more modern European-built Renaissance equipment. However, VIA has experienced occasional problems with this equipment and has had to press the Budd cars into service as needed. Work on upgrading the Renaissance fleet has resulted in the need to operate one Budd consist (with the two other consists Renaissance outfitted) during the winter season. This took place through to the winter of 2011/2012, and ended after the service was reduced to 3 trips a week, with the exception of extra Budd-equipped trains during the Christmas holidays in 2014 and 2015. A stainless steel Park Car (originally built in 1954) is attached to the end of every train for passengers in Easterly Class (currently re-named "Sleeper Plus"). Though initially only available during the peak summer season and over the Christmas holidays, the Park car is now included on every train year-round (as of 2013). Due to the European couplers of the Renaissance cars, it is necessary to insert a transition car (numbered 7600-7602) between the Renaissance sleeping cars and the Park Car. The transition car is converted from a Renaissance sleeper shell and is effectively just an empty walk-through corridor, with carpeted floor and handrails along the walls. * (2012) On June 27, 2012, VIA Rail Canada announced its intention to reduce frequency on the ''Ocean'' from 6 times per week to 3 times per week. Starting October 2012, the ''Ocean'' departed Montreal on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and departed Halifax on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The Tuesday departure from Halifax was subsequently changed to Wednesday, so the departure days are the same in both directions. * (2014) In 2014, CN threatened to abandon the entire Newcastle Subdivision which would have seriously jeopardized the existence of the ''Ocean''. As part of an agreement, the government of New Brunswick announced that it would give $25 million to CN Rail to upgrade and maintain freight service on two separate parts of the line – a northern section and a southern section. CN has committed to spend an equal amount of money to maintain and operate these two pieces for freight services for the next 15 years. However, a 44-mile (70 km) section of track between Bathurst and Moncton was not part of the deal and lack of rail traffic initially kept this part of the route from being saved. However, in May 2014, the federal government pledged $10.3 million to rebuild the line to save the ''Ocean''.〔http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/via-rail-agrees-to-102-million-upgrade-in-new-brunswick/article18630782/〕 * (2014) The Ocean celebrates its 110th year of service. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ocean (train)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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