Halifax–Sydney train

Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Nova Scotia, Canada
Last service	January 14, 1990
Successor	Bras d'Or
Current operator(s)	Via Rail
Former operator(s)	Canadian National Railway
Route
Termini	Halifax, Nova Scotia Sydney, Nova Scotia
Stops	48 (1976) 20 (1989)
Distance travelled	473 km (294 mi)
Average journey time	7 hours
Service frequency	2 daily round trips
Train number(s)	604, 605, 607, 608 (Halifax–Sydney) 603, 606 (Halifax–Port Hawkesbury)
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Operating speed	80 mph (128 km/h)
Track owner(s)	Canadian National Railway
Route map 0 km Sydney 17 km 11 mi Leitches Creek* 24 km 15 mi North Sydney Marine Atlantic ferries to Newfoundland 29 km 18 mi Sydney Mines 35 km 22 mi Little Bras d'Or* 61 km 38 mi Boisdale 85 km 53 mi Christmas Island* 90 km 56 mi Grand Narrows Grand Narrows Bridge over the Barra Strait 92 km 57 mi Iona 99 km 62 mi McKinnon Harbor* 103 km 64 mi Ottawa Brook* 109 km 68 mi Alba* 117 km 73 mi Orangedale 130 km 81 mi River Denys* 142 km 88 mi West Bay Road 152 km 94 mi McIntyre's Lake* 163 km 101 mi Port Hawkesbury 168 km 104 mi Port Hastings* Canso Causeway over the Strait of Canso 171 km 106 mi Aulds Cove* 183 km 114 mi Havre Boucher 200 km 124 mi Monastery 215 km 134 mi Heatherton* 219 km 136 mi Pomquet* 235 km 146 mi Antigonish 250 km 155 mi James River* 265 km 165 mi Avondale† 280 km 174 mi Merigomish 285 km 177 mi Egerton* 301 km 187 mi New Glasgow 304 km 189 mi Stellarton‡ 312 km 194 mi Eureka* 314 km 195 mi Hopewell† 321 km 199 mi Lorne* 325 km 202 mi Glengarry* 338 km 210 mi West River† 350 km 217 mi Riversdale* 356 km 221 mi Union* 363 km 226 mi Valley* Atlantic and Ocean to Moncton, Saint John, Montreal 370 km 230 mi Truro 397 km 247 mi Stewiacke† 405 km 252 mi Shubenacadie† 411 km 255 mi Milford* 422 km 262 mi Elmsdale† Evangeline to Yarmouth 447 km 278 mi Windsor Junction 457 km 284 mi Bedford 463 km 288 mi Rockingham 468 km 291 mi Armdale 473 km 294 mi Halifax *Service ended April 27, 1980 †Service ended June 3, 1984 ‡Service ended October 30, 1988 Train cancelled January 15, 1990

The Halifax-Sydney train was a passenger train service operated by the Canadian National Railway and later Via Rail between Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, via Truro and Port Hawkesbury.

The train was discontinued in 1990. From 2000 to 2004, the Bras d'Or ran weekly summer excursion service along much the same route.

History

The route was operated by the Canadian National Railway until 1977, when most of CN's passenger routes were transferred to Via Rail. For most of the train's life under Via Rail, two daily round trips ran the full route between Halifax and Sydney. Not all trains stopped at all stations.

The April 27, 1980, timetable dropped 22 stops, nearly half the itinerary. These were mostly in small communities located just a few miles from retained stops.^[1]

On June 3, 1984, a new service pattern took effect. One round trip, trains 604 and 605, ran the entire route on a daily basis. Additionally, train 608 ran from Halifax to Sydney on Fridays and Saturdays, with train 607 returning on Sundays. The remaining days saw trains 603 and 606 run an abbreviated route between Halifax and Port Hawkesbury. The new schedule was billed as enabling same-day round trips from Port Hawkesbury to Truro and Halifax.^[2] This timetable also dropped six stops: Avondale, Hopewell, West River, Stewiacke, Shubenacadie, and Elmsdale.

On October 30, 1988, the Stellarton and New Glasgow stops were combined.^[3]

On April 30, 1989, trains 603 and 606 were suspended due to track upgrades near Truro. Regular service was planned to resume in late October 1989.^[4]

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.^[5] In an act of protest, local union leader Victor Tomiczek chained himself to the last train departing Sydney station.^[6]

Later service

Passenger service between Halifax and Sydney resumed in 2000 with Via Rail's Bras d'Or, which ran once per week during the summer tourist season. At the time, the line from Truro to Sydney was operated by the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway. The train was cancelled following the 2004 season. This was the last regularly-scheduled passenger train serving Cape Breton Island.

References