Canadian Railroads > Roberval and Saguenay, do they operate on Saturday?

I will be in Chicoutimi on Saturday October 3rd 2015. Other than doing a load of laundry if the laundromat is not open on Sunday morning I will be out riding on the transit buses between Jonquière, Chicoutimi and La Baie. What are the chances of seeing the Roberval and Saguenay operating on a Saturday and where would be the most likely times and places to see them? I will be doing this by transit bus and not putting too much time or effort into finding the trains but if it sounds easy enough I may make the effort. 

STS site http://ville.saguenay.ca/fr/services-aux-citoyens/transport-sts

Carte Interactive / System Map http://ville.saguenay.ca/fr/services-aux-citoyens/transport-sts/carte-interactive

Unfortunately while I was planning my trip STS went to this interactive system map and schedule that I find very difficult to use compared to looking at a regular map and schedule. As you can see on the map is that there places where the routes do cross or paralelle the Roberval and Saguenay. To see all the routes click on Tous (ALL) in the upper righthand corner and look at the routes on Samedi (Saturday).

I do know limited French and might take the scanner with me along with the Canadian Trackside Guide.

Jim

I was in Jonquire and Chicoutimi in July, but Monday-Thursday. I know during the week, all their buses seem to run every half hour, but don't know about Sundays.

I think you need to spend a lot of time cutting and pasting to Google Translate to figure it out
https://translate.google.com/
The only people who I found speak English is the VIA Ticket agent, the tourist office, and a few waiters. The school age kids I am told all have to pass an English exam now, and they want to socialize with the English kids. There is a small English community and school  in Jonquire. But the adults simply do not know English, nor do the bus drivers.

Report back. I want to go to La Baie and the Fjords next year. I will probably take an Intercar bus out of QC. The VIA remote train is so slow and CN plays games with it too.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/15 12:15 by joemvcnj.

Not so much problem with understanding the buses, just I don't like the interactive verses PDF schedules for any transit site English or French. It is much more tedious to figure out connecting times and such. I've already been looking and Saturdays part of the routes operate half hourly with others operating hourly. I can read French better than I can understand it being spoken so I can get by OK enough on that in Quebec. I find that in many places in Quebec people are OK with speaking in English to people from the US, just don't act like you're from Ontario and you're OK.

So the main question, while you were up there did you see much action on the Roberval and Saguenay?

Jim

No, I just hung around the 2 downtowns.
Found this: http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/RS/history.htm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/15 14:26 by joemvcnj.

tq-07fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not so much problem with understanding the buses,
> just I don't like the interactive verses PDF
> schedules for any transit site English or French.
> It is much more tedious to figure out connecting
> times and such. I've already been looking and
> Saturdays part of the routes operate half hourly
> with others operating hourly. I can read French
> better than I can understand it being spoken so I
> can get by OK enough on that in Quebec. I find
> that in many places in Quebec people are OK with
> speaking in English to people from the US, just
> don't act like you're from Ontario and you're OK.
>

I believe this is a common misconception magnified by Canadians who have never been to Quebec.  There are many people in Quebec who are 100% monolingual French and there is nothing wrong with that.  They accomodated my French attempts and if I did not know a key word in French, I could use an English word which they usually knew and provided me the correct word.  The key was that I wanted to speak French with them and they welcomed that.  Coming from Alberta, people back there would interpret that as being their knowing how to speak English, go back and perpetrate the misconception.  My experience was they will try English with you just like I tried French with them.  I had all of those misconceptions in me and am so glad I went there to realise it was wrong.  Quebec is a great place, a part of Canada and people need to distrust the belief that the whole Province knows English; I do not believe it is so.  They know the language they were born into.

Have a great time in Quebec.

Rick

 

The resentment of Quebecers is due more to the fact they tried to break up our country not the language part of it.
Canadians regarding language and race are possibly the most accepting in the world.
I may have been born in Ontario but Quebec is still my country just like Alberta and Nova Scotia, and when someone threatens that I take offense!
 

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

In all my trips to Canada over the past 15 years, I have never come across an unpleasant individual (excepting a street drugee), Quebec or otherwise.