Canadian Railroads > Winnipeg - Churchill Trains

VIA has again updated the information regarding this service. The information about sleeper sales being blocked, as on the Canadian and the Ocean, was replaced about two weeks ago with a message saying no sleeper service will be available until January.  Now it is indefinite. On the bright side, passengers will now be able to purchase some food.

"VIA’s Winnipeg- Churchill route in Economy class provides at seat cart service that offers a selection of snacks and sandwiches at affordable prices. We will not be able to accommodate special dietary needs at this time and passengers with food restrictions are asked to plan accordingly. The Sleeper Plus class is still not available for the moment."

There is still nothing new about the sleepers on the Canadian and the Ocean.

Thanks David for your continuted updates on VIAs current services. Looks like your November trip is off. :(   It should be noted that Amtrak never stopped providing sleeping car service and continuted to provide meals (if you can call them that) even during  the height of the pandamic. I get that the Canadian is more of a social experience so that presents a separate problem. But the Churchill train and Ocean fall more into the category of general transportation.  Thus I would think the types of meals provided in corredor Business Class could easliy be provided on those trains to either be eaten in ones room or at tables in the diner as is currently done on Amtrak's western LDT's. 

I don't get the reluctance to run sleeping cars. Opportunity for social distancing, or perhaps it is a ploy to discourage foreign tourists from coming to Canada.  

Although VIA has not yet made a definite decision, it is looking doubtful. It is a little over a month before VIA says the Canadian and Ocean will resume with coaches and maybe sleepers. They have had about five months to figure out social distancing. Passenger loads in November tend to be light and, of course, VIA could set a limit on the number of sleeper berths/cabins sold.

I suspect that there are few sold at the moment, I don't recall when VIA put a block on sleeper sales, but it wasn't long after my friends and I booked our trip which was at the beginning of May. Four of us managed to book before sales were blocked. The other three or four who want to go did not book in time.

 VIA will have to make a decision soon. The on-board crew, most of whom are based in Winnipeg and some in Vancouver, will have to be re-called and the equipment will need a good cleaning.

David, does this mean you still have a room on #1 -2 since you booked early or were you canceled?
Thanks for the into on 693 - 692.  Did coach all the way to Churchill one time when both directions were sold out in sleeper when I was able to go.   Not my choice but better than no ride at all!!  Was close to sold out in coach also so we made lots of "friends"!!!

VIA doing this, I presume, as soon it is bear season and many people wanting to go.  
 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> I don't get the reluctance to run sleeping cars.
> Opportunity for social distancing, or perhaps it
> is a ploy to discourage foreign tourists from
> coming to Canada.  

Unless the 'Atlantic Bubble' opens by November......there's really no point in running the Ocean unless the route is broken at Campbellton. Once you cross into New Brunswick a 14 day isolation is required by anyone from outside NB, NS, PEI and Nfld. A Halifax-Campbellton Ocean could work.

With a pop of 2.5 million there's only a couple of active cases here. All others have recovered and most do not want the borders reopened until other areas get Covid under control.

I was referring to sleeper cars throughout the system, not the Ocean per se. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> I was referring to sleeper cars throughout the
> system, not the Ocean per se. 

And I was commenting on running the Ocean...let alone a sleeper on it!

viatrainrider Wrote:
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> David, does this mean you still have a room on #1
> -2 since you booked early or were you canceled?
...
The bookings for the four of us have not been cancelled by VIA. They still appear on "manage my bookings."  There are still travel restrictions in Manitoba, but the last I read was that people could travel through the province but would have to self-quarantine for 14 days if they wished to stay in Manitoba. There are no restrictions in the other western provinces. So there is hope for the return of the Canadian.

As ghCBNS pointed out, there is no point in running the Ocean under the current circumstances. A Campbellton-Moncton-Halifax train would be possible, but with so few people travelling I seriously doubt VIA would go to that expense.

DrawingroomA Wrote:
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> viatrainrider Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > David, does this mean you still have a room on
> #1
> > -2 since you booked early or were you canceled?
> ...
> The bookings for the four of us have not been
> cancelled by VIA. They still appear on "manage my
> bookings."  There are still travel restrictions
> in Manitoba, but the last I read was that people
> could travel through the province but would have
> to self-quarantine for 14 days if they wished to
> stay in Manitoba. There are no restrictions in the
> other western provinces. So there is hope for the
> return of the Canadian.
>
> As ghCBNS pointed out, there is no point in
> running the Ocean under the current circumstances.
> A Campbellton-Moncton-Halifax train would be
> possible, but with so few people travelling I
> seriously doubt VIA would go to that expense.

Maybe they can borrow Rapido's RDC for the Campbellton-Moncton-Halifax run!

I was talking with a via agent this past weekend and he was saying that the sleepers will not be returning to "The Canadian" till at least early January...:(:(:(
We were also talking about what the coach passengers would be eating and it looks like they will be eating from the menue that is made in the mid train dome for coach passengers.
They were serving this menue in February when my brother and I went to Vancouver...I don't know how to post the link, if somebody can please go right ahead...:)
You can find it on the Via website under economy meals for the "Canadian". It say something like from August 1 till sometime into early September.
They said they decide on the passenger loading for coach and since Greyhound stopped running west of Sudbury,Ontario Via is the only way...
It's not a bad looking menue with 3 or4 choices for each setting..
I couldn't go by coach for 4 days! I'm to old for that !!! :):):)
I hope this helps...

Of course our fight against COVID 19 is a bit better than yours.

I would imagine the travel restrictions in Manitoba are directly linked with the lack of sleeping car accommodations on the Winnipeg - Churchill train.  Every time I have seen it this summer there were only a handful of passengers in coach (though most of the passenger load is north of The Pas anyways), and unless you are coming from Western Canada, any visitor to Manitoba must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.  Additionally, on 4 Sept the Government of Manitoba re-instituted travel restrictions for Northern Manitoba prohibiting non-essential travel North of 53 degrees (basically The Pas and North) with some exemptions.  Similar restrictions remain in place farther north in the territories as well.

https://churchill.municipalwebsites.ca/Editor/images/COVID19%20Updates/Community%20Update%20September%2018.pdf

All of this adds up to low demand and active efforts to discourage people from visiting remote areas of Canada during the COVID pandemic (for obvious reasons).  So it is not surprising that sleeping car accommodations would not be offered.

Magellan