Canadian Railroads > Montreal, Quebec City, and Halifax Trip March 2026

This coming March, I have a vacation trip set to visit Montreal, Quebec City, and Halifax. I will have a lot of time to railfan. I am going to be flying into Montreal International Airport on 3/21. Between the nights of 3/21-3/24, I will be staying at a hotel right by the airport and within sight of the Dorval VIA Rail/EXO Commuter Rail station. On 3/25, I will be taking VIA Rail Corridor Train # 22 between Dorval and Quebec City and spending several hours in Quebec City. In the evening, I'll board the shuttle bus at Quebec City VIA Rail Station and take that to Sainte-Foy where I will pick up VIA Rail Ocean Train # 14 which I will spend the night of 3/25 on in a sleeper, taking it to Halifax where arrive the night of 3/26. I'll be spending the nights of 3/26-3/28 in Downtown Halifax before flying back home to New Jersey on 3/29.  I won't have access to a car but am willing to take an Uber or Lyft for a couple of miles, in addition to using any public transportation to get around these cities as well as walk whenever possible.
Where are the best railfanning spots in Montreal and the suburbs to catch both passenger and freight at one station? I definately plan to railfan at Dorval Station plus some other EXO Stations west of there on Line 11? I have plans to ride the entire Metro system as well as the REM lines that are open. I plan to spend a morning weekday rush hour railfanning at St. Lambert Station. I am considering riding the entire Line 15 EXO Commuter Rail line but turning quickly at Mascouche.

In Quebec City, are there any good spots to photograph VIA Rail as close to the downtown area as possible?

When I take the Ocean, which stations tend to be the fresh air stops and would I be able to get photos of the head end power nose up? 

In Halifax or the suburbs, are there any good public access vantage points to photograph VIA Rail's Ocean from? 

Thank you for any tips. 

 

Sounds like you have a great trip planned.

Hopefully locals will pitch in but here's a few spots that I enjoyed during my trip in October and November.

If you haven't been, I highly recommend visiting Exporail while you're in Montreal. It's very close to the EXO station at Saint-Constant and apparently they have an arrangement to get visitors back to Montreal via Candiac on a late afternoon train (see https://exporail.org/planifiez-votre-visite/adresse-et-acces/ for info)

It's not what it used to be, thanks to some trimming to make way for the REM tracks, but the Peel Basin on the Lachine Canal offers no shortage of EXO and VIA plus REM. If you're lucky (I wasn't) there might also be freight movement around Silo No 5.

In Quebec, there's a small park next to the Saint-Charles River that has partial views into the tracks at Gare du Palais as well as the bridge coming across the river - not a bad spot, especially if you're short on time. It's a short walk from the station down Rue Abraham Martin past the bus terminal, then left on Corridor du Littoral. The nearby port area is home to an SD unit servicing the G3 grain terminal, but I don't know how much activity there would be in March.

Halifax has a great spot overlooking the tracks on Young Avenue, which is where I took the video in this thread: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,6113183

There are also nifty ferries that you can take for a short ride across to Alderney (there's a small yard nearby) or Dartmouth (near the Cando terminal) if you want to try your luck for finding some freight close to town.

I look forward to seeing photos from your trip!

Stu

Edited to add a postscript: I haven't taken The Ocean and it may be different, but on my trip aboard The Canadian in November there was no access beyond the first car at any of the fresh air stops, as they were refuelling the engines.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/26 23:54 by screeh.

The Gare du Palais in Quebec City is a wonderful example of lavish railroad architecture. The train platform is somewhat cramped for pictures, as I recall.

A peek into the Chateau Frontenac is fascinating, too. Built in an era when nothing was too much for the railroads.

Posted from Android

These responses have been helpful!

I don't think I will have time to visit Exporail but I know that I'll be back in Montreal either during the latter of this decade or early in the next. I am definately going to go to the Peel Basin for the EXO, VIA, and REM. I will look into going to that park in Quebec City and photograph some of the VIA Rail Corridor trains. 

In Halifax, I am going to lean toward going to the spot on Young Avenue for a photo of VIA Rail Train # 15. I love riding and photographing ferries and have plans to ride the route from Hfax to Dartmouth. I'll keep my eye out for the freight yard near Alderney but probably won't be spending very much time in that town. As for railfanning in Halifax, I probably will spend less time doing that, although I do want to get photos of the Ocean in a couple of spots. I see that VIA14 also arrives into Halifax on Saturday evening and if its on or close to schedule, I might get a photo of it somewhere west of Young Ave within the city limits of Halifax. I want to get my photos of those F40s plus the Budd HEP and Renaissance rolling stock before they retire. 

I have taken the westbound Canadian twice-entire route from Toronto to Vancouver in Feb 2023 and then Toronto to Winnipeg in April 2024. When I took the Canadian, I was able to get up to the locomotives at some of the stops but not all. I checked with the crew. 

 

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> In Halifax, I am going to lean toward going to the
> spot on Young Avenue for a photo of VIA Rail Train
> # 15. I love riding and photographing ferries and
> have plans to ride the route from Hfax to
> Dartmouth. I'll keep my eye out for the freight
> yard near Alderney but probably won't be spending
> very much time in that town. As for railfanning in
> Halifax, I probably will spend less time doing
> that, although I do want to get photos of the
> Ocean in a couple of spots. I see that VIA14 also
> arrives into Halifax on Saturday evening and if
> its on or close to schedule, I might get a photo
> of it somewhere west of Young Ave within the city
> limits of Halifax. I want to get my photos of
> those F40s plus the Budd HEP and Renaissance
> rolling stock before they retire. 

VIA 14 is scheduled to arrive about 6pm in Halifax, but is frequently hours late.  Hopefully you will get it before dark.

There are two ferry routes across the harbour, one to downtown Dartmouth where the yard is, and the other to Woodside.  The pedway from the terminal to the parking lot crosses the Dartmouth Sub, but the only trains will be freights going to or from Autoport, at the end of the line.  Fare for the ferries is the same as regular bus fare, and you can get a transfer between the two services.

The Young Ave. bridge is the best bet for shooting 15, since it is unlikely to be late, and it's certainly a safe neighbourhood, and easy to get to.  Unfortunately it's a "one and done"  because even with a car, you can't catch the train again until Truro (if you're lucky).

For photo ops when riding 14, the long stops are Campbellton and Moncton, where they change crews and do a brake test.  But they are also fuel stops, and that may be the real reason you can't walk up the platform to the head end of the train.  The train noses into the bumper in Halifax, and although the light isn't the best, that might be the best chance for a picture of the head end.  You have to walk right past the locomotives on the way into the station.  The Ocean has the Budd cars on the east end and Ren on the west, regardless of which direction the train is going.

Here's the view from Young Ave., albeit 15 years ago: No Park Car  The train almost always leaves on the south track, and you want to hope that CN hasn't parked a string of double-stacks on the yard track to the south to block the view.  The video is train 14 arriving in Truro last November.  The time was about 4:20, so they must have been close to one time and the shadows were pretty long at the time.  Should be a later sunset in March.

GTD

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Dorval is the best place in Montreal.    CN and CP freight, EXO and via passeger.  what more could u want.

Ive stayed at that hotel at Dorval.   There are a few rooms with a view of the tracks. You can sit and nosh and watch trains without freezing outside.



 

EXO station platforms are within fare control area. Make sure you have a validated ticket on hand just in case.

Montreal West is also a good place for EXO pictures, like during PM rush, you'll see St Jerome trains, and is within Zone A of STM and EXO. It is mostly a monotony of MLV train consist, maybe a CRRC. The lozenge shaped 2000's were retired, but not sure, but they only ran them to St Jerome for some reason. 

Lucien L'Allier depot is very nice now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/26 16:49 by joemvcnj.

Thanks again everyone-it looks like this is my tentative railfanning itinerary for me when I am in Montreal. As always, things are subject to change. By the way, I am staying at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Dorval.

3/21-after my flight arrives and I check in at my hotel, I plan to not waste too much time and get to work by spending the afternoon at the VIA Rail station in Dorval.
3/22-photograph some morning trains around Dorval Station and then head into Montreal and ride around on the Metro and do some touristy activities. I plan to photograph the Eastbound VIA Rail Ocean as well as the southbound Amtrak Adirondack around Peel Basin. 
3/23-ride A1 REM Line in its entirety plus spend part of am rush hour at St. Lambert Sta. I also want to photograph VIA Rail Train # 15 at St. Lambert, regardless of how tardy it is running. Do some nonrailfanning related activities in Downtown Montreal and stop by some of the EXO commuter rail stations like Montreal West and Lucien L'Allier and Vendome. Get a ride in on EXO Line 11 commuter rail in its entirety. I would take an EXO bus to Vaudreuil and then take EXO back to Dorval.
3/24-photograph morning trains during part of the am rush hour around Beaconsfield and some other towns between there and Dorval.

 

While in Halifax, check out the North Atlantic Maritime Musuem. The place is absolutely amazing, along with the main attraction of artifacts from the wreck of the Titanic. At St. Foye, the head end is accessable for photos in both directions.

Drew Mitchem
Centralia, WA

Nice video of the Ocean! Sadly, I feel this train has greatly fallen from its former glory - when it ran 6x per week, had a descent lounge car (e.g. Park Car or Skyline Dome Car), faster schedule, less delays, all-Renaissance cars, etc. I hope it can see better days. Again, it's too bad the VIA Panorama Cars are sidelined and they couldn't run on this train to offer some better "lounge" and "viewing." 

Do passenger trains call at the Levis ferry terminal anymore?

The ferry ride over from Quebec City to Levis was always a delight.

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do passenger trains call at the Levis ferry
> terminal anymore?
>
> The ferry ride over from Quebec City to Levis was
> always a delight.
>
> Posted from Android
No. According to SPV Quebec Atlas there are no
tracks in this area, anymore.