MONTREAL — VIA Rail says service on its Ocean route is scheduled to resume Aug. 11, 2021.

The Ocean was the last route to be suspended due to COVID-19.

Service from Halifax to Montreal will restart Aug. 11. On the return, service from Montreal to Halifax will restart Aug. 15.

As with its other services, VIA Rail’s return to operation on the Ocean will occur progressively beginning with one weekly roundtrip.

Earlier this month VIA announced it was ramping up service on its Quebec City – Windsor corridor to more than 50%. In December 2020 VIA Rail resumed service between Winnipeg and Vancouver, followed by Winnipeg – Toronto in May 2021.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, VIA Rail has been in regular contact with public health authorities and provincial governments in Eastern Canada. The gradual resumption of the Ocean was made possible following the progressive reopening of provinces and the recent developments related to health measures in the region, says VIA.

To provide a safe travel experience to its passengers and employees, various measures will be implemented, including enhanced cleaning, air ventilation system upgrades and modified onboard services.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had an important impact on the travel options of Canadians in Eastern Canada,” said Cynthia Garneau, President and CEO. “To follow and respect guidelines and recommendations from public health authorities and provincial governments, we could not provide our passengers the service and frequencies offered under normal circumstances. Our objective has always been the safe resumption of the Ocean when conditions allowed it, and we could not be happier to be able to finally proceed with this gradual return to service in this region.”

More details about VIA Rail’s strict protocols of sanitary measures on board its trains, in its stations, maintenance centres, call centres and offices, click here.

The VIA Customer Centre can be reached by email at service@viarail.ca or by phone at 1-888-VIA-RAIL (1-888-842-7245), TTY 1-800-268-9503 (hearing impaired). The VIA Customer Centre is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) on weekends.