COATICOOK, Quebec — More than 60 political and business representatives from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border packed the former Coaticook railway station, now a craft brewery, this week to plead for a new night train between Montreal and Boston.
Francois Pepin, a retired network planner with Montreal’s transit agency, Société de transport de Montréal (STM), heads the organization behind the effort, the Quebec-based Fondation Trains de Nuit. He said that with the existing support, and talks already underway with railways and Canada’s federal and provincial governments, trains could be rolling by 2026.
The route would see two types of service. Five daily round trips would offer commuter service for the 160 kilometers (99 miles) between Montreal and Sherbrooke, Que., a major university town nestled among the touristy Eastern Townships. Travel time would be 1 hour, 45 minutes. One of these trains would continue overnight, with sleeping, coach and dining cars, for the remaining 14 hours to Boston. Contrary to some thinking, it would not connect to Amtrak’s Downeaster in Portland, Maine. “The night train would go to Boston,” Pepin said. “Customers would not like a transfer in Portland.”
Pepin said officials from communities along the route “really are enthusiastic; they recognize it would help tourism and business in the region.”
The route would run over Canadian Pacific Railway tracks to Coaticook, the last stop before crossing the international border.
The U.S. segment would be over Genesee & Wyoming’s St. Lawrence & Atlantic tracks, making several stops en route to Old Orchard Beach, a popular destination for Quebecers, and then on to Boston. A portion of that route is also being discussed for a commuter rail operation, while another group would like to see the tracks removed for use as a trail [see “Rails vs. Trails conflict heats up …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 2, 2022].
Canadian portion of route requires major upgrades
Pepin said the major stumbling block is repair of the CP portion of the route,where trains can only travel 25 mph. He said $100 million would be needed to upgrade the line: “You need to improve it to 60 mph at least to be competitive with the car.”
He said the line would be “about the same” as the old Grand Trunk route that used to take vacationers to the Maine seashore. “It still is a popular destination in the summer,” he said.
He said trackage is in much better shape on the U.S. portion, so he expects little upgrade would be needed.
Pepin said there already is some federal funding apportioned to the rail right of way that could be used for further studies. “Governments know we’re working on this,” he said. Indeed, several Quebec elected officials attended, as well as Maine state Rep. Lori Gramlich, who represents Old Orchard Beach. She called it “a wonderful economic opportunity” and said the meeting was the “beginning of a conversation.”
Pepin was not concerned about equipment, noting there is plenty of rental, used, or new train product on the market, though obviously rental or used would be cheaper. “So, once we’re there we’ll see what’s the best choice,” he said.
A 2017 market study ,by Toronto-based LITrans and Ryerson (now Toronto Metropolitan) University, said there were 2,050 potential daily trips between Montreal and Sherbrooke. Promoters envision about 120 passengers in sleepers and 70 in coach for the U.S. segment.
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