Halifax — In a stunning move this morning, VIA Rail has announced that it will not restart its previously cancelled Ocean Line from Halifax to Montreal as scheduled for Nov. 1.
When asked about the decision, Shelly Stevens from the company’s Moncton office said, “Honestly, we had already told both our customers about the cancellation weeks ago, so we were surprised when, at least 12, maybe even 13 people called to complain about the move.”
Jimothy Hildebrand, a freelance butterfly tamer/Instagram influencer, is one of the 12 or 13 who were shocked by the decision. When reached for comment, “Jimmo” as he prefers to be called, had the following to say:
“This has created a hole in my life that I will need to fill now. For years, I have relied on VIA to provide me with an outlet for my creativity that allows me to travel at the same, and sometimes even higher cost than flying, but with that added benefit of taking a really long time.”
“The train trips really gave me a great space to be alone with my thoughts for days at a time,” he continued. “I’ve made some of my best ‘grams on the train gently rocking back and forth as I take in the eight-hour trip from Moncton to Halifax.”
We reached out to Stevens again following our conversation with Jimmo. “Oh right, I remember Jimothy now,” she replied. “We are shocked and saddened to hear that we actually have clientele under 60 that this move will impact. We never thought that would be the case…truly.”
For now, who knows what the future of VIA Rail in Eastern Canada will bring, but for these 12 or 13 people, the uncertainty is terrifying.