Marie-Julie Gagnon

5 days ago | viarail.ca | Marie-Julie Gagnon

Less than three hours by train from Montréal and Toronto, Kingston is the ideal destination for a short excursion. Once downtown, getting around car-free is a cinch. Here’s an account of my first visit to this city that often serves as a film backdrop and prioritizes sustainability. I knew very little about Kingston.

1 week ago | viarail.ca | Marie-Julie Gagnon

Halifax has gone through something of a rebirth recently, and there's no arguing that it's become one of the liveliest cities in the country. Even better, many of the new spots around town were designed with sustainability in mind. I made my way to Halifax from Montréal aboard the Ocean. The last time I visited, in summer 2022, I was blown away by Queen's Marque, a new district by the water that totally transformed the area.

1 week ago | viarail.ca | Marie-Julie Gagnon

Photo credit: Escale au Lac Facebook pageMore and more mini cottages in the heart of nature are popping up throughout Québec. What’s so different about the ones at Escale au Lac, which opened in late 2022 in the Portneuf region? Well, they’re located just 8 km from the Rivière‑à‑Pierre train station on 6 million sq. ft. of protected land and they’re 100% energy self-sufficient.

2 weeks ago | viarail.ca | Marie-Julie Gagnon

From Montréal to Halifax, the Ocean transports passengers over 1,346 kilometres from the city to the seaside. They spend one day and one night peacefully chugging along through three provinces: Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Dating back to 1904, the route brings to mind several major milestones in Canadian history. Spotlight on one of the oldest passenger rail lines in North America.

1 month ago | viarail.ca | Marie-Julie Gagnon

Si les rencontres avec les autres passagers font sans contredit partie des moments marquants d’un voyage à bord du Canadien, écouter les histoires des employés qui ont traversé maintes fois le pays reste aussi divertissant que n’importe quelle série télé. Leurs anecdotes sont tantôt touchantes, tantôt hilarantes, et leurs impressions sur le voyage sont intéressantes et fascinantes. J’en ai recueilli quelques-unes pour vous. VIA Rail a des bureaux dans plusieurs villes du pays.