In the midst of cuts to rail passenger service in the Maritimes, a new train service proved to be a tremendous success in Saint John this past summer.
Cruise ship passengers from Mississippi to Michigan climbed aboard the NB Southern Railway train today; unaware they would be riding the only passenger train through southern New Brunswick.
For some tourists, the train ride is a trip down memory lane.
“Especially for people our age,” says Kentucky resident Karen Waddle. “We can really relate to the train because we remember them going down the tracks, and the whistles.”
“Wherever we travel, if there’s a train ride available, we always take the train,” says Kentucky resident Carol Haines.
Conductor Robert Dixon knows more than most about the disappearance of passenger service in the area.
“Yes, I was on the last Via train that came in here,” says Dixon. “I was the engineer, the last trip we made down from McAdam.”
Eighteen years have passed since the last passenger train made a regular stop in Saint John, although it’s not the only community to lose rail service in the region.
The same situation applies to many communities in Canada and in the United States, but a certain fondness for the railway remains.
The excursion in Saint John is among the most popular offered to cruise ship passengers.
“It’s been a real success,” says Geoff Britt of NB Southern Railway. “I mean, we’ve carried over 8,000 passengers over 25 cruise ship days.”
“They just love riding on the train,” says Dixon. “A lot of places they come from, they don’t have any trains to ride on, and they enjoy this passenger train.”
While the return of regular rail passenger service to southern New Brunswick seems unlikely, there is a good chance cruise ship passengers will be hopping aboard the NB Southern Railway again next summer.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron
