Information on transportation options in NS

Hello,

I am starting to work on next summers vacation plans. What I want to do is travel from Syracuse to Montreal and then take ViaRail to either Digby(preferred) or Halifax. Next, this is where I am encountering questions, travel to Yarmouth from Digby or Halifax to take the ferry to Portland and on to Boston or New York.

So far I have found Cloud Nine Shuttle, Campbell's Shuttle Service, and DRL Coach Lines from Halifax to Yarmouth but I was wondering if there are any options to travel Digby to Yarmouth.

Digby is a goal, if it can be done, since crossing the Bay of Fundy is one of the sights I would like to include in this trip.

Thank You in advance.

Paul Larson

Unfortunately, you're out of luck in wanting to take the train from Halifax to Digby. Rail service from Halifax to the Annapolis Valley ceased over a decade ago and the rails past Kentville were ripped up. If you have some time and some money to spend, you could rent a car and stop along the way - the right of way is still there, as is some of the more permanent features of the old Dominion Atlantic such as the bridge over the Bear River in Digby.

The Windsor and Hantsport short line RR also runs the old DAR from Halifax to the gypsum terminal in Hants county and uses ex-CP RS-23s and have a host of interesting pieces of equipment in their Windsor yard that may be worth photographing.

If you're short on funds but would still like to travel down the Annapolis Valley, then an Acadian Lines bus is your best bet. They run from the Halifax bus terminal through Windsor, Kentville/New Minas, Kingston and Digby. Unfortunately, they no longer operate from Digby to Yarmouth and the only service I am aware of is the DRL bus along the South Shore.

cpr_trains wrote:Unfortunately, you're out of luck in wanting to take the train from Halifax to Digby.

If you're short on funds but would still like to travel down the Annapolis Valley, then an Acadian Lines bus is your best bet. They run from the Halifax bus terminal through Windsor, Kentville/New Minas, Kingston and Digby. Unfortunately, they no longer operate from Digby to Yarmouth and the only service I am aware of is the DRL bus along the South Shore.

Thank you for the information. I try to create that doesn't use cars. That way I can enjoy the scenery and not have to concentrate on the *(^@*(#$^ driver in front, behind, or to the side of me. Weird but usually fun.

I have checked the Acadian Lines website which shows a bus from Digby to Halifax. So I might do Digby to Halifax and then Halifax to Yarmouth. One way to see a larger segment of the island and add in a Bras d'Or up and back from Sydney.

Thank you again for the information.

If you will be pleased with just a one-way crossing of the Bay of Fundy, you could take the Princess of Acadia to or from Saint John where VIA operates a bus connection with the Ocean at Moncton. VIA sells this two-hour bus trip in conjunction with its train tickets. If you check the on-line booking service (Reservia) you will see a mysterious train 706 and 707 on the Moncton - Saint John route, but trust me, it is a bus.

I highly recommend the Bras D'Or between Halifax and Sydney. It may seem a bit pricey, but there is a 25% discount if you take the round trip. Next year, VIA intends to run the train twice a week in the peak season, so it will be possible to stay either one or three nights in Sydney - or longer, of course. We went in mid-June of this year and enjoyed it immensely. The consist: F40, baggage car, coach, Skyline and Park car. Being early in the season, there were only 50 passengers to Sydney and 30 on the return. In the peak season it is busier, but the Service Manager told us there are never more than three coaches and 150 passengers.

Thank you. The trip will be early in July.