by Jeff Smith
Private operation certainly seems to be all the rage lately: MontrealGazette.com
It seems almost like a Pullman service.
It seems almost like a Pullman service.
Former CAQ MNA aims to launch overnight train service between Montreal and N.Y.C.
Montreal entrepreneur François Rebello says he has lined up $10 million in private-sector funding necessary to launch the service
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The largest remaining hurdle is obtaining the approval of Canadian Pacific, which owns a large stretch of the rail lines and runs freight service on the tracks.
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Rebello’s plan is to purchase used sleeper cars and refurbish them, and run them nightly in both directions between Montreal and New York, leaving at 8 p.m. and arriving at 9 a.m. The train would have three passenger cars holding 120 passengers, plus another two service cars, including a dining car and bar. The sleeper cabins would hold one to two passengers, and showers outside of the cabins would be available. The trains would hook up with Amtrak trains in Albany, N.Y. that would take them into Penn Station in New York City.
The cost of a return trip would be roughly $400 Canadian, a price Rebello said compares favourably with flying and even to driving when gas, tolls and parking in New York City are factored in. Savings on New York hotels, where modest rooms can start at $200 Canadian a night, are also a selling point. The service could be useful for smaller businesses looking to save money on one-day business trips. Rebello sees a burgeoning market as well among environmentally conscious millennials who are less likely to own cars and prefer to avoid plane travel.
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Next stop, Willoughby
~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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