Quebec and VIA Rail

[memoak]

Which is the closest rail station to the pier. Planning to fly to Montreal and then train to Quebec on embarkation day

[jdavid]

There is only one rail station and it is just 5 minutes from Pier (Via Rail in the Westin Hotel). You can buy tickets on line but there are only a few trains a week to Montreal. Check the timetables on line. I believe Friday and not quite sure the other day. It is about 20 hours and leaves Halifax early afternoon 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, jdavid said:

There is only one rail station and it is just 5 minutes from Pier (Via Rail in the Westin Hotel). You can buy tickets on line but there are only a few trains a week to Montreal. Check the timetables on line. I believe Friday and not quite sure the other day. It is about 20 hours and leaves Halifax early afternoon 

The OP is asking about rail service from Montreal to Quebec City, not from Halifax to Quebec City.

 

@memoak:

There are several trains daily from Montreal to Quebec City, and the trip is about 3 1/2 hours give or take a few minutes.

Edited May 7, 2023 by njhorseman

[jdavid]

6 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The OP is asking about rail service from Montreal to Quebec City, not from Halifax to Quebec City.

 

@memoak:

There are several trains daily from Montreal to Quebec City, and the trip is about 3 1/2 hours give or take a few minutes.

Thanks for that clarification.  I was thinking they might be be looking at disembarkation in Halifax. My mistake

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

Which is the closest rail station to the pier. Planning to fly to Montreal and then train to Quebec on embarkation day

As Horseman says, many trains a day and quite easy.

 

For your stay in Montreal, if you want to avoid a lot of cabs/Ubers and if fits in your budget, you can stay at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. The hotel is directly on top of the Gare Central and you can literally take a discreet elevator from the lobby to the train station. 

[memoak]

40 minutes ago, jdavid said:

Thanks for that clarification.  I was thinking they might be be looking at disembarkation in Halifax. My mistake

No looking at a Quebec to Fort Lauderdale cruise in 2024

[jdavid]

That’s a great repositioning. A bit cool but nice scenery. I recall one year the Crown Princess had to hunker down overnight in Halifax because of a huge storm. We actually got on the ship for a visit. It was Halloween and they were decorating the Piazza. 

[memoak]

3 hours ago, jdavid said:

There is only one rail station and it is just 5 minutes from Pier (Via Rail in the Westin Hotel). You can buy tickets on line but there are only a few trains a week to Montreal. Check the timetables on line. I believe Friday and not quite sure the other day. It is about 20 hours and leaves Halifax early afternoon 

Are you saying that if I train from Montreal to Quebec City that the pier is a 5 min cab ride to the pier

[jdavid]

19 minutes ago, memoak said:

Are you saying that if I train from Montreal to Quebec City that the pier is a 5 min cab ride to the pier

I misread your posting. My reference was the Cruiseport (Pier) in Halifax. It is a 5 minute walk to the Train Station in Halifax.

[GTJ]

4 hours ago, memoak said:

Which is the closest rail station to the pier. Planning to fly to Montreal and then train to Quebec on embarkation day

There's three railway stations serving the city of Québec. You'll likely want to use the main station in the central city, known as the Gare du Palais. It is a gorgeous historic station and the last stop for the Via Rail Canada trains from Montréal. Attached to the station is a modern intercity bus station, so if the Via Rail Canada timetable is not convenient then Orléans Express might provide more convenient bus service between Montréal and Québec (there are 12 trips daily between the two cities, including 3 daily trips that originate at the Montréal airport and travel direct to the Gare du Palais at 2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., travel time from airport to Gare du Palais is 4 hours 15 minutes). It is a short walk between the Gare du Palais and the port in Québec.

 

Another station serving Québec is Sainte-Foy, a suburban station that used by many people not having business in the center of Québec. It is also close to many suburban hotels with lower rates compared to central Québec, and there is good bus local transit bus service (regular, frequent, expeditious) from Ste-Foy to Québec. A third station serving Québec is Chute-Montmorency, an outlying station that is used exclusively by the Train de Charlevoix (not Via Rail Canada) for its scenic summer service to La Malbaie, which is in the opposite direction from Montréal.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

There's three railway stations serving the city of Québec. You'll likely want to use the main station in the central city, known as the Gare du Palais. It is a gorgeous historic station and the last stop for the Via Rail Canada trains from Montréal. Attached to the station is a modern intercity bus station, so if the Via Rail Canada timetable is not convenient then Orléans Express might provide more convenient bus service between Montréal and Québec (there are 12 trips daily between the two cities, including 3 daily trips that originate at the Montréal airport and travel direct to the Gare du Palais at 2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., travel time from airport to Gare du Palais is 4 hours 15 minutes). It is a short walk between the Gare du Palais and the port in Québec.

 

Another station serving Québec is Sainte-Foy, a suburban station that used by many people not having business in the center of Québec. It is also close to many suburban hotels with lower rates compared to central Québec, and there is good bus local transit bus service (regular, frequent, expeditious) from Ste-Foy to Québec. A third station serving Québec is Chute-Montmorency, an outlying station that is used exclusively by the Train de Charlevoix (not Via Rail Canada) for its scenic summer service to La Malbaie, which is in the opposite direction from Montréal.

Just looking for the closest one to the cruise terminal planning on training in from Montreal on day of boarding

[LHT28]

24 minutes ago, memoak said:

Just looking for the closest one to the cruise terminal planning on training in from Montreal on day of boarding

QUÉBEC GARE DU PALAIS

450 rue de la Gare du Palais
Québec, QC, G1K 3X2, Canada

 

You can find out  what pier your ship will be at

https://www.portquebec.ca/en/cruises/vessel-schedules/cruise-ships-schedule

[memoak]

Everyone here has very helpful. I am used to sailing from Vancouver but this would e my first from Quebec City after over 50 cruises

 

 

[Milhouse]

We took a ~9am to noon Via Rail train from Montreal to Quebec City (Gare du Palais) on a land trip in Dec 2021.  A few interesting observations by us (first time taking a Via Rail trip):

Someone from Via Rail collected our checked luggage in the station while we queued to head down to the plaforms.  That kind of threw us a bit because we were used trains where we just dumped our luggage on a rack at the end of a car.  

The train follows what feels to be an odd loop around the QC that made us question whether we were going in the right direction at the end.  😄

There was a bit of a scramble for taxis at Gare du Palais.  We were slow on the go, to get ready to leave the station (luggage, washroom, get orientated, etc) so we had to wait a bit to a second wave of taxis to trickle in.  (Decided not to Uber it.)

 

Quite enjoyed the trip though and would consider using Via Rail to connect between Montreal and QC again.    

[GTJ]

19 hours ago, Milhouse said:

Someone from Via Rail collected our checked luggage in the station while we queued to head down to the platforms. That kind of threw us a bit because we were used trains where we just dumped our luggage on a rack at the end of a car.

I am a bit unclear as to what happened. Is it that Via Rail Canada employees offered the opportunity to check baggage, or to utilize red cap service, while in the queue? It can be cumbersome at Gare Centrale to walk down the stairs with baggage onto the platform. Or is it that Via Rail Canada employees refused to allow you board the train unless you surrendered your baggage to them?

 

The expression "checked baggage" is a legal term with particular meaning. It is the surrendering of one's baggage to the carrier, the carrier's transportation of that baggage, the delivery of the baggage to the passenger at the endpoint of the journey, and the acceptance of liability by the carrier for delay or damage to the baggage while in the carrier's custody. The use of checked baggage service is subject to various contract provisions, typically including the prohibition of certain items as checked baggage. In these cases, passengers have a duty to retain these baggage items on their person, and not to check them.

 

Additionally, there is "red cap" service (sometimes referred to as "skycap" service within commercial aviation), and it constitutes a different legal term. A red cap will take custody of baggage and transporting that baggage within a station.Most frequently red caps transport the un-checked baggage of passengers to and from trains, with the un-checked baggage being stored in open and accessible racks in a passenger coach. The limit of liability is typically much lower for red cap service compared to checked baggage service.

 

In any case, however, passengers should be able to refuse to check baggage, or to use red cap service, and passengers have a duty not to do so if the baggage contains prohibited items. If the carrier requires baggage to be taken by it, as a condition for transportation, and in doing so the carrier insists on taking prohibited items or items in excess of its normal baggage liability, then it might be argued that the carrier has waived its baggage contract rights with respect to prohibited items and liability limits.

 

(In years past, I would hand off my baggage to a red cap at Gare Centrale in the morning--sometimes after having returned from a ski trip in the Laurentian mountains and having skis and boots as part of the baggage--and then leave for a few more errands in and around central Montréal. When returning to the station at train departure time, I would walk down the stairs onto the platform, board the train, and all of my baggage will have already been stored on the overhead racks by the red cap. Upon arrival at Pennsylvania Station in New York, I would request an Amtrak red cap to take my skis and other baggage up and over to the LIRR platforms, and store the baggage on the LIRR train. Alas, Via Rail Canada decided to lay off its red caps about ten years ago, and I am not entirely certain what red caps services are presently being offered by Via Rail Canada, if any.)

[LHT28]

Current baggage policies

https://www.viarail.ca/en/plan/baggages

[Milhouse]

We didn't question it.  While in queue, it kind of implied by the Via Rail person (who was going up to everyone in the queue) that they were collecting the checked luggage to bring down to the train.  We were fine not having to lug our luggage down to the platform and onto the train and obviously kept our carry-on (backpacks) with us.