NB VIA Rail plans

Officials in New Brunswick are hoping to get a good chunk of the 867 million dollars from the feds announced for improvements to passenger rail service.

VIA may establish daily service between Campbellton and Moncton, along with a daily Moncton-to-Halifax run that would be in addition to the long-range Ocean train that goes three times a week between Montreal and Halifax.

A major problem with that is the condition of a 70-kilometre swath of track between Miramichi and Bathurst that cannot handle passenger trains travelling at high speeds.

That means a one-way trip from Moncton to Campbellton takes six hours compared to a little over three hours by car.