On the Train de Charlevoix
The Times of London runs a nice piece by Taras Grescoe about taking the Train de Charlevoix downriver from Quebec City.
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PatrickC 22:38 on 2026-05-19 Permalink
Yes, nice piece, gently sliding over the fact that the trip takes 4.5 hours, plus the time it takes to get to the departure point, which is not, as I would have thought, Quebec’s Gare du Palais, but what sounds like a non-station some distance downriver. Does anyone know why that is? I have two friends who had summer jobs at the Manoir Richelieu when they were young, and I’d like to see the place myself someday.
James 10:55 on 2026-05-20 Permalink
The reason is due to Canadian railway regulations which the train is not compiant with. The train is operated on an experimental/limited basis with the condition that it does not operate on tracks where freight trains may also be present. This was the same restriction for the previous demonstration train (the Alstom Coradia iLint powered by Hydrogen) on the same tracks that operated in 2023.
Getting from the starting point (Montmorency falls) to gare du palais requires running on tracks that could have freight trains.
The train they use is an old european train (compliant with European regulations) but is not compliant with North American regulations (mostly crashworthiness in case of collision with a freight train).
The train is still safe – just compliant with a different set of regulations.
DeWolf 11:04 on 2026-05-20 Permalink
Apparently CN owns the tracks leading up to the Gare du Palais and would have required the train to run at 16 kph on that stretch, if it allowed access at all.
But the terminus is right next to the Montmorency Falls so it’s a scenic location and not far from the city centre.
CE 16:39 on 2026-05-20 Permalink
There are lots of busses that go from Old Quebec to the falls (and many other places). Old Quebec gets lots of European tourists who expect to be able to travel around without a car so it’s well set up (compared to other places in North America) to accommodate them.