Boston to Montreal Sleeper Train With NH, ME, VT Stops is Full Steam Ahead
It's just two to three years away IF Canada can pull funding together, and it looks like that just might happen. It's in their hands to make this dream come true.
After the original proposal to have a 14-hour overnight sleeper train between Montreal and Boston with stops in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont lost steam because of $100 million dollar track repairs necessary on the Canadian side, the project is now full steam ahead. This is so exciting, and I think Canada will pull through for all of us.
François Pepin is the President of Fondation Trains De Nuit, or The Night Train Foundation. He told the Boston Globe that private companies are so excited about this proposal and are willing to invest, along with railroad owners. The project would connect hot spots in New England with Montreal, bringing in more dollars on both sides of the border. To make this truly successful funding-wise, Canada plans to apply for grants from its government.
Yes, it always comes down to the money.
The proposed route between Montreal and Boston has several stops, but what makes it different is that it's only overnight. Imagine boarding for dinner and some cocktails if you want, watching a movie or reading as you fall asleep, and then waking up at your destination.
Now, I know what you may be thinking. Flights between Boston and Montreal, or Portland to Montreal, are twice as fast as that train trip. Driving may even be quicker in some cases. But according to MSN, it's the fun, romance, and ease of train travel that's been picking up over the years, adding just one more way to travel while reducing traffic congestion. And click here to find out about an additional New Hampshire stop in the works.
It was in the 1960s that we last had this kind of train service between Montreal and Boston, as car and plane travel was skyrocketing then. Oh, how things that are old become new again.