Victoria – Courtenay train

The Victoria – Courtenay train is operated using Rail Diesel Cars, seen here in Qualicum Beach.

The Victoria – Courtenay train (formerly the Malahat), commonly known as the Dayliner, was a passenger train service operated by Via Rail between Victoria, Nanaimo, and Courtenay on a rail line owned by the Island Corridor Foundation who also contracts out freight operations to the Southern Railway of Vancouver Island (formerly known as the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway). The train was formerly operated with one or two Budd Rail Diesel Cars. Via Rail began operating the passenger train in 1979. Although the service had been threatened with discontinuation several times, it was suspended indefinitely on March 19, 2011, due to track replacement work. Prior to further inspection of the track, service along the segment between Nanaimo and Victoria was originally planned to resume on April 8, but lack of funding has prevented any of the work from taking place and it is unclear when or if the service will resume. A temporary bus replacement was brought in for the service after the closure, but dropping passenger numbers of less than ten per day caused the service to be discontinued on August 7. On May 10, nearly two months after suspension, the old Budd cars were moved from the roundhouse in Victoria to a secure yard in Nanaimo, in future hopes of starting commuter service from there. On November 5, they were taken off the island to be returned to Eastern Canada, which they will be replaced by a new three-car train stock if service resumes.

Route

The train operated one daily round trip, departing Victoria in the morning, and returning from Courtenay in the evening. The 225-kilometre (140 mi) trip took 4 hours and 45 minutes each way. There are future proposals to include a commuter service to operate morning service from Nanaimo to Victoria, that would have debuted as early as March 2012 if the work of replacing the track had happened sooner, and an inter-rail run between Cowichan and Victoria.

Stations

From south to north the stations and request stops along the line were :

0 Victoria 6 Esquimalt 10 Palmer (Ft. Victoria) 13 Langford 32 Malahat 40 Cliffside 42 Strathcona Lodge 45 Shawnigan Lake 50 Cobble Hill 55 Hillbank 58 Cowichan 64 Duncan 68 Hayward 82 Chemainus 93 Ladysmith 105 Cassidy 108 South Wellington 111 Starks 117 Nanaimo 124 Wellington 142 Nanoose Bay 153 Parksville 164 Qualicum Beach 177 Dunsmuir 190 Deep Bay 203 Buckley Bay 211 Union Bay 225 Courtenay

Station	Distance (km)	Information	image
Victoria	0
Esquimalt	6	stops on request
Palmer (Ft. Victoria)	10	stops on request
Langford (Via Rail station)	13	stops on request
Malahat	32	stops on request
Cliffside	40	stops on request
Strathcona Lodge	42	stops on request
Shawnigan Lake	45	stops on request
Cobble Hill	50	stops on request
Hillbank	55	stops on request
Cowichan	58	stops on request
Duncan	64
Hayward	68	stops on request
Chemainus	82	stops on request
Ladysmith	93	stops on request
Cassidy	105	stops on request
South Wellington	108
Starks	111	stops on request
Nanaimo	117
Wellington	124	stops on request
Nanoose Bay	142
Parksville	153
Qualicum Beach	164	stops on request
Dunsmuir	177	stops on request
Deep Bay	190	stops on request
Buckley Bay	203	stops on request
Union Bay	211	stops on request
Courtenay	225

See also

• Alberni Pacific Railway

External links

• Via Rail Canada - The Victoria – Courtenay train
• Via Rail Canada - Victoria to Courtenay schedule