# Ocean brrrrr



## Skyline (Feb 6, 2020)

I don't know if this is typical on the Ocean this time of year, or an isolated incident. Hope it's the latter. Anyway, sounds miserable...

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/via-rai...eating-goes-off-during-22-hour-trip-1.4797979


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## NS VIA Fan (Feb 6, 2020)

Skyline said:


> I don't know if this is typical on the Ocean this time of year, or an isolated incident.



As VIA noted in the article you posted....it was an isolated electrical problem:

_"VIA Rail confirmed there was an "isolated electrical problem" on three of the cars._
_
"Passengers in these cars, in both economy and sleeper class, were taken care of and moved to functional cars, where blankets were also distributed to them," Karl-Philip Marchand Giguere, a spokesperson for VIA Rail, told CTV News. "Some passengers voluntarily chose to stay in their cabins and were provided extra blankets as well."

Marchand Giguere adds the faulty cars were repaired in Sainte-Foy prior to continuing to Montreal and affected passengers in sleeper class were offered a 25 per cent refund, while passengers in economy class were offered a 25 per cent travel credit on their next trip"_​
And not typical at all and I ride the Ocean enough to know (see my recent Trip Report here)

_"warm and cozy on board"_ 

https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/threads/dashing-thru-the-snow.76865/


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## jiml (Feb 6, 2020)

Someone wasn't happy when he tried to use the situation to self-upgrade and was denied. Not sure if the objective of going to the media is additional compensation or "his 15 minutes".


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## Anderson (Feb 7, 2020)

jiml said:


> Someone wasn't happy when he tried to use the situation to self-upgrade and was denied. Not sure if the objective of going to the media is additional compensation or "his 15 minutes".


So, there are two angles I see here:
(1) The heat cut off in a car in the middle of winter. I would generally presume that having a heated car is sort-of expected, so the question of a "basic level of service" comes up.
(2) The pax paid for a given service class and upgrading them "on the spot" without payment would seem to be an issue.

VIA didn't seem to do _that_ badly under the circumstances, but this probably also goes well beyond whatever is in the manual (so to speak).


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## NS VIA Fan (Feb 7, 2020)

Anderson said:


> So, there are two angles I see here:
> (1) The heat cut off in a car in the middle of winter. I would generally presume that having a heated car is sort-of expected, so the question of a "basic level of service" comes up.



Passengers were moved to functional cars.

_"Passengers in these cars, in both economy and sleeper class, were taken care of and moved to functional cars”_

Sounds like one passenger in coach tried to 'self-upgrade” to sleeper and was denied. VIA repaired the cars in Sainte-Foy before continuing on to Montreal.....offering refunds and credits. Think they handled it quite well!


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## lordsigma (Feb 8, 2020)

NS VIA Fan said:


> VIA repaired the cars in Sainte-Foy.


Sainte-Foy is the Quebec City stop correct?


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## Seaboard92 (Feb 8, 2020)

lordsigma said:


> Sainte-Foy is the Quebec City stop correct?



Correct


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## chrsjrcj (Feb 13, 2020)

I rode the Ocean last month and there was an electrical issue with the train. We all had to get off in Drummondville and be bussed to Montreal. We were stuck on the train for 2 hours while they figured out how to navigate 2 Corridor trains around our long train blocking the town on the single track line. Eventually, they let everyone off and put the Ottawa bound passengers on the Corridor train behind us (now running 90 minutes late) and bussed the rest of us to Montreal.

I was continuing to Toronto, and booked the 1 pm departure instead of the 11 am. I made my train with about 15 minutes to spare. Funny enough, before we left the Ottawa train that the Ocean held up arrived and we passed our empty Ocean consist pulling into Montreal as were leaving.


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