The ''Evangeline'' was a

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

operated from 1956 to 1990 by the Dominion Atlantic Railway and Via Rail Canada between

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth County and is the largest population centre in the region. History Originally inhab ...

and

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

Dominion Atlantic

The ''Evangeline Dayliner'' service was inaugurated by

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

's subsidiary the Dominion Atlantic Railway in 1956 upon receipt of two

Budd Rail Diesel Car The Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC), also known as the Budd car or Buddliner, is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcar. Between 1949 and 1962, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The cars ...

s, which replaced conventional trains. Canadian Pacific choose "Evangeline" as they wanted a prestige name for the new service drawing on the lore of Acadian history made famous by the poem '' Evangeline'' by

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

, a longtime travel theme of the DAR. The Evangeline followed the route of previous DAR trains such as the ''

Flying Bluenose The ''Flying Bluenose'' was a Canadian luxury passenger train operated by the Dominion Atlantic Railway between City of Halifax, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia from 1891 to 1936. It was a boat train scheduled to connect with passe ...

''. "Evangeline" was the promotional name for the route, while "Dayliner" was the name for the RDC equipment. Despite being operated by the DAR, their schedules were integrated with the entire CPR passenger system and made connections with CPR passenger/vehicle ferry service from

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

at Digby, as well as CNR passenger service at Middleton and Halifax and DAR's mixed freight/passenger service at Windsor. In the late 1960s, the "Evangeline" name became less promoted as Canadian Pacific lost interest in promoting passenger service. Users along the Annapolis Valley more commonly called the train "The Dayliner".

Via Rail

Via Rail Canada took over CPR passenger service in 1978 and fully integrated operations in 1979. Via continued to operate the RDC equipment on the Halifax-Yarmouth route and revived the name ''Evangeline'' in 1983.David Othen, ''Dominion Atlantic Railway The Final 25 Years'', p. 27. Ridership quickly increased and the service was successful for several years, helped by the era's record-high gasoline prices. Improvements to parallel Highway 101 and competing bus service led to Via considering the abandonment of the ''Evangeline'' during the mid-1980s but changes in the federal government placed a moratorium on abandonment for several years. Via altered the schedule and improved connections, resulting in quadrupling of passenger counts. Train lengths expanded from 1 car to as many as 4 cars at peak service. Drastic cuts to Via Rail's funding in the 1989 federal budget saw Minister of Transport Benoît Bouchard authorize the abandonment of 55% of Via's service, including the ''Evangeline'', effective January 15, 1990. The Via train had been the only user of the DAR rails west of Kentville to Yarmouth and CPR promptly abandoned the trackage in March 1990.

References

External links

"Evangeline", Dominion Atlantic Railway Digital Preservation Initiative
{{Via Rail Former Via Rail routes Canadian Pacific Railway passenger trains Named passenger trains of Canada Passenger rail transport in Nova Scotia Railway services introduced in 1956 Railway services discontinued in 1990