Passengers on the Ocean were forced to change trains at Moncton. (1985–1990) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions between Moncton and Montreal, following reinstatement of the Atlantic, which became the through train to Halifax.(1981–1985) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions, albeit as the only through train between Halifax-Montreal, following cancellation of the Atlantic.Another Via train, the Atlantic also served these cities over a different route. (1979–1981) Daily operation (seven days a week) in both directions between Halifax-Montreal.Under Via, the Ocean underwent several changes in its operation: This train also assumed the train numbers and equipment of the defunct CN passenger train Scotian, which survived only into the first few years of the Via era.

The Ocean did not get renamed by Via, and in fact became supplanted on the Halifax–Moncton portion of its route in 1985 by another Via train, the Atlantic (formerly the Atlantic Limited), which saw its eastern terminus extended to Halifax from Saint John. The new national passenger rail service did not begin to change train names and operations until 1979, following the October 1978 assumption of all CPR passenger trains and equipment. In April 1978 this division was split off as a separate Crown corporation named Via Rail Canada, taking with it all CN passenger trains and equipment. In 1976, CN placed operation of its passenger services under a new division using the marketing slogan 'Via'. ĭuring a landslide which affected the old IRC line near Rimouski, Quebec, in 1977, for six months CN diverted the Ocean onto another parallel line several hundred kilometres to the south, maintaining the same Halifax–Montreal schedule times. : 99 : 285 Despite the name change references to the Ocean Limited remain commonplace. : 30ĬNR dropped the 'Limited' from the train's name in 1966 as part of the company's adoption of bilingual names.

In 1964 the Ocean received ex- Milwaukee Road Skytop Lounge lounge-sleeping cars. During both the First and Second World Wars, the Ocean Limited provided important service to the port of Halifax. In 1918, the IRC was merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR) and the Ocean Limited continued its operation much as before. During the immigration boom of the early 20th century, the Ocean Limited and other passenger trains on its route saw increased use as they provided key wintertime connections for both the Grand Trunk Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway in moving sponsored immigrants to lands in the Prairie provinces. In Halifax, it connected with the Dominion Atlantic Railway's luxury train, the Flying Bluenose. The Intercolonial Railway of Canada (IRC) inaugurated the Ocean Limited on July 3, 1904, as a summer-only 'limited stop' service to supplement the Maritime Express. Together with The Canadian and Via's corridor trains, the Ocean provides a transcontinental service across Canada. The Ocean 's schedule takes approximately 22 hours, running overnight in both directions. It is the oldest continuously operated named passenger train in North America.

The Ocean (French: L'Océan), previously known as the Ocean Limited, is a passenger train operated by Via Rail in Canada between Montreal, Quebec, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Via rail route map