Charny station reopens, will include a railway museum

Le Groupe TRAQ became the principal tenant of VIA Rail’s Charny station on September 1, 2019. This new location will allow the group to display its collection of railway artifacts in a museum and ensure the quality of hospitality at the station for VIA Rail passengers.

VIA Rail reopened the station in June, after being closed since 2013, to better serve customers on Quebec’s South Shore. Trains 33 and 35 to Montreal and trains 24 and 26 to Quebec City will provide weekday service. On weekends, two return trains will make stops. This happy decision will make it considerably easier for at least fifty people a day to travel, and they will no longer have to cross the bridge to Sainte-Foy to board a train.

The initial agreement between TRAQ and VIA Rail is for five years and includes the rental of five rooms, from the old “Youth House” to the east of the station, through the waiting room and ticket office, to the former locomotive engineers’ office at the western end of the building.

Volunteers from the group will take on responsibility for the interior maintenance of the waiting room, toilets and other public spaces. Displays will be placed in the waiting room giving travellers the opportunity to view interesting artifacts showcasing regional railway history, and a “Doors Open” event will be held on the first Saturday of each month.

In order to complete the move to the new location and be fully operational by January 1, 2020, Le Groupe TRAQ is asking for volunteers to help with painting, cleaning, carpentry, moving boxes, and preparing the displays.  If you are able to offer your support and participate in this effort, please contact info@groupe-traq.com

Donations through Transport Action Canada’s TRAQ Fund to support the museum’s outreach and education work are also gratefully accepted.

Photo: Dannick Fournier / Groupe TRAQ