MONTREAL - VIA Rail Canada is wrapping up the second season on its Easterly Class: A Maritime Learning Experience service in a blaze of eye-popping colour and a bonus of savings. If life is all about the journey, the one not to be missed this fall is on board VIA's Montreal -Halifax Ocean where travellers will experience an unbeatable combination: a celebration of the culture and the rich history of Maritime region in the midst of Eastern Canada's most dazzling displays of Fall foliage.

And getting there is only the half of it. From September 6 - October 31, 2006, travellers can take advantage of super savings on the Easterly Class, a service that indulges passengers with amenities usually found only in a premier class sleeper service. During the Fall period ending October 31, 2006, a double bedroom is available for CAD $229 per person, plus taxes, for the entire run from Montreal to Halifax. Prices are based on one-way trips for double occupancy.

VIA's Easterly Class: A Maritime Learning Experience is educational and engaging. It features an on-board Learning Coordinator who organizes brief presentations and activities to provide insights into the Maritime provinces - the culture, the history, and regional cuisine. All three meals on board the Easterly Class from Montreal to Halifax are included in the reduced ticket price. Dinner, served in the train's elegant yet unpretentious dining cars, features Maritime cuisine inspired by local specialties and products including a variety of fine Nova Scotia wines for purchase. Menus also include information about the century-long history of the Ocean service. The Ocean's cozy sleeping accommodations include amenities such as comfortable duvet bedding, plump pillows, towels and a shower kit, bottled water, and chocolates.

For more information on the Easterly Class: A Maritime Learning Experience, visit VIA Rail's website at www.viarail.ca/easterly or call 1-888-VIA-RAIL (888-842-7245). For tour programs that showcase Easterly Class: A Maritime Learning Experience, visit www.viarail.ca/packages, and select "The Ocean" from the drop-down menu in the "VIA Rail Trains Featured" section. To purchase tickets or for more information on all of VIA's fares and products, please visit www.viarail.ca, call 1-888-VIA-RAIL (1-888-842-7245), TTY (1-800-268-9503) or contact your travel agency.

As Canada's national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada's mandate is to provide efficient and cost effective passenger transportation services. Serving more than 450 communities across Canada, demand for rail services continues to grow as more Canadians turn to train travel as a safe and convenient travel choice.

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