Canada's 1,300km Atlantic Rail Route

The sun set as we travelled through the thick New Brunswick forest during dinner – which made it easier to wind down and get ready for bed since I no longer had access to the oil painting-worthy Canadian landscape out of the window. The sleeper cabin attendants used the dinner service time to turn down each cabin, and when I returned to my room after the meal, I was delighted to see the couch I had left behind transformed into a twin-sized bed complete with fresh sheets, two pillows and a plush hotel-quality blanket.

Each sleeper has access to a full-sized shower at the end of the hall and includes an amenity bag equipped with soap, shampoo and a standard hotel-style towel. I was pleasantly surprised by the water pressure and shower temperature; the hot and steamy stream of water was exactly what I needed before changing into my pyjamas and allowing myself to be lulled to sleep by the steady chugging of the train.

I woke early to experience the joy of catching the Southern Quebec sunrise from the comfort of bed. I stretched out and savoured my surprisingly tasty drip coffee while marvelling at the way the morning light flicked its way through the thick fir trees alongside the train tracks. The morning segment of the trek took me through the forests and farmland dotted throughout the Quebec countryside and into the suburbs of Quebec City before rolling to a stop at Montreal's Gare Centrale by noon local time.

Although the slow burn of a 24-hour train might seem redundant or expendable today, the slower pace of the Ocean line – combined with the unmatched convenience of travelling from downtown Halifax to downtown Montreal without worrying about banalities like airport security or highway traffic – gifted me the chance to fully immerse myself in the coastal Canadian landscape. As I got off the train, I felt grateful for the opportunity to experience the vastness of the region and get a glimpse of the in-between spaces and places that travellers often miss.

Rail Journeys is a BBC Travel series that celebrates the world's most interesting train rides and inspires readers to travel overland.

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Maglev | Wikipedia audio article