All aboard: Tourisme Outaouais unveils Outaouais Express

Jude Osmond

A new virtual experience has touched down in Gatineau as the Outaouais Express was officially inaugurated on Wednesday, September 2. The Outaouais Express is a virtual train ride that circles Outaouais wildlife, featuring destinations with photos and videos from Gatineau Park, Omega Park and more.

The experience gives residents a chance to see parts of Outaouais, showcasing its forestry and landscape destinations not commonly seen by the public, and offering ideas for future travel in the region. ‘’ We want residents to discover the Outaouais region, including all four corners of the region, with an immersive experience… all that in a dynamic train ride," said Geneviève Latulippe, President and CEO of Tourisme Outaouais.

The Outaouais Express seats about 6 to 7 passengers, with multiple windows replaced by screens that show the scenery, and the tour lasts about 7 minutes. The train itself took inspiration from the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield steam train, and it was built 100 percent in Quebec, with most of the project built in Outaouais.

Following the September 16 pipe burst at La Maison du tourisme, Tourisme Outaouais had to relocate to Place du Centre temporarily. The Outaouais Express is expecting improvements in the near future as they dismantle the train to move it into La Maison du tourisme following the renovations. ‘’ Once the September 16 pipe burst happened, we thought to ourselves how to create an idea from flooding to an innovation,” Said Latulippe.

The Outaouais Express is currently parked at the Place du Centre, near the food court, and is available for anyone who wants to take a ride at no cost.