This is a long train ride – per the schedule it clocks out at 97 hours (4 days and 1 hour), making it amongst the longest single train rail journeys in the world. Certainly, it is far and away the longest in North America. By comparison, Amtrak’s longest single train ride is on the westbound
California Zephyr between Chicago and Emeryville, CA. It times out at about 52 hours.
In terms of distance traveled,
The Canadian covers 4490km or 2770 miles. Interestingly, the distance between Chicago and Emeryville is 2440 miles, only 330 miles shorter than
The Canadian and yet the
Zephyr covers that similar distance almost 40 hours faster. In fact, if you were to travel from Washington, DC across the country to Emeryville, CA using Amtrak’s
Capitol Limited and the
California Zephyr, you could cover the total distance of 3120 miles in just 75 ½ hours – 20 hours faster the ViaRail’s
Canadian takes to cover the 350 mile shorter distance between Toronto and Vancouver.
So what gives? Why is
The Canadian so much slower?
The problem is that throughout its journey across country,
The Canadian is continually being shunted off onto side tracks in order to yield to freight trains. Some of these stops can last 30-40 minutes. Or longer. Mixed into
the schedule are stops as long as three hours in major population centers such as Jasper or Edmonton. The train rarely ever spends the full amount of allotted time at these stops. Mostly, they are built in to allow
The Canadian to get back on schedule. As such, our scheduled three hour stop Edmonton was reduced to just an hour and twenty minutes.
Having ridden almost 300,000 miles on trains all over the world, I’ve learned that one positive note to these lengthier stops – be they station stops or sidings - is that they represent a great time to hit the showers. Believe me, the shower is a lot more enjoyable when the train is not moving. Given the limited number of showers available (one per car), I did not share this bit of wisdom with my fellow travelers.
As you might imagine, the dome cars were particularly popular during the four day ride. This was understandable through the mountainous landscapes of the west, but even through the lakes and forests of Ontario and the broad vast plains of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, free seats were few and far between. We had two domes to choose from (The Skyline Lounge and the Park Car) offering a total of 48 seats, and as a single traveler I was usually able to find a seat – albeit on the aisle more often than not.
I didn’t take many pictures from under the domes because the glass is curved and reflective. However, at the front and back of each dome was a small window that allowed you to look ahead or behind you. Looking back in particular was pretty cool because the glass stayed fairly clean. My best shots from under the dome were looking back but I also include one I took when we rolled past Pyramid Falls. Unfortunately, you can see the reflection marring an otherwise nice view.
Pyramid Falls
Looking Back #1
Looking Back #2
In Jasper we stopped for almost three hours allowing those who so desired a chance to get off and take a stroll throughout the picturesque town which is part of Jasper National Park, the largest park in the Canadian Rockies. The station was located right in the heart of town, so we didn’t have far to wander.
It was a cold, crisp morning and I headed straight to a nearby bakery for coffee and a delicious scone. Were it a bit warmer I would have taken time to stroll down the street with its charming shops and boutiques. Unfortunately a slight breeze had brought the wind chill down into what felt like the single digits, so I headed straight back to the train. It was a nice break to get off and have coffee, but just as nice to step back aboard my nice warm car and get ready for a shower.
Jasper station stop
Walking back to my car I noticed the car attendants in the different sleeper cars making up the berths, cleaning the rooms, changing linens and towels, answering questions, always ready with a friendly hello. They work very hard at their jobs and it shows. They start at 6:30 am and most days the beds were made and the rooms tidied and ready for the day by the time we’d returned from breakfast. These folks truly went out of their way to make the trip as pleasant and comfortable as possible.
Over the following day and a half, we rolled apace through the Canadian Rockies. Although the original route of
The Canadian took it past beautiful Lake Louise and down through Banff, in 1990 the train was assigned a more northerly routing along the old Canadian National Railway line through Jasper and Kamloops. Though nowhere near as spectacular as the Lake Louise routing, the current journey still offers plenty of pretty views with lakes and streams, forests of pine and spruce, and of course, mountains. Mountains everywhere! The views were stunning. The weather along the way ranged from blustery to clear and sunny, so I think from here I’ll let my pictures cover the rest of the journey.
Pretty lake side scenery
Distant Canadian Rockies
Pretty afternoon in British Columbia
Pretty afternoon in British Columbia
Pretty Little Church
The Canadian powers west through the Rockies
Photo courtesy of ViaRail
On the last night of the journey I joined a few of my fellow travelers in the Park Car. By now atmosphere in the car was easy and comfortable; everyone seemed to know everyone else. It was the kind of familiarity that would be impossible on an airplane. I joined Chuck and Judy (who I’d dined with on the first night of the trip) and we talked about their upcoming travels to Vancouver Island and mine to LA and beyod. About 9:00pm a musician who’d been hired by the railroad to make the trip stopped by to play a set on his guitar. He had a folksy Jimmy Buffett style and played a nice set. Though it pains me to pay almost $8 USD for a single bottle of beer, I bought a couple and enjoyed the company, the conversation and the music.
Our arrival in Vancouver was scheduled for 8:00am the next morning but when I awoke at 6:30 it was clear we were well into the Vancouver suburbs and arrival was imminent. Sure enough, it was 7:05 when we pulled into Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station. Thankfully, despite the train being in the station, ViaRail allowed us to sleep in if we so desired and – if you were up for it – to head up to the dining car for a continental breakfast. We had to be making our way off the train by 8:15am. I had said my good byes the night before and so slept in until 7:30 before packing up and commencing the long walk into the cavernous main hall.
Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
All told, I had a great time crossing Canada by train. To be sure, four days on a train is not everybody’s cup of tea – especially here at an air travel oriented site like FlyerTalk. Still, if you’re wired for this type of travel as I certainly am – it’s a great way to see the country while enjoying the magic and bonhomie of the experience of actually travelling somewhere (not being there but actually traveling there). Once we get past this pandemic, I would hope my reporting and pictures might have inspired some of you to consider experiencing a long overnight train trip and enjoying all of its many amenities and benefits – not least of which is a chance to enjoy the lands you travel through at “see level”.
A local fast food restaurant inside the station provided a table, hot coffee, a pretty decent breakfast sandwich and a Wi-Fi connection which allowed to me to figure out how to make get out to the Vancouver International Airport where I could pick up a shuttle to my hotel for the night. Thankfully Vancouver’s Sky Train light rail system had a stop just a couple of blocks from the railroad station. Following a 30 minute ride out to the airport, I was soon checked into my comfortable room at the Accent Inn and preparing for the next day’s adventure of a completely different sort.