All Aboard! : The Rocky Mountaineer Train
The Rocky Mountaineer Train got rolling out of Vancouver in 1990. Drastic cuts to service by the federal government to VIA Rail, the only passenger service at that time, enabled company founder , Peter Armstrong, to start a company which filled the void in passenger train service. The idea was to create a two day daytime travel experience for the modern passenger that harkened back to the glory days of passenger train travel.
Certainly Canada’s development as a nation owes much to rail service. It’s an integral part of Canadian history. British Columbia joined Canada in 1885 on the basis of the CPR, a 3000 mile long rail line that connected the east with the west.
Its unique travel by train experience takes passengers through BC and Alberta. Over the last 20 years the company has grown into the largest privately owned passenger rail service in North America. In 1995 the Gold Dome was added to service, featuring two storey glass dome coaches with fabulous 360 degree panoramic views of the Canadian countryside.
2006 saw the inception of service on the Sea to Sky route, or Vancouver BC to Whistler BC as well as daily service from Whistler BC and Jasper Alberta. The Rocky Mountaineer train has also been featured on the TV show The Bachelorette, where contestants took a 4 day trip aboard the now famous train. What was once a dream of Peter Armstrong’s is now a reality and in 2008 Rocky Mountaineer welcomed its one millionth customer. Service ranges from as far west as Tofino on Vancouver Island’s west coast to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Rocky Mountaineer Train Tours, Side Trips and Attractions
While on your rail trip, there are also side trips offered by Rocky Mountaineer. In Banff, why not take a summit helicopter tour, or a Ziptrek eco tour above Fitzsimmons Creek or a walking tour of Whistler? While in Victoria there’s tea at the Empress Hotel or the Butchart Gardens. Enjoying musical theatre while aboard the train, together with cruise and rail service with Alaska Cruise Lines, and being pampered are what the Rocky Mountaineer does best!
Rocky Mountaineer Train Packages
There are 45 independent rail vacations and summer is very busy so make sure you book well in advance. The memoires will last you a lifetime. The website is comprehensive and easy to navigate. And by the way , if you are in Vancouver or Calgary- on the last Sunday of the month, be sure and check out Portobello West Market- held at the Rocky Mountaineer station ( in Calgary at the Aratta Opera centre) . Admission is only a toonie and it’s a fun afternoon, of fashion, art plants, jewelry and food!
Relevant links:
http://www.rockymountaineer.com/en_CA_BC/
http://www.portobellowest.com/
By Melissa Montgomery