How to catch the train

Planes criss-cross the Canadian skies. Vehicles trundle along the country’s intertwining roads. But the third method of Canadian travel transportation—the train—is an often forgotten way of getting from A to B, especially in BC.

Although few may know it, the train isn’t only for tourists. Fraser Valley residents can ride the rails to Kamloops, Edmonton, and beyond—and it doesn’t always have to cost a lot of money.

Last year, Mission resident Ross Shirlaw took VIA Rail’s famous train the Canadian to Toronto. The train is a beloved travel choice among train fanatics, and those who value the slower approach to travel.

“If you've got some time and want to see the country in a way that you've never seen it before …. it's a very relaxing way of traveling, I find,” Shirlaw said.

But unlike most VIA passengers, who board the train at eye-catching stations in Vancouver, Winnipeg, or Toronto, Shirlaw caught the train in Mission, at one of the Fraser Valley’s many nondescript sign-post stations.

VIA Rail is Canada’s main option for passenger train travel. Heavily subsidized by the federal government, the crown corporation is mandated to provide train service to communities connected by Canada’s railways. (You can read more about the crown corporation here.)

Passenger rail once played an important role in public transportation in Canada and the Fraser Valley. Residents north of the river would use the train to travel from Agassiz or Whonnock to Vancouver, or from the valley into the Interior. (The West Coast Express still provides rail service between Vancouver and Mission, but is geared towards commuters and only operates on weekday mornings and afternoons.)

The Canadian was created in the 1950s to provide transcontinental service between Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. At that point, the train was run by Canadian Pacific Railway. Although the route was successful for many years, the push towards air travel and the opening of the Trans Canada highway made railway travel less and less enticing.

In the 1970s, CP asked the federal government to let it discontinue The Canadian, but was denied. (The railway’s charter required it to provide passenger rail service at the time.) So the train continued, eventually becoming part of the crown corporation VIA and becoming the only cross-Canada rail link for passengers.

In the 1980s, a decrease in government subsidies pushed VIA Rail away from the more utilitarian focus of public transportation, and switched the company’s view to more luxury experiences aimed at tourists.

Today, the Canadian continues to travel between Vancouver and Toronto. Two trains leave Vancouver for the transcontinental trip each week—one on Monday and one on Friday—and the route carries an average of 60,000 people each year in both directions. Most passengers typically board at Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station or Toronto’s Union Station. Riders also hop on the train at staffed and unstaffed stations in Kamloops, Jasper, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.

But those buildings aren’t the only places to catch the train. There are many “sign-post stations”—literally train stations that are just a post on the side of the tracks—where people can be picked up and dropped off if they have a ticket.

Such stations are particularly important in remote communities, where the train is sometimes the only connection to the outside world. But they’re also the only way Fraser Valley residents can catch the Canadian.

Riders can catch an eastbound train at sign post stations in Mission and Agassiz, or a westbound locomotive in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Langley. (You can read more about where the train only travels in one direction on each set of tracks here.)

The cost varies on the distance riders are going, the time of year, and the class of car they wish to travel in. At the low end, tickets can be less than $100, while prestige transcontinental tickets can run to several thousand dollars. (More details on that are available below.)

How to catch the train

So now that we know a little bit about the passenger train that passes through the Fraser Valley, how do we go about getting on?

First, you have to know when to go. Two trains leave Vancouver each week. Both are scheduled to leave at 3pm. They are supposed to pass through Mission Harbour around 4:30pm, and arrive in Agassiz half an hour later.

But be warned: VIA Rail passengers can encounter extensive delays. Because freight trains take priority on CN and CPKC tracks, passenger trains often have to wait on sidings until the track is clear. This can cause significant delays—and why we wouldn’t recommend catching the Canadian from the Fraser Valley into Vancouver. Trains arriving in Vancouver can be delayed by more than seven hours in some cases, which is an awfully long time to wait along a railway track.

Delays on eastbound trains heading from Vancouver and into the Fraser Valley are shorter—but they still happen. Shirlaw, who caught the Canadian last August from Mission Harbour, had to wait nearly an hour for the train to arrive.

“The train should have picked me up at 4:30, it was just around 5:30 when it got to me,” Shirlaw said. He had time to spare, but was aware that if the train was already an hour behind schedule, further delays were likely. “I'm retired, so I don't mind that, but I was just thinking that … if you're an hour late on your first stop, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the trip.”

The Fraser Valley stations are also not necessarily the most pleasant spots to wait. The stations are simply posts beside the track, with no shelter or barriers from the rail line or weather.

In Chilliwack, the train station is located at the busy Young Road crossing north of the highway. In Agassiz, it is located behind the Agassiz-Harrison Museum. And in Mission, the train station is located on the harbourfront near the train bridge that crosses the river—not where the West Coast Express terminates. (There are other stations in Abbotsford, Hope, and Boston Bar as well.)

Buying your ticket

Tickets for the Canadian can be purchased online through VIA Rail’s website. Prices depend on how far you are travelling, and how comfortable you want your travel to be. Seat-only tickets from the Fraser Valley to Kamloops can be as low as $75—around the same price as a trip on Ebus, although the bus will get you there quite a bit faster.

The all-inclusive Prestige class can rise above $5,000 for the four-day trip to Toronto, while the mid-range Sleeper Plus class averages between $200 for a trip to Kamloops and $650 for a trip to Toronto in the off season. (Prices change depending on how close to your travel date you plan on booking, and the time of year—summer tickets are significantly more expensive.)

An economy ticket between Hope and Chilliwack is only $20, and would take less than half an hour—if there are no delays.

You’ll have to purchase your ticket ahead of time—after all, you can’t just flag down a speeding train. VIA Rail says it “strongly recommends” tickets be purchased more than a day before you plan to leave for departures from Agassiz and Mission, although officially a train will pick you up if you purchase your ticket at least 40 minutes before the train leaves Vancouver.

On the train

In the summer, access to the train’s cars varies depending on what ticket you purchase.

Those in economy class have access to their single seats, as well as one of the Skyline cars, which has an upper level where passengers can see the views through full-ceiling windows. Economy passengers can sleep in their chairs if they wish, with extra blankets and pillows available for purchase, but they do not have access to the dining car. (There are some food and drink options available for purchase in the Skyline car.)

People choosing to get a full bed for their journey can get a Sleeper Plus ticket. Sleeper Plus passengers can choose between a berth—which has two facing couch-like seats that convert to a bunk bed at night—or cabins of varying size. The berth beds do not have access to electrical outlets, although there are other outlets on the train.

Sleeper Plus passengers also have access to their own Skyline car, along with the dining car. Meals and non-alcoholic beverages are included. (Alcohol is available for sale.) They also have scheduled access to the “bullet lounge,” a rounded-seating area at the back of the train.

The cars intended for Economy and Sleeper Plus passengers are largely unchanged from when they were brought into service in 1955, although there have been safety upgrades and some renovation work. (The dining car has the same style of glass partitions from when the trains came into service in the 1950s; you can see a promotional video of the train from that time here.)

Prestige passengers have large private cabins in the last two cars of the train. They also have access to the park car at the back of the train. The park car—named after various national parks—includes its own Skyline dome, as well as the bullet lounge. Prestige passengers also have their meals included in the dining car, as well as alcoholic beverages and other snacks in the park car.

All passengers have the option to participate in various activities in the Skyline cars, which can include beer tastings and bingo, among other activities.

In the off-season—which currently runs from mid-November to mid-April—Sleeper Plus and Prestige passengers have access to the entire train, although Economy passengers are still relegated to the front of the train.

“The beauty of the train versus a plane is that you just sit back and have zero control over when you're going to get to where you're going to go,” Shirlaw said. “If you take the opportunity to chat with some people and learn some things about the world that you didn't know, it's really a great opportunity.”

Quick facts

• Cost of ticket from Mission to Kamloops: Upwards of $75 (Economy), $200 (Sleeper Plus), or $1,000 (Prestige).

• Cost of ticket from Mission to Toronto: Upwards of $500 (Economy), $650 (Sleeper Plus), or $5,000 (Prestige).

• Scheduled length of trip from Mission to Kamloops: nearly 8 hours.

• Scheduled length of trip from Mission to Edmonton: About one day.

• Scheduled length of trip from Mission to Toronto: About four days.

Delays can be extensive, depending on how many freight trains need the tracks during the trip. The trip does have some leeway built in during the prairie portion of the route, so even if delays are extensive through the Rockies, it’s possible for the train to arrive in Toronto on time.