Amtrak and VIA Rail Have the Same Obstacles.

Our two-week vacation included a couple of unforgettable train rides through Western Canada: first on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff and next on VIA Rail from Jasper to Prince Rupert. It was interesting to note that VIA Rail has to deal with many of the same problems facing Amtrak in the U.S., principally near-starvation funding levels from their respective federal governments.

For another thing, like Amtrak, VIA trains run over track owned by two freight railroads, either Canadian National or Canadian Pacific. That means, of course, that VIA trains operate at the mercy of dispatchers for either of the two freight railroads. Unfortunately, that means VIA trains are often delayed.

Our VIA train from Prince George to Prince Rupert had had numerous diversions onto sidings throughout the day and, as we finally rolled into the station more than two hours late, our car attendant was apologizing for the late arrival. I assured her I was aware that the delay was because of freight traffic being given priority throughout the day.

She looked at me gratefully and then, with a grin, asked if I knew what the letters CNR stood for. “Canadian National Railway,” I said promptly.

“That’s what most people think,” she said, “but at VIA, we know that CNR really means “Care? Not Really.”

As an aside, because we were more than 2 hours late, VIA is giving me a discount on my next VIA ticket purchase equal to 50% of the Jasper-Prince Rupert fare … roughly $212. Excellent PR, I’d say!

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