Day 6: Train Prince Rupert - Prince George
16/09/19 06:30
What a day !
But let's start in the morning: with the train leaving at 8:00 and check-in starting at 7:30 I had to be up and running quite early. Fortunately it is only short cab ride to the VIA Rail Terminal ( which doubles also as the BCFerries Terminal ). Quite a number of people have already been waiting and a friendly staff member labels my suitcase. A few minutes later the train ( the engine, luggage car, economy class car, panorama car and the dome car. Quite short.
Being poch I had the "Touring Class" boded and occupied my seat in the panorama car which was as it turned out just half full. Quite a mixture of people: 2 couples from France, a German couple, a few Americans and a bunch of us Brits.
Bang on time the train left and after some introduction by the two crew members about the ins-and outs as ell as the catering everybody relaxed into his comfortable reclining seats and started enjoying the scenery which evolved in front of our eyes.
I could now describe in length about my personal experience but this would be quite long and for you who has not joined me on this journey also quite boring.
Hence only in short:
Weather was glorious ( why that wasn't the case during my Inside Passage journey is beyond me )
Scenery spectacular
Catering ( consisting of breakfast, lunch and dinner, coffee and tea and with Dinner even complementary wine ) very good.
If you are interested in some visual impression of this journey and also see some tracking details of the journey please use the links mentioned at the bottom of this blog entry.
But there is a but:
The train line Prince Rupert - Prince George - Jasper is a freight line. The three time a week running VIA Rail ( the Canadian Passenger Train Company ) trains are for the track owners more a nuisance hence freight trains always have priority. The whole line is single track only with sidings every x-number of miles so that east and westbound trains can pass. Both resulting into the simple problem that the passenger trains are delayed and that quite often considerably. A fact I knew since I used the train across Canada twice in the past. To cut a long story short: Scheduled arrival in Prince George was supposed to 20:30 but we arrived ( believe or not ) at 01:00 in the morning. In addition to this the track in front of the station building was occupied by a waiting freight train so that our passenger train was diverted into the railway yard. Our train crew ( thank God ) organised cabs to the yard which waited for us when we stopped in the railway yard. They even called everybody's hotel to inform them about our delay. It worked like clockwork but everybody was understandably mift and very tired.
A short ride with the cab ( its of people shared to get everybody a.s.a.p. away and into ones bed ) and me and my cab party reached our hotel where a very tired looking night clerk checked as in.
Schedules departure tomorrow ( ( Monday 16.9.2019 ) at 9:45
God night ( or should I say Good morning ? ! )
If you want to follow me: Track My Tour or see some more pictures
But let's start in the morning: with the train leaving at 8:00 and check-in starting at 7:30 I had to be up and running quite early. Fortunately it is only short cab ride to the VIA Rail Terminal ( which doubles also as the BCFerries Terminal ). Quite a number of people have already been waiting and a friendly staff member labels my suitcase. A few minutes later the train ( the engine, luggage car, economy class car, panorama car and the dome car. Quite short.
Being poch I had the "Touring Class" boded and occupied my seat in the panorama car which was as it turned out just half full. Quite a mixture of people: 2 couples from France, a German couple, a few Americans and a bunch of us Brits.
Bang on time the train left and after some introduction by the two crew members about the ins-and outs as ell as the catering everybody relaxed into his comfortable reclining seats and started enjoying the scenery which evolved in front of our eyes.
I could now describe in length about my personal experience but this would be quite long and for you who has not joined me on this journey also quite boring.
Hence only in short:
Weather was glorious ( why that wasn't the case during my Inside Passage journey is beyond me )
Scenery spectacular
Catering ( consisting of breakfast, lunch and dinner, coffee and tea and with Dinner even complementary wine ) very good.
If you are interested in some visual impression of this journey and also see some tracking details of the journey please use the links mentioned at the bottom of this blog entry.
But there is a but:
The train line Prince Rupert - Prince George - Jasper is a freight line. The three time a week running VIA Rail ( the Canadian Passenger Train Company ) trains are for the track owners more a nuisance hence freight trains always have priority. The whole line is single track only with sidings every x-number of miles so that east and westbound trains can pass. Both resulting into the simple problem that the passenger trains are delayed and that quite often considerably. A fact I knew since I used the train across Canada twice in the past. To cut a long story short: Scheduled arrival in Prince George was supposed to 20:30 but we arrived ( believe or not ) at 01:00 in the morning. In addition to this the track in front of the station building was occupied by a waiting freight train so that our passenger train was diverted into the railway yard. Our train crew ( thank God ) organised cabs to the yard which waited for us when we stopped in the railway yard. They even called everybody's hotel to inform them about our delay. It worked like clockwork but everybody was understandably mift and very tired.
A short ride with the cab ( its of people shared to get everybody a.s.a.p. away and into ones bed ) and me and my cab party reached our hotel where a very tired looking night clerk checked as in.
Schedules departure tomorrow ( ( Monday 16.9.2019 ) at 9:45
God night ( or should I say Good morning ? ! )
If you want to follow me: Track My Tour or see some more pictures
