Stuck in the middle of NOWHERE on VIA Rail in Canada

This route lets you travel through the mountains in daylight (if on time), unlike the Canadian and the fare is considerably less. Prince Rupert is an interesting place and from there you can take BC Ferries south through the inside passage to Vancouver Island. All worth the price just for the scenery alone. Let's hope this route is never cancelled.

90% of the containers at the port of prince rupert are actually headed for Chicago, the reason the port is way up north is because it's a day faster sailing time from Japan and Asian ports

I have loved train travel since I was a young boy aged 4. I rode British, Belgian and German trains in the 1950s! I rode the Wabash Cannonball between Peru, Indiana, and Detroit in the '60s before Amtrak. I rode Canadian trains from Niagara Falls to Windsor, Ontario, and Amtrak trains and high-speed European trains in France and Switzerland. I rode high-speed trains in China AND the maglev that goes from Shanghai city to Pudong International Airport at up to 400 kph! Mike, you nailed it when you said riding the train is a destination in itself. I'm a fan, and I thank you for sharing your experience.

"The train is the destination!" Gospel truth.

Years ago I took the cross Canada VIA Rail, from Edmonton Alberta to Amherst Nova Scotia. It was a truly remarkable trip, seeing places with no other physical connection to the rest of the world, that is to say, no roads in or out. Canada has a truly remarkable geography, from the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan, to all the lakes and forests and rocks of the Canadian Shield in Manitoba and northern Ontario, to the farmland and industrial areas of southern Ontario and Quebec. Then out to the Maritimes with its views of the Atlantic through the trees. Canada is a very beautiful place to live.

Fun fact, my dad was responsible for the scheduling of this train when the CN still operated it in the 60's...

The real question is why wouldn’t you ride the train if you have the time and can afford the ticket. You don’t get to see those types of views in an airplane! This video series makes me what to do this trip.

I asked Google Maps how long it would take to drive from Prince George to Prince Rupert. Nearly 8 hours, assuming there are no breaks. Sure, the train on schedule takes skosh longer but your breaks were on the train. It's a win! And you also get to enjoy spectacular scenery without worrying about hitting a moose or driving off the road. Thanks for taking us along.

I'm from Switzerland and the past three years I lived in Vienna, Austria. Between those two places it's a 9 hour train Journey which I took ten times per Year, the flight would be just about one hour. But the scenery and the comfortably atmosphere in the train were just unbeatable, so I never just had one thought to take the plane instead of the train.

I took that train from Vanderhoof to Prince Rupert and back in November of 2019 and the porter told me I was the first person to have the train stop in Vanderhoof in YEARS

Wow! It's so beautiful. I should move there! Oh wait, I already live here. It's funny that Northern British Columbians get so caught up with their daily work that we forget how amazing the countryside is. Hands down one of the best places to live in the world and we see it so often we forget how much we have.

When we moved from New Brunswick to Alberta in 1978 we took the train instead of driving. It took 4 days and 3 nights. I was 7 and my brother was 9. Such great memories!

"The journey is the destination" - 100%, and why I'd love to come and ride some of these long routes, on these near-legendary trains! (And until we can move around the world again - or even my own home country - I don't know where you're going next, but I know I'm glad we can be there with you!)

yo everyone, time for another train video. I wanted to say a lot more than that but my english is a bit rusty. Can you please make longer train videos ? I like the style of your train video. Looks very fun.

As a Canadian who has been living in the desert for the last ten years, I sure appreciate the videos you are making. Travelled on train as a kid from Van to TO back in late 60's. Still remember sitting in observation car and sleeping in the upper berth. Guess my folks couldn't afford an actual private room. Also remember dining car. Complete with waiters and white linen tablecloth. Cheers.

Back in the 1960s and '70s, when CN and later VIA operated this train, it ran overnight between Jasper and Prince Rupert with sleeping car accommodation. In the summer, it ran daily.

Excellent tour of Northern BC! There's a poetic magic to Canada's northern industrial communities.. Yes, our big cities are great - but being up north, and feeling like you're in an outpost in the middle of a vast area is so special. Oh..P.S. - 'Flexibility is Key' to travelling in the North - parked on a rail line near Smithers, or snowed in at Wawa in July - it's how it goes in the north!

Agreed. A train ride is the beginning, the fun in between and the destination...who doesn't love the train?! Thanks again Mike

"The train is the destination" says it all ! These are the times we never forget, I know, I've taken the train numerous times and it was always because I could ! I've done Halifax to Vancouver three time by way of my thumb and twice by car. Always an adventure, alone, with a friend and then with the children. Next year (2021) If things go right we are planning to do it again, just my wife and I (I'm getting slower so we will be towing an RV) ! Always enjoy these videos ! Never loose the habit, be good and be safe ! Thanks

"The train is the destination itself". Dude, with that sentence you have reminded me why I have become a railwayman in the first place! 👌💯