VIA Rail Canada Inc. — Attraction in Vancouver

Reading reviews I was a little bit weary of travelling by train, although I booked about a month in advance I was dreading it based on some negative reviews. I hope that my review will give you some insight into VIA Rail so you can make your decisions but also give you some advice if you decide to travel by train.

The first part discusses the booking system using a gift card which I obtained after I booked my train (great timing, right!). The second part focuses more on the train ride itself.

Upon booking my ticket from Vancouver to Jasper I recieved a voucher as a prize which would cover my cost for the train. To redeem my voucher I would need to visit an official via rail store with a ticketing booth. Where I currently live we do have a via rail station but not one with a booking agent. Because I'm living in the East Coast locations such as Toronto, Niagara Falls, Hamilton and Windsor were too far for me to commute to. Over the phone I was told I could redeem this into the Vancouver VIA rail station as long as I bring my card I used to purchase it.

On the day of my travels I decide to bring in my VIA Rail voucher and my online ticket in order to get my money back, this is where things got frustrating! Three members of staff, two phone calls to senior staff and 40 minutes took to receive my refund. Because I paid debit, my card got declined for a refund. As VIA rail states they do not carry cash, I was unable to get cash either. This incident would have been minimised in the following ways: option 1 I could have paid for a ticket a few days before or the day of my travel using the voucher, however I was concerned a popular route such as this would be sold out. Option 2 would be to pay by credit card, but as I paid debit it was never made clear to me that they would not refund debit. Option 3 staff gives in and gives me cash for my refund.

The solution to this problem was the senior person of the Vancouver VIA Rail office getting frustrated and getting cash out from the back even though he was certain that this wasn't the right way to do it. Personally, I didn't mind as I got a refund and VIA Rail only takes cash and credit on the train. Although my preference was a refund to my debit card you have to be patient and understand this is out of VIA Rail's control.

What was most frustrating is the gift card, the purpose of this is to promote people to use VIA Rail, it is such a fantastic way to see a beautiful country. Yet somehow the beginning of my trip was negatively impacted by this experience. However, the train is a completely different story and I'll elaborate below.

My train from Vancouver to Jasper departed at 3pm and I was told by the staff that lining up for the train usually begins at 2pm. I arrived about 2.10pm with already a huge line, if you look at the size of the train you'll see why. It's actually quite an experience walking the entire length of the train and going to the very front. For the most part in the peak of the summer on a Monday I was able to have two seats all to myself and I lapped up the whole experience.

The view was stunning from Vancouver to Jasper and I would say that sitting on either side would be fine, both have their benefits. Sitting on the right I was able to see Hell's Pass and the American side leaving Vancouver as well as Moose Lake. But on the right hand side you got a fantastic view of Mt Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian rockies.

Along the way we got plenty of updates, what was around us, expected arrival times. If you read the many reviews, there are many delays. We didn't get out of Metro Vancouver until approximately 5.30pm. But we did get to see the sky train pass us multiple times. Although the train driver said approximately 120km out of Jasper that we would most likely arrive in Jasper at 11.00am (Mountain time) unless there were major hitches along the way. Turns out there were major hitches along the way and as a result we arrived 12.45pm mountain time.

Consider travelling VIA Rail but explore other...

We just had an extremely troubling trip going from Saskatoon to Vancouver in economy on train #1.

I took this train 20 years ago in 2003, and this week's trip really felt like a major downgrade in terms of user experience, food quality and stop length.

We booked economy from Saskatoon until Vancouver (I'll come back to that).  Boarding experience was fine, and the seats looked new-ish, but turned out to be extremely uncomfortable for anymore than a couple of hours, with no lumber support or cushioning. No pillows or blankets were offered.  The cabin was messy with people sleeping across multiple chairs during the day because the seats are so uncomfortable to actually sit in they have to sleep all day to catch up, coiled up into a ball.

The food was very disappointing, borderline unsafe.  The Swiss and turkey sandwich was as bad as a gas station in the 90s and tasted of sulfur, the bread was soaked through and yet it was $9.50 which is frankly offensive for such a poor quality meal.  The steward was genuinely apologetic for how terrible their food was and were clearly embarrassed.

In 2003 I took the train across canada, and we actually had access to decent hot meals at least on par with Tim Hortons sandwiches and soup, and had reasonable selection too at reasonable prices.  All the staff I spoke to wished that hot meals should come back for economy, and specifically asked me to mention it, and I completely agree.

The WiFi was another huge gripe, no one could actually connect to it so my tablet was useless and my wife couldn't do work.

When it came to having a drink, we were treated like children, and had to drink them on the activity car out of a solo cup that we couldn't pour ourselves.

Every stop added at least 30min to our trip due to freight traffic, so major stops that were supposed to be 3 hours were all reduced to less than an hour, except Vancouver which we were somehow 3 hours early for. So at no point we could leave the train to sit down and eat somewhere, which felt like a cash grab to eat the terrible food onboard. Jasper in particular should be at least a guaranteed two hours as the town is close to the rail and actually has shopping and restaurants. I actually got Ubereats delivered to Edmonton station because we suddenly didn't have time to eat out, and the canteen was now closed.

When we got to Jasper I waited in line for 30-40min to attempt upgrading to a sleeper. I was surprised to find out there's only sleeper plus available, no plain bunks to sleep in.

This was incredibly expensive addon ($1311 for both of us) making this three times more expensive than the four seasons Vancouver penthouse we've stayed at in the past.

Money is tight for us by I couldn't subject my wife or my back to another night of that hellish experience.

I am so glad I upgraded though because it absolutely transformed our moods and turned it from a terrible backpain inducing, gut wrenching ordeal into an amazing wondrous trip through the rockies.  We were both shocked by how suddenly the food, service and staff were improved.  It was such a stark contrast from economy, it just made me wonder why there is no middle ground.   We were greeted with mimosas and hors d'oeuvres, gourmet meals, list of events to take part in like wine tasting, and very friendly, happy staff.  We had an amazing attendant (Keisha I think) who looked after our bunks. I was very surprised we were eating, laughing, and lounging with first class/prestige passengers who some have paid $12000.

The glaring omission from sleeper plus is a huge lack of electrical plugs and chargers, which even economy had, and no WiFi again.  It really exaggerates how dated the cars are.

All in all, the trip was terrible, amazing, and outrageously costly.

I dare any viarail executive to take economy overnight and disagree with me.

Look at the pictures below and guess which is in economy and which is in...

We took the VIA Rail train from Jasper to Vancouver, a nearly 24-hour journey through the Rocky Mountains. The scenery was absolutely stunning, especially in autumn, and the onboard service was excellent — but there were serious issues with punctuality and communication that need to be addressed. Significant Delay and Communication Gaps Our train was scheduled to depart at 9:30 AM, but it didn’t leave until 3:25 PM, more than six hours late. I did not receive any direct notification about the delay. My family member received an email the night before, but it didn’t include the exact departure time or reason for the delay. Fortunately, I had added my boarding pass to my digital wallet, which updated automatically to show a 12:25 PM departure. When I saw this, I called VIA’s hotline, but the representative said they were “not sure” and suggested it might only be a short delay. The next morning, I called again at 7:30 AM and was finally told it could be delayed until noon or later, possibly even 2:00 PM — but we were still instructed to go to the station for updates. When we arrived at Jasper station, staff explained that the train might depart around 2:30 PM but could not confirm because the incoming train had not yet arrived. They provided lunch to Sleeper passengers while we waited, which was appreciated, but since meals are already included in this class, it was not really a form of compensation. This level of delay appears to be a regular occurrence, and both passengers and staff seemed accustomed to it. Compared with rail systems in places like Europe or Japan, where punctuality is a high standard, it was surprising to see such long delays treated as normal. For a country like Canada, this feels like an area where service could be significantly improved. Clearer communication and more proactive updates would make a meaningful difference for passengers. Onboard Experience Once onboard, the experience was outstanding: We traveled in Sleeper class, which included excellent meals, unlimited beverages, and access to the panoramic dome car. The scenery between Jasper and Vancouver was breathtaking — rivers, forests, and mountains, especially beautiful with the autumn colors. Staff onboard were friendly, attentive, and professional, and in this aspect, I would give a full five stars. One area for improvement is meal announcements. Sleeper passengers dine in scheduled time slots. We chose the last seating twice, but there was no clear announcement for our car. Announcements were made only in the observation car, so if you stayed in your cabin, you wouldn’t hear them. As a result, we had to keep checking ourselves to avoid missing meals. This could be resolved by using a proper PA system to make sure every passenger hears important information. Pricing This journey is quite expensive — around CAD $1,500 per person without any discounts. While the scenery and onboard experience are special, I recommend looking for promotions or passes before booking, as full fare may not feel justifiable given the possibility of significant delays. Overall Scenery & onboard service: ★★★★★ Punctuality & communication: ★☆☆☆☆ The Jasper–Vancouver route offers incredible views and warm, attentive service onboard, making it a truly memorable way to experience the Rockies. However, VIA Rail should place a higher priority on improving punctuality and communication. For a country with Canada’s resources and reputation, a six-hour delay being treated as routine does not meet modern expectations for national...