Canadian Railroads > VIA's "Prestige" Service Delayed Again

Last autumn at a travel trade show the VIA rep. told me the upgraded service on the Canadian, to be known as Prestige, would start this May between Jasper and Vancouver. It was soon apparent that this would not happen.

I don't rely on rumours, but on my recent trip on the Canadian I had a long discussion with one of the service managers who had just returned from viewing the equipment in Montreal. One Park car and Château sleeper are just about completed. The plan is for those two cars to travel deadhead to Vancouver this May for display at a trade show. The details of this show are unknown. The first revenue run is expected to be in November of this year between Jasper and Vancouver. It will operate on only one day a week in each direction. It is expected that next May there will be enough equipment to operate between Jasper and Vancouver on all trains. There is no estimate as to when all the cars (four Park cars and eight Château sleepers) will be completed and enter full service.

This raises the question of what happens east of Jasper. Will the train now run without a Park car on that, longer, portion of the trip?

Sharon Evans
Glen Allen, VA

RNinRVR Wrote:
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> This raises the question of what happens east of
> Jasper. Will the train now run without a Park car
> on that, longer, portion of the trip?

I'm thinking that the provision of an "accesible" bedroom in the Park car will ensure that it remains on the train for the entire trip.

I had heard that it would be seasonal only? So under the current plan, it seems there will be a rebuilt Park car 1 day a week (in off season) and an "original" Park car the other day. I guess by looking at the room configurations available, one can tell which day will have which. It's a shame to see the traditional Drawing Room go. As I recall, the only other Drawing Rooms (Cabin For 3) are in the Chateau cars which are no longer used on the train. Just how did those rooms get their names anyway? It seems to have nothing to do with the number of beds or people accommodated.

I hate to see the Drawing Room on the Park car go away. I gladly paid the full price for one for my wife and I to have two lower beds. I had broken my arm just before the trip and could not navigate the upper bed. It was nice being in the Park Car except for the long walk to the dinner. On our next trip we will settle for two adjoining bedrooms.

With VIA on life support as it is, they should have left the cars alone. Sorry to say but VIA had to know "cuts" were coming so they probably would have been better off canceling this project before butchering the cars. There was no need for this "prestige" class with the current Canadian schedule being reduced like it was. Granted it, I think Jasper to Vancouver has good patronage and deserves better scheduling and better frequency of service.