Train and Rail Services

There are opportunities to travel by passenger train and rail services in British Columbia. Locals and visitors can get around Metro Vancouver (also known as Greater Vancouver) by rail to see the sites or travel to other destinations by scheduled services or sightseeing excursions.

Metro Vancouver Commuting

Daily commuters in Metro Vancouver use the West Coast Express (WCE) rail line and SkyTrain rapid transit. Both are operated by TransLink. These trains have regular schedules and are a good way to travel across and around Vancouver.

There are eight WCE stations going to and from downtown Vancouver and Mission; the service operates Monday-Friday during peak commute times.

SkyTrain has three automated lines around Metro Vancouver:

• Expo Line connects Downtown Vancouver with the cities of Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey.
• Millennium Line (including the Evergreen Line Extension) runs from East Vancouver through to Burnaby and into Port Moody and Coquitlam.
• Canada Line travels between Downtown Vancouver, the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Richmond.

VIA Rail

Via Rail Canada serves over 450 destinations across the country including rapid intercity services, cross-Canada routes and destination packages and services to remote communities.

In Western Canada, VIA Rail provides year-round, all-weather, regional services. It also operates scheduled trips, such as the legendary Canadian train operating between Toronto and Vancouver, and the very scenic route of Vancouver to Edmonton.

Rocky Mountaineer

Known for their glass-dome coaches, overall luxury and star service, Rocky Mountaineer (operated by Armstrong Hospitality Group Ltd) has three rail routes in British Columbia and Alberta. Packages go in both directions thus allowing passengers to start in Vancouver or the Rockies.

Amtrak

Amtrack Cascades provides connecting passenger service to Vancouver from points across the Northwest, via Washington state. Direct service is offered between Seattle, WA or Portland, OR and Vancouver.

Sightseeing Trains and Rail Museums

• Kettle Valley Steam Railway – Head to Summerland, hop aboard a restored locomotive and head back to 1910 to discover the Okanagan Valley. The company also has a Great Train Robbery package and a Christmas Express as well as other festive and special event outings.
• Cranbrook History Centre (Formerly the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel) – This history centre offers educational railcar train tours from Tuesday to Saturday.
• Revelstoke Railway Museum – Discover how the Canadian Pacific Railway in Western Canada played a pivotal role in the creation of the country.
• Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum – Located in Prince George, this museum showcases rail and forest industrial heritage from the Northern Interior.
• West Coast Railway Association (Railway Museum of British Columbia) – Squamish is home to this impressive and tactile rail collection that has visitors touring exhibits inside and trains outside of the museum. It is known for its festive North Pole Express and is wheelchair accessible (limited space; call ahead). Its restored locomotive Engine 374 can be explored at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Vancouver’s Yaletown.