“The Canadian” · Toronto to Vancouver

Legs

Approximate scheduled times. Check the timetable with the operator before you travel.

Things to know

• Classes - Economy has reclining seats and a Skyline car with a dome. Sleeper Plus has berths, roomettes and bedrooms with meals in the dining car. Prestige adds larger cabins with shower and the Park car lounge.
• Four nights - westbound, the Canadian leaves Toronto in the morning and reaches Vancouver on the morning of the fifth day.
• Time zones - west of Armstrong, clocks no longer change with the seasons. Heading west, they go back one hour at the Saskatchewan border and at Yellowhead Pass, and in summer also between Armstrong and Sioux Lookout (eastbound, forward).
• No signal - there is little or no mobile coverage for long stretches of northern Ontario and the mountains. Download anything you need before you leave.
• Night running - westbound, the Thompson and Fraser canyons are usually passed in the dark; travel eastbound to see them in daylight.
• Duration - the Canadian shares the line with freight trains and is often late, sometimes by many hours. Don't book tight onward connections at either end.