Travelling onboard the Rocky Mountaineer is an unforgettable experience, considered by many to be, a trip of a lifetime.  The original two-day, all daylight rail journey recaptures the romance of rail travel as it follows the historic train routes constructed over 100 years ago through Canada’s West and the Canadian Rockies, uniting the country.  The entire train ride takes place during daylight hours to ensure guests enjoy every minute of the breathtaking scenery, which includes glacier-fed lakes, majestic mountain ranges and ferocious rivers. On all four RMV rail routes, travellers will experience exemplary guest service, for which the company is renowned.

To coincide with the Rocky Mountaineer train arrivals into Kamloops, B.C., RMV owns and operates the 98-room Thompson Hotel and features the entertaining Two River Junction Revue, a buffet dinner and show based on the escapades of the notorious train robber, Billy Miner. With an increased number of guests travelling onboard, the company introduced a second entertainment option in Kamloops. The Great Canadian Lumberjack show premiered in May of 2006 and is a comedic production of two lumberjacks, competing to be the best in town.

The Rocky Mountaineer now travels on three routes, travelling in both eastbound and westbound directions.  The Yellowhead Route takes guests between the beautiful coastal city of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Rocky Mountain town of Jasper, Alberta while the Kicking Horse Route is a link from Vancouver to Banff or Calgary, Alberta.  On both routes, guests overnight in historic Kamloops, B.C.  On the new Fraser Discovery Route, travellers experience B.C.’s Cariboo and Chilcotin regions between Whistler, B.C. and Jasper, Alberta with an overnight stay in the quaint town of Quesnel, B.C. at the end of day one. The two-day all daylight Rocky Mountaineer train travels 1000 kilometres (650 miles). The Whistler Mountaineer train provides a daily, three-hour service between North Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., travelling northbound in the morning and southbound in the early afternoon. The train excursion covers a distance of 120 kilometres (74 miles).

The Rocky Mountaineer train departs every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday (eastbound and westbound) on both the Yellowhead and Kicking Horse Routes and has 144 departures during its season from April to October.  On the new Fraser Discovery Route, the Rocky Mountaineer departs on selected Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays while the Whistler Mountaineer train runs northbound and southbound daily. 

All three Rocky Mountaineer rail routes offer two choices of service:

GoldLeaf Service guests enjoy reserved seating in two-storey, glass domed coaches, featuring panoramic views on the upper level and an elegant private dining room on the main level where specially prepared à la carte breakfasts and lunches are served.  Onboard Attendants provide friendly service and informative commentary of the regions through which the train travels.

RedLeaf Service provides guests with assigned, spacious, comfortable reclining seats, large picture windows, and at-your-seat meal service, in a non-smoking, air-conditioned traditional rail coach environment. The trip is highlighted by the individual attention and colourful, interpretative commentary provided by a dedicated Onboard Attendant. 

Breathtaking views of the Canadian Rockies along with spectacular sights such as Hell’s gate, the narrowest point on the Fraser River, the Spiral Tunnels, an engineering feat and Mount Robson, which at 3,956.5 m/12,972 feet is the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Rugged canyons, desert landscapes, shimmering lakes, cascading waterfalls and spectacular glaciers inspire even the most discerning of travellers. 

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations’ rolling stock consists of over 90 pieces of equipment, all of which is stored and maintained at the company’s 22-acre maintenance yard in Kamloops, B.C.

Purchased in 2001, and re-manufactured by Alstom in Montreal, Quebec, the nine, GP40-2 models built by General Motors, Rocky Mountaineer locomotives were originally used by Canadian National Rail.

The 33 RedLeaf Service coaches are classically styled railcars built in 1954 by Canadian Car and Foundry and have been refurbished and upgraded a number of times since then. The two styles used on the Rocky Mountaineer train consist are the 5700 and 3200 series. The 16 GoldLeaf dome coaches seat up to 72 guests each, and were custom-built for the Rocky Mountaineer by Colorado Railcar Manufacturing LLC in Fort Lupton, Colorado. The first dome coach was introduced in 1995.