Armstrong Group, a family owned British Columbia business, is the owner and operator of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (RMV), which is best known around the world for operating Western Canadian tourist trains and in particular, the acclaimed Rocky Mountaineer train. This two-day all daylight rail journey begins in the coastal city of Vancouver, BC and the resort town of Whistler, BC, and travels through Canada's West and the Canadian Rockies to Jasper, Banff, or Calgary, Alberta. Having hosted over 900,000 guests since the company's inception in 1990, RMV has become the largest privately owned passenger rail service in North America.
Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Armstrong Group has investments primarily in Western Canada. The company was created to further develop and expand luxury rail tours and related offerings within the hospitality industry and has evolved from a small entrepreneurial dream to one of Canada’s leading tourism providers. The original two-day rail tour is now just one of more than 70 independent vacation options that include city stops, sightseeing tours and rail and drive programs.
To coincide with the Rocky Mountaineer train arrivals in Kamloops, BC, where guests overnight on their two-day journey, the company features Maple Leaf Musical and The Great Canadian Lumberjack Show.
In December 2004, the company acquired the 98-room Thompson Hotel in Kamloops, BC and in 2005, unveiled the brand new state-of-the-art Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver, where guests arrive and depart from.
Most recently, in 2005, Armstrong Group purchased Gray Line West (GLW) motorcoach operations based in Victoria, BC. With all these recent developments, Armstrong Group is afforded the opportunity to provide seamless guest travel experiences throughout Western Canada.
In May of 2006, Armstrong Group introduced two new tourist train routes in BC and Alberta. The highly anticipated Whistler Mountaineer train, a daily service for travellers between North Vancouver and Whistler BC and the Fraser Discovery Route, a third route for the Rocky Mountaineer travelling from Whistler to Jasper with an overnight stop in Quesnel BC.