Train travel stories from VIA Rail employees

While meeting other passengers is without a doubt one of the best parts about travelling on board the Canadian, listening to stories from employees who’ve crossed the country many times is just as entertaining as any good TV show. Their anecdotes range from touching to hilarious, and their perspectives on travel are truly fascinating. Here are a few.

VIA Rail has offices in cities throughout the country. On board the Canadian, two teams pass the baton—one based in Winnipeg does the trek to and from Toronto, while the other in Vancouver covers the route in the western part of Canada. The client-facing staff is bilingual, which is a testament to the diversity of our great nation, with many coming from Francophone communities in Manitoba or Ontario.

Love and nostalgia

My very first time aboard the Canadian in 2010, I met an elderly German couple who was celebrating their wedding anniversary. “We did this trip during our honeymoon,” they told me, misty-eyed. This train has been the setting for many such beautiful stories.

A VIA Rail employee for over 25 years, Sherri Gaborieau will always remember a couple who met each other as teenagers on the Canadian. “They met when they were 16, got married and came back some 50 years later,” the service manager said.

Sherri is the fifth member of her family to work in the railway industry and has held various roles throughout her career with the company. “I started in the dining car, then I was in housekeeping…” Even though she’s also worked at a desk, she prefers travelling, as much for the interaction with passengers and her colleagues as for the magnificent landscapes. She’s always blown away by the colours on display in the eastern part of the route in the fall. In Saskatchewan, the rolling hills in the Qu’Appelle Valley never cease to amaze her, and neither do the Rockies. “I love being on board because of both the people and the scenery,” she stated.

Never a dull moment

Mario Laurencelle is another service manager who’s been with VIA Rail for over a quarter century. He’s from the Prairies, having grown up on a farm south of Winnipeg. He started out as a waiter in the dining car, then became a porter. “It began as a summer job, and I’m still here 27 years later!” he said.

Nowadays, he welcomes visitors at the Toronto or Winnipeg station, depending on the direction of the trip, and makes sure everything goes smoothly.

Despite the long hours, Mario still enjoys travelling across the country. “This is the view from my office,” he said, gesturing at the passing landscape. “Every single time, I’m like a kid in a candy store. I’ve probably done this a thousand times, but every trip feels like the first.”

The Prairies - Credit: Marie-Julie Gagnon

The Prairie landscapes never get old, and spotting Alberta wildlife in particular is up there among his most cherished memories. “There’s deer, mountain lions, bears… I’ve even seen wolves devouring a goat as we rolled by.”

When’s the best time to observe the fauna? Mario believes it’s in the spring, when the bears come out of their den after hibernating all winter. “Because they’ve just woken up, they’re looking for food and are more willing to get close to noise. April is usually when you see them the most. I have a name for my favourite memory: ‘30 in 30.’ That’s when I spotted 30 bears in 30 minutes between Jasper and Blue River.”

Four generations on the railway

Born in Toronto, Érik Desbois actually grew up in Longueuil, on the South Shore of Montréal. He now lives in Vancouver, BC.

“My grandfather was one of the first engineers of this train,” said the activities coordinator. “My daughter also joined VIA Rail a few years ago. That’s the fourth generation in our family. She was a porter and is now a conductor.” While Érik’s father didn’t end up spending his career in the railway industry, his uncle did.

Sometimes, he’ll tell passengers about his family history during presentations in the dome car, with photos as visual aids. The anecdotes have been passed down from generation to generation, and there are enough now to practically fill a whole book!

Before VIA Rail took over the Canadian, Canadian Pacific operated the train. “Canadian Pacific also had hotels, planes and boats,” Érik explained. “Back in the day, they’d give passes to employees and their family so they could book travel or stays within their network for free. I like to joke that my grandmother could go see the pope at the Vatican with her CP pass!”

These were lifetime passes, too, even if a hotel changed ownership. Now almost 100 years old, Érik’s grandmother flashed her physical “golden ticket” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel… in 2010. “She showed up from her village in Ontario, pulled out her old letter from CP and said, ‘I’d like a room.’ The young woman at the counter had no idea what she was looking at.” Her sons helped her find a manager who knew about these passes and the policy was honoured. But the story doesn’t reveal if her “golden ticket” finally allowed her to go see the pope in person!

Memories for life

Based in Montréal, Anick Cesaria has worked as a marketing advisor at VIA Rail for over 20 years. She’s been promoting the Canadian some time and got the opportunity to cross the country many times—in summer, in winter, alone, with friends, and with family.

When asked what’s impressed her the most, she answered without hesitation, “The Prairies!” Anick has even witnessed an electrical storm. “It was so gorgeous! It felt like nature was putting on a show—there was nothing obscuring the bolts of lightning. I saw them in the distance, illuminating the whole sky. I was in the dome car and couldn’t bear to leave!”

The fields of canola and sunflowers also left quite an impression on her. “The views between Winnipeg and the Rockies are simply breathtaking.”

“I really hope everyone gets a chance to take this trip once in their lives,” Anick said. “You’re sure proud to be Canadian when you’re on board that train!”

Memorable moments on every trip

Josephine Wasch, Senior Manager, International and Domestic Sales, lives in Vancouver. Having worked at VIA Rail for two decades, she has many vivid memories from on board the train. She’s seen birds “fly away like a silver cloud in winter.” She’s also had the opportunity to chat with a group of young Amish men going to Jasper on a ski trip.

The Northern Lights are hands down one of the most unforgettable experiences you can have on the train. “Even though they’re more common in winter, you can sometimes see them in other seasons,” she said.

That was the case in May 2024, during a particularly intense aurora season in the entire country. “I was going from Vancouver to Jasper for a professional event called Rendez-vous Canada,” Josephine said. “There were a lot of international travellers on board the train heading to the event. I’d checked ahead of time, and the forecast showed a 100% chance of seeing the Northern Lights. These were people who would decide whether they’d feature this product in their brochure… We had a wonderful dinner, played some games, chatted in the dome car, but everyone was getting a little tired. Those who came from Europe were starting to feel the jet lag. Around 10:30, nothing was happening, so we went back to our cabins.”

Josephine continued, “About 10 minutes later, as I was brushing my teeth, I looked out the window and yelled, ‘Oh my god, they’re there!’ You didn’t need a camera or anything other than your own two eyes—you could see them perfectly. I immediately texted everyone, knocked on their doors… Some headed back to the dome car, while others preferred to stay in their cabin and watch them from their bed. One woman took a video. It was unreal, like a backdrop from a Tim Burton movie—the trees were just dark silhouettes, the train was chugging along, moving us through this landscape, and the lights were dancing around in the sky.”

Another of Josephine’s most memorable trips by far was her honeymoon, about 10 years ago. She and her husband rode a number of trains, including the Canadian. “I married an Australian man,” she said. “He was immigrating to Canada, so we left from Vancouver and made it all the way to Halifax.”

Friends joined them for various legs of the journey. “In all, it took just over two weeks. It was so restful! Unlike an all-inclusive resort, on a train the vistas are changing constantly, there are all kinds of different activities, you can relax or socialize at your leisure… I wholeheartedly recommend it!”