17 August 2010

Bring Back Passenger Rail Travel

Passengers watch the view on the train ride from Revelstoke to Rogers Pass.

Revelstoke British Columbia - It's been said before, but I'll say it again:  it's time to bring back passenger rail service along the Canadian Pacific route.
 
I know saying that is beating a dead horse. I know local people in positions of some authority have brought it up again and again with the folks at CP, but it's still worth pushing for.
 
Riding the train to Rogers Pass on Sunday to attend the 1910 avalanche memorial at the summit was an incredible experience.
 
The trip provided a new look at that familiar highway. New vistas were presented along the route, ones that aren't visible from the Trans-Canada Highway.
 
The best part was the fact there was no need to focus on the road and the wreckless drivers. Everyone on board was able to sit back, chat with fellow passengers, and gaze out the windows at the scenery rushing by.
 
When Canadian Pacific completed the railway across Canada it was instantly a hit with tourists. Grand hotels were built to usher the wealthy into the mountains.
 
Those days are long gone as the convenience of car travel have supplanted the train as the primary mode of transport.
 
Still, one imagines a market must exist for people who want to take a slower, more relaxed route through the mountains of British Columbia. If you build it, they will come.
 
Alex Cooper.