Image Credit: Rocky Mountaineer

By Aaron Schulze

Rocky Mountaineer All Aboard

Rocky Mountaineer resuming Western Canada operations July 5

Jun 14, 2021 | 4:25 PM

KAMLOOPS — As Step Two of B.C.’s Restart will begin Tuesday (June 15), Rocky Mountaineer announced it will resume operations on a reduced schedule starting July 5.

The luxury train tour company’s “First Passage to the West” will depart Vancouver and arrive in Kamloops on July 5, before heading to Banff/Lake Louise, Alta.

“We haven’t run a train since October 2019,” Rocky Mountaineer Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Nicole Ford told CFJC Today. “Our entire team, especially our rail operations team in Kamloops, are just itching to get back to doing what we do best.”

Ford said the restart plans of both B.C. and Alberta will determine how Rocky Mountaineer will be able to operate, but they’re optimistic B.C. will reach Step Three by the earliest possible date of July 1.

On a reduced schedule, Rocky Mountaineer will have one train heading each direction between Vancouver and Banff/Lake Louise, stopping in Kamloops in between, each week. Ford said they hope to offer the full schedule starting in August.

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To adhere to COVID-19 related provincial health guidelines, every Rocky Mountaineer guest and team member traveling on the train will undergo extensive daily health screening daily. They will also do a rapid COVID-19 screening test at the start of the route.

Ford said the railcars are equipped with high-end air filtration systems that remove 99.9 per cent of airborne particles, including viruses and bacteria. They ensure a steady intake in circulation of fresh air as well. She said disinfection procedures, glass barriers between dining tables, and more space between travel groups are also in place.

Rocky Mountaineer regularly brings thousands of tourists into Kamloops for overnight stays. In 2018, it estimated its economic impact to the city to be between $47 and $49 million.

Ford said booking is open.