VIA’s Canadian turns 70, operating with equipment from when it began

TORONTO — April 24,1955, was what Canadian Pacific publicity mavens characterized as a “Red Letter Day,” because that was when its new silver flagship, the Canadian, debuted with daily departures from Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.

Seventy years later, VIA Rail Canada commemorated the occasion with a high-profile sendoff of its version of the train — featuring the same name and same passenger cars — that travels twice per week on a much slower schedule over a different route. The company staged a ceremony today (April 23, 2025) at Toronto Union Station for the train now en route for Vancouver.

With current VIA CEO Mario Peloquin joined by other officials, passengers were given a “Golden Ticket keepsake for this iconic Canadian journey.” The train’s signature Park observation car was appropriately outfitted with a custom tail sign acknowledging the anniversary.

Looking back

The Burlington-Rio Grande-Western Pacific California Zephyr provided the template for the train built by Philadelphia’s Budd Co. that marked Canadian Pacific’s rather late post-World War II entry into the streamliner market. A total of 173 cars were delivered. A 20 minute Canadian Pacific promotional film (available here) extolled the virtues of Canada’s new transcontinental entry.

Unlike the Zephyr, however, the number of domes were limited to the observation-lounge-sleeper and a mid-train “coffee shop coach,” whose lower level was later transformed into the full-length Skyline lounge.

Toronto-based rail historian Greg Gormick tells News Wire, “There was supposed to be a second large order after CP had a year of results available for analysis following the 1955 launch. Budd worked closely with CP on this, and it developed the specs for a second order, which would have included dome sleepers similar to those Northern Pacific ordered for its North Coast Limited. But the potential order kept getting trimmed as Budd’s costs rose due to inflation, and in the end, CP couldn’t justify the second order.”

The original Canadian, with separate sections from Toronto and Montreal joining at Sudbury, Ontario, managed to trim 13 hours off of the schedule of its cross-country predecessor, the Dominion, covering 2,704 miles to Vancouver, British Columbia,, in about 70 hours.

VIA’s takeover

VIA Rail Canada assumed operation of the train in 1977 and maintained it on CP’s original route until moving it to Canadian National’s more northerly route, previously served by the Super Continental, following major government budget cutbacks in January 1990. The company converted the Canadian to head-end power as part of a mid-1990s “Silver and Blue” refurbishment upgrade and, despite the equipment’s age, has maintained it to a high standard ever since.

The only substantial configuration changes include converting one of four upper- and lower-berth sections to a shower in each sleeping car, and creating the luxury “Prestige Class” out of 12 Chateau sleepers and four Park cars. What has suffered recently is:

— Frequency. The train only runs twice per week after operating daily or triweekly for decades;.

— Speed. At about 96 hours, the schedule is about a day longer than its CP original.

— Reliability. Delays of 8 hour or more due to CN freight congestion are commonplace

— Capacity and affordability. The train’s sleeping accommodations are often sold out and are pricey when available. Toronto-Vancouver adult fares for one recently ranged from Ca$1,078 ($775 U.S.) for a berth to Ca$13,930 ($10,000) in a Prestige class bedroom. Economy tickets in coach cost in the Ca$600 range.

Nevertheless, sellouts at high prices reflect the Canadian’s enduring popularity. With all its drawbacks, the market for this service remains strong, and VIA is actively looking for new equipment to replace these 70-year-old veterans [see “VIA Rail Canada seeks bids …,” News Wire, Dec. 9, 2024]. The challenge is to keep the train rolling until the replacements arrive. Paying homage to this Canadian institution is well-deserved.