A quick update, along with some news.
I haven't posted on this blog for the last two weeks. A lot of new members joined up after my feature on the passenger rail revival happening in Canada was published in The Globe and Mail.
Welcome to everyone—and my apologies. I try to post every week, but there was a death in the family. I was called back to Vancouver, British Columbia, the city where I grew up, on very short notice.
Rest assured, though, I'll be posting again soon enough. And I've got some news: I'm working on a new book project, one that will have me riding passenger trains across Canada over the next year, from Carcross, Yukon, to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
In fact, I got back home on The Canadian, a 4,406-kilometer journey that took 3 days and 19 hours (Via Rail managed to get us into Toronto one hour early!). It was one hell of a ride, and a hell of a long time to go without wi-fi or cell service. But I learned a lot, and had long conversations with many fascinating people, some of whom changed the way I look at rail-riding. (Looking at you, Hogger Dave!)
In the coming months, I'll have a lot to share about my experiences on long-distance trains, including The Canadian, along with my usual reporting and meditations on urban transport in all its forms.
So, we apologize for the temporary sidelining (damn them freights!)—but, rest assured, our regular service will resume shortly.
THE LATEST PASSENGER RAIL NEWS
Zone 1: The Americas
Hotly anticipated in 2026: the planned merger of Class 1 freight giants Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. The majority of Amtrak trains in the U.S. use the tracks of these two companies. UP has the worst record (a B- grade) for delaying Amtrak and other passenger trains. In contrast, "CPKC was the only Class I in 2024 to earn an 'A' grade," according to this article in Progressive Railroading, "by ensuring most Amtrak passengers arrived at their destinations on time when traveling along CPKC lines." (Way to go, Canadian Pacific, eh?) Of course, CPKC controls a much smaller amount of track mileage than UP. The fear, of course, is that this mega-merger is going to make long-distance passenger travel even less reliable than it is now.
