Using The VIA Rail Train For Transportation When You Have Mobility Challenges

[@Clyde_Lewis]

Thank you for the beautiful landscape in the train ride and helpful tips for travel! 🙂

[@RonPiggott]

Very welcome. We live in an amazing country.

[@timbrelypearsley3888]

In 2022 I went on the trip of a lifetime riding trains across Canada. We spent 3 weeks going from left to right. :) The scenery was incredible. We were in a different city every night, and even spent three nights in sleeper cars. I opted to bring a rollator and a cane since we would be getting on and off trains and buses and my electric wheelchair was not always going to be an option. My rollator walker folds smaller than most and I was able to stow it in the overhead bins or the coat closet on the flights to and from Canada rather than checking it as luggage. As for medications, I asked my pharmacist to print duplicate Rx labels and I put all of my meds into small ziploc bags. Carrying 3 weeks’ worth was just going to be too bulky and as I was crossing an international border (I’m in the US) I wanted to have my ducks in a row. Luggage allowance for the sleeper car was quite limited and while we had unparalleled assistance at the train stations, we still needed to keep our luggage manageable for two disabled adults to carry on our own for short distances. I opted for a soft sided bag with backpack straps that can be concealed when checked for flights. I can carry it on my back and have both hands free for my walker, on which I could place other smaller bags. It worked out well. (Especially when my father carried my bag as well as his lol) I recommend anyone who can manage it to take the trains across Canada. There are long stretches on the Rocky Mountaineer where there is no cellular service and you are 100% in the moment. They present wonderful information without making it feel educational. We then switched to Via Rail Canada for the right side of our trip and continued to be amazed. The scenery across Canada is unreal. I took 2700 photos in 3 weeks. We did not get accessible sleeper cars and we were quite far from the dining car. By the end of the trip I was wiped out and began taking my meals in our room. I just couldn’t walk the distance. The staff was very helpful and took wonderful care of me. They never once made me feel like a burden. One of our hotels (I forget which city) was across the street from the train station. We had requested assistance getting off of and onto the train. They actually took us in the wheelchairs across the street to our hotel!! Talk about above and beyond. At one station I got to ride a staircase wheelchair lift that slides up the handrail. That made me feel fancy ;)

[@RonPiggott]

I want to do this so bad. It would be worth every dollar spent on the trip.

[@timbrelypearsley3888]

@@RonPiggott it is incredible