More rail routes eyed by Armstrong Collective

Canada’s iconic Rocky Mountaineer will potentially welcome new sister rail brands under its overarching parent company, Armstrong Collective, LATTE can reveal.

Rocky Mountaineer rebranded earlier this year to the Armstrong Collective (named after the Rocky

Mountaineer’s Founder and Owner, Peter Armstrong). The parent company brand realignment meant the 35 year-old rail business retained its core name for the Rocky Mountaineer journeys in Western Canada, and will also see the Rockies to the Red Rocks route – launched between Moab and Salt Lake City in the US – rebranded as Canyon Spirit, effective 2026.

Dawn Burtch, Key Accounts Manager-Retail for Armstrong Collective, hinted to travel partners at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas this week that Armstrong Collective was eyeing a number of other rail experiences, possibly beyond its two North American routes.

A bio on Armstrong Collective’s website eludes to the potential expansion beyond the Americas, stating: “As Armstrong Collective, we are leaning into our decades of world-class hospitality experience and will continue to help you explore spectacular natural wonders around the world in the years to come.”

Quizzed by LATTE, a spokesperson for Armstrong Collective said; “We don’t have anything to share at this time. In the near term, we are focused on our existing regions and welcoming event more guests onboard Rocky Mountaineer in Western Canada and Canyon Spirit in the American Southwest.”

New short-life Passage to Peaks itineraries

Meanwhile, in Canada, Rocky Mountaineer has responded to overly inflated hotel room pricing in Vancouver due to the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Burtch said hotel rates have skyrocketed in Vancouver, which is jointly hosting the football tournament with other major cities in Canada, the US, and Mexico, between 11 June and 19 July next year.

As a result of the World Cup “hotel prices have gone up 250%. Literally, $2,000 a night,” Burtch said. With Rocky Mountaineer only operating 6 months of the year (between May and October), the company can’t afford to stop outright, so a new journey was devised.

The all Canadian Rockies route is a combination of historic First Passage to the West route from Vancouver to Lake Louise (and onto Banff), and the Journey through the Clouds route, from Vancouver to Jasper. Dubbed the Passage to the Peaks, the new route operates from Jasper to Banff, via Kamloops.

There are six itineraries built around the Passage to the Peaks journey, available in either direction, ranging from the 2-day journey on the Rocky Mountaineer and overnighting in a hotel in Kamloops, through to extended trips with multiple nights in destinations including Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Calgary and Edmonton. At 10-days duration, The Passage to Peaks Grand Adventure is the longest option, and includes the spectacular Icefield Parkway that links Jasper and Banff, visiting the Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier.

While the season is limited, if the Passage to the Peaks journey is as popular as Armstrong Collective hopes, it could become a staple itinerary beyond the World Cup.