The main destruction was limited to residential not commercial and "infrastructure" buildings according to news reports today (7/27). Out of 1,113 structures 358 were burned.
It indeed seems that the information I had received turned out to be unreliable, as Jasper Station indeed seems to have survived the fire and I couldn’t be any happier that the information I had shared here previously appears to have been factually wrong:According to the Calgary Herald, July 25, "Via Rail said Thursday that the station and platform appear to still be intact, according to the latest information the company has received."
Here's the link: https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/jasper-alberta-wildfire-updates-july-25-2024
That time of year and the Fall color season are the best IMHO. Passenger load is a little lighter than Summer and there can be cost savings as I'm sure you know. In April you'll likely encounter snow only in Northern Ontario and the mountains of Alberta-B.C., with Spring green conditions elsewhere. Barring flooding from winter thaw or rain (see Amtrak's annual issues) you should have a great trip.
The latest I've read is that the fires in town will probably be out today. The National Park is still considered out of control. It's a lot to take in. CN is running trains through Jasper, so that is good news. I haven't seen an update on VIA, only that the Canadian is canceled until August 2. The devastation is unbelievable. We were evacuated from a fire in our mountain community many years ago. We will never forget leaving our home and wondering if it would still be standing when we came back. Many homes and businesses were lost. We were lucky. Ours wasn't touched. Still, seeing Jasper's fire brings our experience clearly into focus again.It indeed seems that the information I had received turned out to be unreliable, as Jasper Station indeed seems to have survived the fire and I couldn’t be any happier that the information I had shared here previously appears to have been factually wrong:
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as is often the case when news is fast-changing like this, many reports were wrong. i saw on various facebook pages comments like "a firefighter said the station has burned down" etc etc. Sometimes people blatantly post wrong messages but also sometimes words get lost in translation. in the case of the post i mention--it sounds like a different train building did burn. it could be that building the firefighter was talking about. or saying something like "gas station" (not saying a gas station did burn down) could have been misinterpreted to be "train station".It indeed seems that the information I had received turned out to be unreliable, as Jasper Station indeed seems to have survived the fire and I couldn’t be any happier that the information I had shared here previously appears to have been factually wrong:
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My personal takeaway is that even sources within VIA I see as absolutely trustworthy can only be as dependable as the information they have to rely on…as is often the case when news is fast-changing like this, many reports were wrong. i saw on various facebook pages comments like "a firefighter said the station has burned down" etc etc. Sometimes people blatantly post wrong messages but also sometimes words get lost in translation. in the case of the post i mention--it sounds like a different train building did burn. it could be that building the firefighter was talking about. or saying something like "gas station" (not saying a gas station did burn down) could have been misinterpreted to be "train station".
As a map concerned about the limits of properties and structures, there is no need to place railway tracks. As with any good map, it is important to decide what information is useful for the map‘s purposes and its users‘ needs and what information would just needlessly add to the ‚clutter‘…Glad to see from that map how much was saved. Funny how they managed to not put in any of the many railroad tracks...
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im not sure if the sources i mentioned were VIA or not but they were pretty adamant the train station had burned down. i do know the monitor of one facebook group im in is a VIA employee and he made sure to not comment specifically the condition of the train station. i think hes a good moderator.My personal takeaway is that even sources within VIA I see as absolutely trustworthy can only be as dependable as the information they have to rely on…
As a map concerned about the limits of properties and structures, there is no beed to place railway tracks. As with any good map, it is important to decide what information is useful for the map‘s purposes and its users‘ needs and what information would just needlessly add to the ‚clutter‘…
I saw two very clear pictures taken of the station by a parks photographer on a very reliable site. There were 65 pictures in total, and two were of the station. They were taken after the fire in town was considered extinguished. Pictures included the high school, elementary school, fire hall, hospital, and many downtown buildings.im not sure if the sources i mentioned were VIA or not but they were pretty adamant the train station had burned down. i do know the monitor of one facebook group im in is a VIA employee and he made sure to not comment specifically the condition of the train station. i think hes a good moderator.
im not sure if the sources i mentioned were VIA or not but they were pretty adamant the train station had burned down.
Here is the link to the pictures:I saw two very clear pictures taken of the station by a parks photographer on a very reliable site. There were 65 pictures in total, and two were of the station. They were taken after the fire in town was considered extinguished. Pictures included the high school, elementary school, fire hall, hospital, and many downtown buildings.
It took me a while to figure out that "Parks Canada Infrastructure" was a separate tab from the pictures of various locations around the town of Jasper. I felt so clueless! Good to see that the station looks all right.Here is the link to the pictures:
https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/ja...Oj7kpfUnHdXA_aem_S6uJoRUhm8Q68_ZG42YFuA#album
You have to scroll to the bottom and then choose the "Parks Canada Infrastructure" link to get to the depot pictures.
Don't feel stupid, it took me awhile, too.It took me a while to figure out that "Parks Canada Infrastructure" was a separate tab from the pictures of various locations around the town of Jasper. I felt so clueless! Good to see that the station looks all right.
The station pictures are in the "Park Infrastructure" album since the station is owned by Jasper National Park.I find this "Jasper infrastructure" site highly illogical, like most computer stuff, but I finally managed to find some pictures I hadn't seen and it's good to see that so much of the town survived. I can't find any pictures of the train station. That gives me the impression that it's considered the least important building in town.
I put our travel together online, and then I call VIA Rail. That way we can talk about which room we will actually get. The agent can also double check my itinerary and let me know if I have any discounts available in my account that would reduce the fare. I've never been a fan of doing it all online. having a second set of eyes has caught more than one error on my part.When booking on the Via Rail website it won't let me change the country from Canada to the US, and requires a Canadian postal code. Is there a US version of the website I need to book on?
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Edit: Nvm I just made an account and it let me change it
I did this after making a reservation online and learned that VIA no longer has senior discounts, even though that option still exists. The agent advised me the AAA discount works and it did save me some money.I put our travel together online, and then I call VIA Rail. That way we can talk about which room we will actually get. The agent can also double check my itinerary and let me know if I have any discounts available in my account that would reduce the fare. I've never been a fan of doing it all online. having a second set of eyes has caught more than one error on my part.
When booking on the Via Rail website it won't let me change the country from Canada to the US, and requires a Canadian postal code. Is there a US version of the website I need to book on?
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Edit: Nvm I just made an account and it let me change it
I was able to book online in May for a November VIA trip on the new system with a US address, including zip. I already had a VIA Preference account, though. However, there was a glitch with the credit card processing, that FNBO said originated with VIA, not them. FNBO said VIA was requiring some kind of extra, manual authorization from them, but the site wasn't giving me a message to that effect. Since the requirement wasn't originating from them, FNBO didn't send me a verification text, either. It took a human agent to look at it to see it. FNBO did what was required and it went through. Consistent with my generally excellent experience with FNBO, the agent stayed on the line with me until it went through.I put our travel together online, and then I call VIA Rail. That way we can talk about which room we will actually get. The agent can also double check my itinerary and let me know if I have any discounts available in my account that would reduce the fare. I've never been a fan of doing it all online. having a second set of eyes has caught more than one error on my part.
I also had to confirm manually with my bank before purchasing it.However, there was a glitch with the credit card processing, that FNBO said originated with VIA, not them. FNBO said VIA was requiring some kind of extra, manual authorization from them, but the site wasn't giving me a message to that effect. Since the requirement wasn't originating from them, FNBO didn't send me a verification text, either. It took a human agent to look at it to see it. FNBO did what was required and it went through.
Ultimately, that is okay if you know it's coming and what needs to happen. My big problem with it is the message that was returned was something completely generic like "Transaction unsuccessful" (I don't recall precisely what it was).I also had to confirm manually with my bank before purchasing it.
That's funny, last year I booked a November Candian trip online in May and had no problem with my FNBO credit card. Not sure if I had my VPN st to Canda, but I think not. From your description, it sounds like VIA decided to "upgrade" its website sometime in the past year. This seems to be a common problem when people upgrade their software, they don't do enough beta testing, or should I say that they let the customers do the beta testing.I was able to book online in May for a November VIA trip on the new system with a US address, including zip. I already had a VIA Preference account, though. However, there was a glitch with the credit card processing, that FNBO said originated with VIA, not them. FNBO said VIA was requiring some kind of extra, manual authorization from them, but the site wasn't giving me a message to that effect. Since the requirement wasn't originating from them, FNBO didn't send me a verification text, either. It took a human agent to look at it to see it. FNBO did what was required and it went through. Consistent with my generally excellent experience with FNBO, the agent stayed on the line with me until it went through.
I usually book with an agent, but was using a discount code that I interpreted as only being good for online bookings. I think I was wrong on that and from now on I will start with an agent irrespective of what I think the coupon says.
In any case, from the website's behavior, not just the credit card thing, it looks like they might as well have subcontracted its development to Amtrak IT🙄. However, my understanding it was a part of a wholesale replacement of the core ReserVIA system. It would be like Amtrak converting over to an ARROW replacement. So kudos to VIA for undertaking what had to have been a huge project to replace their core system, even if it was months late (not at all unusual for a project of that scale), with an awkward UI.
The upgrade happened late in 2023, though I don't recall more precisely than that. I didn't have any problems before that, either, though BoA always required verification for my VIA purchases, but that was clearly on their end, not VIA's.That's funny, last year I booked a November Candian trip online in May and had no problem with my FNBO credit card. Not sure if I had my VPN st to Canda, but I think not. From your description, it sounds like VIA decided to "upgrade" its website sometime in the past year. This seems to be a common problem when people upgrade their software, they don't do enough beta testing, or should I say that they let the customers do the beta testing.
VIA of late tends to reject foreign credit cards. I just call the VIA agent after setting up the itinerary. Given the PNR and Credit/Debit Card info they can run the charge throughwhenever i book trips on VIA (which is frequently) i use my amtrak credit cars and 99 percent of the time have to jump thru hoops to get the VIA system to accept the card as payment for the reservation. before then i get pop ups requiring text confirmation codes etc. sometimes i have to call bank of omaha.
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