Rocky Mountaineer off the rails until 2021

This year is now officially a write-off for Rocky Mountaineer.

After announcing numerous delays since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the 2020 season has been completely scrapped and the Canadian scenic rail service will return in 2021.

"Despite the challenging environment, we remained hopeful we would be able to operate our trains at some point this season. However, given the continuing government travel and health restrictions, we have no choice but to postpone our rail tours until the scheduled start of our 2021 season," said Steve Sammut, president and CEO.

Impacted guests will receive a future travel credit of 110% of the original booking value which is valid until to the end of the 2022 season.

They should get in touch with Rocky Mountaineer or their travel advisor before 30 November 2021 to rebook.

"In the coming months, we will work with our guests and travel partners to rebook their travels from this year, and then shift our focus to our 2021 season," Sammut added.

The company has modified certain operations to meet new health protocols including pre-travel health screening, seating plans incorporating social distancing, and enhanced sanitization.

by Ray Montgomery, US editor