In 1911, with station names selected,[6] passenger service was available for the first 100 miles (160 km) eastward from Prince Rupert to Kitselas (formerly called Vanarsdol).

[14] Foley, Welch and Stewart (FW&S), the prime contractors, provided passenger and freight service on completed sections of the line as the railhead advanced.

Maintaining services, Canadian National Railway (CNR) took over the insolvent GTPR.b[22] From 1922,[23] a summer-month schedule operatedc[24][25] until the end of each halibut season, because the passenger train also carried frozen fish as fast freight.

[29][30][31] When the US Army turned Prince Rupert into a major supply base in early 1942, four or five troop trains arrived daily, carrying 75,000 soldiers bound for Alaska.

[32] In 1943, the passenger service permanently expanded.c[33] With wartime demand ending, frequency reduced,b despite protests,[34] for the fish/passenger train,[35] but was restored in 1951c[36] to cater for new industrial developments at Prince Rupert and Kitimat.

[53] However, the subsidy of $480 for every passenger carried made the route difficult to justify retaining,[54] and alternatives remained under review.

[56] With ridership falling seven percent between 1990 and 1992, and a $9m deficit, the focus switched to possible service cuts and the daytime option was shelved in 1993.

[57] Eventually implemented in 1996, the daylight schedule also provided better connections with coastal ferry services and the BC Rail Cariboo Dayliner.

Touring Class passengers are served three meals per day in the Panoramic Dome car and staff provide commentary throughout the journey.

A significant portion of the traffic on the train originates with a Jasper-based tour that offers a day-time package west to Dunster or east from McBride, with the opposite leg completed by bus.

[73] The departure from Jasper takes the train past Moose Lake, before traversing Mount Robson Provincial Park.

[75][76] This section between Smithers and Terrace features mountain scenery, and the run east of Prince Rupert is beside the Skeena River.

Buildings owned and maintained by Parks Canada, Dunster Station Museum, the Village of McBride, and Smithers Community Services Association, respectively.