45-hour train journey to Churchill, Canada in deep winter

A 1,700km Via Rail Canada journey from Winnipeg to Churchill, the polar-bear capital of the world, takes 45 hours in winter. The train, built in the 1950s, features cramped mint-green berths with toilets doubling as coffee tables. Passengers include wildlife photographer Forest Gustavson, former Via Rail employee Michel Vinet, and Inuit woman Heidi from Ottawa. The train serves remote Indigenous communities and is the only land link to Churchill after Thompson. Upon arrival at -30°C, the town of 870 residents is covered in snow and ice. Attractions include polar-bear murals, a former grain terminal, and the northern lights. Polar Bears International research fellow Brooke Biddlecombe studies bear-tourism coexistence. The Arctic Gateway Group, formed after 2017 floods, now operates the rail and port, aiming to boost trade to Europe. The town's population once reached 5,000 during the Cold War.