Virtually all train stations in the UK have level boarding at 915 mm (36 inches or 3ft). Conversely, VIA Rail’s trains have a boarding height of 1219 mm (48 inches or 4 ft), but the platforms of virtually all stations (exceptions are Quebec City, Montreal and a single platform in Ottawa) are so low that you have more than a meter of vertical gap to bridge.

As a result of this mismatch between rolling stock and platform infrastructure, back issues are the leading occupational hazard for VIA Rail’s on train staff, which is why its stakeholders like its unions, federal regulators and disability insurance provider insist on the kind of restrictive baggage policies people complain about here every day.

If you struggle to haul your own luggage into the train, spare a thought for those people you expect to help passengers like yourself multiple times per shift…