At Gifford, the train diverts from the CN mainline and crosses the Fraser River to Mission. CN and CPR utilize directional running through the Fraser and Thompson River canyons; eastbound trains use the CPR lines and westbounds the CN tracks. Thus, for the section through the two canyons, the "Canadian" runs on its original CPR route. From Mission to Cisco, the CPR runs west (north) of the river; afterwards, it runs east (south). Near Basque, the eastbound "Canadian" transfers onto the CN main.