While rail travel has definitely dropped off in Canada, the huge nation still has enough passengers to keep some of its oldest and biggest train stations going. However, some of them have been closed down and are now used for various other ventures.
These are some of the most popular station buildings across that country.
1. Union Station, Toronto, Ontario
This station, which is located in Canada’s biggest city, sees over 200,000 passengers go through it each day. The station was officially opened to the public by Edward, Prince of Wales back in 1927. It’s the busiest train station in the nation as it serves several railway companies as well as the city’s underground and streetcar networks.
2. Halifax Railway Station, Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Halifax train station opened its doors back in 1928. It still serves as a transportation hub for the country’s east coast. In 1991 the government of Nova Scotia designated it as a Heritage Railway Station. It still serves the ocean train route, which is operated by Via Rail, Canada’s busiest national passenger railway.
3. Union Station, Winnipeg, Manitoba
This station was erected back in 1911 by the old Canadian Northern Railway. It used to be a pretty busy spot years ago, but it’s now also used as a popular office building and museum. However, it’s still busy enough for Via Rail to operate a couple of routes out of it, which are the Hudson Bay and Canadian lines.
4. Gare du Palais, Quebec City
This railway station was designed to resemble a French chateau. The building was finished by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1915. The station is still in use today as Via Rail and Orleans Express, a private rail company, still operate from there.
5. Waterfront Station, Vancouver, British Columbia
The Canadian Pacific Railway opened up this waterfront train station in 1910 and it has actually been used by various forms of transportation, not just trains. There’s a pier at the station which has been used since 1977 by SeaBus. In addition, a sky train started using the station in 1985 to take passengers to and from downtown Vancouver.
6. Government Conference Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
This building was opened in the nation’s capital by Grand Trunk Railway back in 1912 as the city’s main train station. However, it was closed down decades ago and has been used as a government conference center since 1969. The former train station has hosted some special guests over the years such as Princess Diana, Pope John Paul II, and Queen Elizabeth II.
7. LIUNA Station, Hamilton, Ontario
The Canadian National Railway opened this station back in 1930 and it was taken over by Via Rail in 1978. However, it was closed down in 1993 due to a lack of passengers. The station was used in a Hollywood movie called ‘The Long Kiss Goodbye’ in 1996 after producers offered $1million to refurbish it.
The Labourer’s International Union of North America (LIUNA) then bought it and opened it as a banquet and wedding hall in 2000. There could be a new platform built at the station before the Pan Am Games in 2015 and it may once again be used as an active railway station.
8. Windsor Station, Montreal, Quebec
This is one of Canada’s oldest train stations as it was completed by the Canadian Pacific Railway for $2 million in 1889. The station had to be shut down in 1996 when the Molson Centre was built in the area. Windsor Station is still open today, but not as a train station. It’s now occupied by offices, restaurants, and a hotel.
9. Casino Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan
This building used to be the former Union Station, which was erected back in 1911. It closed down in the 1990s after government cutbacks. However after pumping $37 million into it the site was reopened as a casino. The building is one of the most popular in the city because of its splendid architecture.
