Pacific Central Station

Pacific Central Station is a railway station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which acts as the western terminus of Via Rail's cross-country The Canadian to Toronto and the northern terminus of Amtrak’s Cascades to Seattle and Portland. The station also provides intercity bus service as the main Vancouver terminal for Greyhound Lines. The station is wheelchair-accessible and is staffed with full Via services.

Pacific Central
Location1150 Station Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6A 4C7
Coordinates49°16′25″N 123°05′53″W
Owned byVia Rail[1]
Platforms3 island platforms
Tracks7
Train operators3
Bus stands24
Bus operators
Connections Main Street–Science World
Construction
Disabled accessYes
ArchitectPratt and Ross
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts style[5]
Other information
Station codeAmtrak code:VAC
IATA: XEA
Via Rail: VCVR
History
Opened1919 (Canadian Northern Railway)
Previous namesCanadian National Railway Station
Passengers
2011149,691[6] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Via Rail Following station
Terminus Canadian Mission Harbour
toward Toronto
Abbotsford
One-way operation
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Bellingham
toward Eugene–Springfield
 Amtrak Cascades Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Rocky Mountaineer Following station
Terminus First Passage to the West Kamloops
towards Banff
Journey through the Clouds Kamloops
towards Jasper
Seattle
Terminus
 Coastal Passage Rocky Mountaineer
towards Banff or Jasper
Preceding station Canadian National Railway Following station
Terminus Main Line New Westminster
toward Montreal
Preceding station Via Rail Following station
Terminus Super Continental Jasper
toward Toronto
Preceding station Great Northern Railway Following station
New Westminister
toward Seattle
 Vancouver, BC – Seattle Terminus
Designated1991
Reference no.4527
Location
Pacific Central Station
Location in Vancouver
Pacific Central Station
Location in British Columbia
Pacific Central Station
Location in Canada

The Amtrak Cascades provides two daily round trips from Vancouver. One goes to Seattle, Washington; the other continues on to Portland, Oregon. Rather than stopping for an immigration inspection at the border, as happens with the Adirondack to Montreal and Maple Leaf to Toronto, Amtrak passengers go through Canadian customs at the station upon arrival. Passengers bound for the United States go through United States border preclearance prior to boarding in Vancouver.

The Rocky Mountaineer operated from Pacific Central Station until moving to the nearby Rocky Mountaineer Station in 2005; it used the Pacific Central Station again for the Coastal Passage route from 2013 to 2019.

Services

Rail

Bus

History
The station in 1918, known as False Creek Station, shows the land around the building being filled in.

Pacific Central Station was dedicated on November 2, 1919, a day after the first trains began using the station.[8][9] It was originally named False Creek Station and was designed by the architecture firm Pratt and Ross.[10] The building was designated a heritage railway station in 1991.[5]

Amtrak service to the terminal was originally offered on the Pacific International from 1972 to 1981, when it ceased due to budget cuts.[11] Cross-border service returned in 1995 with the introduction of the Mount Baker International, which was later folded into the modern-day Cascades brand.[12]

On November 8, 2010, the Canadian government announced a CA$5.1-million plan to rebuild parts of the station, including refurbishing windows, masonry, and the roof of the building.[13]

Public transit

Pacific Central Station is immediately adjacent to Main Street–Science World station on the Expo Line of Greater Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system.

See also

References
  1. Great American Stations: Vancouver
  2. Riders Express Transportation
  3. Vancouver Island Connector
  4. Wilson's Transportation Ltd.
  5. "Canadian National Railways / Via Rail Station". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. September 1, 1991. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 1150 Station Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
  6. "Amtrak Cascades: 2011 Performance D" (PDF). Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  7. Cantrail Coachlines Inc.
  8. "New C. N. Station is Declared Open By Mayor Gale". The Vancouver Sun. November 2, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved January 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "C.N.R. Trains Today Enter and Leave Fine New Depot". The Province. November 1, 1919. p. 12. Retrieved January 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Mackie, John (November 14, 2012). "This day in history: November 2, 1919". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  11. "Amtrak train ends run". The Province. October 1, 1981. p. A6. Retrieved January 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Daniels, Alan (May 25, 1995). "Seattle-Vancouver train service back on track". The Vancouver Sun. p. A1. Retrieved January 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Ottawa to fund multi-million reno of Vancouver train station". Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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