WINNIPEG, Manitoba — VIA Rail Canada is in the midst of spending more than C$80 million to preserve and upgrade four heritage stations across its network, the company said last week. That includes C$25 million at Winnipeg, where work is expected to be completed later this year.
That money is being spent between 2020 and 2025 for renovation of four classic structures — Winnipeg Union Station, built in 1911; Vancouver Pacific Central Station, which dates to 1917; Halifax Station, completed in 1928; and Gare du Palais in Quebec City, dating to 1915.
“These iconic stations embody the history of railroading, and by extension the creation of Canada, which we have a responsibility to protect,” VIA Rail CEO Mario Péloquin said at an event in Winnipeg, according to a press release. “With this announcement we are ensuring that VIA can continue to maintain these landmark buildings and that we improve the customer experience by making these stations more accessible and sustainable for future generations to enjoy.”
The work in Winnipeg is being conducted within the guidelines of Parks Canada to respect the building’s Heritage status. The project has included upgraded interior platforms; upgrades to elevators and escalators, and replacement of the exterior platform, which will be the first fully accessible platform on the VIA long-distance and regional network.
“Our Winnipeg Union Station is a crucial point of our Western operations,” said Françoise Bertrand, Chair of VIA’s board of directors. “It plays an important role in our ability to deliver our mandate as it is part of the lifeline service to communities in Northern Manitoba and gives access to the iconic Canadian that travels between Vancouver and Toronto.”
Oh, one more thing. Denver City to KDEN Airport is not light rail. They are full size RR MU Cars. SEPTA has the other order of them and I ride them on Amtrak’s NEC where they run along with Acela trains, ACS-64 motors pulling Amfleet and NJT diesel push-pulls to Atlantic City. NS and CSX are there too but they have their own tracks. SEPTA also runs to the KPHL airport where it has a station for each terminal.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/schedules.septa.org/current/AIR.pdf
As I was trying unsuccessfully to get from Montreal to the Maritimes on the 3x/week Ocean, with no useful connections to anywhere, I thought, “What VIA really needs is more money for Winnipeg Station”.
Yes there was an overnight sleeper (12-1) and RPO between Duluth and Winnipeg via DW&P-Ft. Frances Ont-CNR. The CNR trains originated in Ft. William Ont and picked up or dropped the Duluth cars at Ft. Frances.
The RPO was the Duluth and Warroad account a geographical peculiarity between Ft. Frances and Winnipeg where the CNR dipped South of Lake of the Woods and went through Minnesota between Baudette and Warroad, serving US points. The US RPO crew was off at Ft. Frances so the Canadian RPO crew handled the US Mail as a closed pouch move.
OK, Jim, I’m home. My copy of the Official Guide Dec 1957 shows just the railliner, confirming Carl Fowler’s post.
Since this is a rail forum, no one wants to know how I spent the day, which was flying first class on UAL (very very first class) DEN Denver International Airport to MKE General Mitchell International Airport. Five minutes (or less) at DEN shows the complete irrelevancy of rail travel compared to air travel in America.
One thing I noticed: Light Rail to DEN seems lightly patronized compared to the grievous dangerous scrum that is freeway access. (Nor did I see buses as are common at Boston Logan.) Another thing, based on admittedly limited observation, you don’t see a lot of luggage on the light rail. Seems to be mostly airport workers, not passengers.
Being picked up or dropped off by car at DEN is a horror. One stop on the Light Rail (free this month) brings you to 64th Avenue and Pena Blvd. Wide open easy access by car and tons of free parking.
My sleeper/RPO train came from a 1954 Official Guide and the RPO story from the 1951 book Mail by Rail by Peter Johnson.
I didn’t get to ride Duluth-Ft. Frances but I did ride fron Thunder Bay East (Ft. William) to Winnipeg in a single RDC-1. As to the US sojourn, we stopped at Baudette, US Customs got on, talked to the Conductor, counted pax and got off. We didn’t stop until Warroad, where Canadian Customs did the same, Pax counts were the same, Conductor reported no one on or off so it was on to Winnipeg. Needless to say, this was pre-9/11.
Thanks a lot Philip and Charles, was something I was always wondering about and since we got on the topic of # of trains arriving and departing Winnipeg it was the perfect time to ask.
VIA Rail Canada, loyal and respectful of railroad heritage.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
No, Dr. Ustun. You couldn’t be more wrong.
VIA Rail Canada is THE TOTAL OPPOSITE of respect for that nation’s railroad heritage. VIA is a world-class disgrace.
The CN operated an RDC service (in the final years 1956-1961) on their Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific subsidiary. This service ended in 1961. Earlier there had been direct loco-hauled day and night services
Too bad there’s no more passenger rail service between Winnipeg and Duluth! Forgotten lines, forgotten trains, forgotten cities!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Thanks Carl
Winnipeg to Duluth? I will look that up later today. I’m not at home
Jim, I think we’re saying the same thing, the Canadian and the Churchill train is two trains (my count) …… EB and WB each train is four (your count).
Yep, sure are
Charles, do you know if there was ever any passenger service between Winnipeg and Duluth?
Winnipeg is crucial to the western services. What does that mean? Two trains, neither of them daily. Is my count correct?
I guess you could say four Charles if you count the Churchill trains, twice weekly.