At a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of VIA Rail's Ottawa train station, David McGuinty, Member of Parliament for Ottawa South, announced a major station renovation project and new departures between Toronto and Ottawa.
“Railways in this country have a long history of providing service to Canadians and the Ottawa Station helps to continue this tradition for the National Capital Region,” said McGuinty, who attended the ceremony on behalf of Minister of Transport Marc Garneau and VIA Rail's President and CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano.
VIA Rail will run two new afternoon departures (one departure each way) between Ottawa and Toronto beginning November 1, 2016. This will bring the total weekday daily departures to nine in each direction.
The renovation project for the Ottawa train station is valued at $20 million. Work will include the construction of an elevated and heated passenger platform, installation of elevators to provide access to the tunnel and boarding platforms, and a new electrical room, as well as the installation of an upgraded electrical system. The project is scheduled to run from September 2016 to the fall of 2017.
An additional $1.7 million from the federal funding for infrastructure announced in Budget 2016 will also be invested in partial roof renovations and improvements to certain systems.
“The Ottawa train station is truly an architectural gem,” said Desjardins-Siciliano. “Its remarkable design has garnered designation as heritage train station. In one year we will be in a position to offer our clients a completely new experience. Once the renovations are complete, our facilities will be more accessible and mobility within the station as well as boarding and disembarking from our trains will be easier for everyone.”
“The Ottawa train station is at the heart of our future dedicated tracks project, which will draw more passengers with increased train frequencies, shorter travel times, and more convenient and reliable schedules," added Desjardins-Siciliano. "Until then, we will increase the departures from our nation’s capital in order to serve a growing market.”
The Ottawa train station was inaugurated on August 1, 1966, and was designated a heritage building in 1996. In 2000, it was named one of the top 500 buildings produced in Canada during the last millennium and, in 2007, was presented the Ontario Association of Architects’ Landmark Award. The station serves more than 800,000 passengers annually.