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Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)
Encyclopedia
Pacific Central Station in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
is a railway station
that 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, Portland
, and Eugene, Oregon
. Until Via Rail took over operations around 1979
, Canadian Pacific Railway
’s passenger trains went further west to Waterfront Station
in downtown Vancouver, now used by the SkyTrain
and the West Coast Express
commuter railway.
Pacific Central Station is adjacent to Main Street SkyTrain station
. The station is wheelchair
-accessible and is staffed with full Via services.
The station also provides intercity coach service, being the head office and bus depot of Pacific Coach Lines
and the main Vancouver terminal for Greyhound Canada. Also Malaspina bus, which serves the Sunshine communities of Gibsons, Sechelt and Powell River
Rather than stopping for an immigration inspection at the border, as happens with Adirondack (Amtrak)
to Montreal
and Maple Leaf (train) to Toronto
, passengers for the Cascades
to Seattle, Portland
, and Eugene, Oregon
pass through U.S. border preclearance facilities and airport-style X-ray
machines in the station before entering a special, fenced in platform where they can board the train. This is meant to expedite border-crossing times for the train, which otherwise might be delayed hours on an already 4.5 h trip to nearby Seattle.
The Rocky Mountaineer
operated from Pacific Central Station until moving to the nearby Rocky Mountaineer Station
in 2005.
The building was designated a heritage railway station in 1991.
On 8 November 2010, the Canadian government announced a $
5.1 million plan to rebuild parts of the station, including refubishing windows, masonry, and the roof of the building.
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
is a railway station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
that acts as the western terminus of Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
's cross-country The Canadian
The Canadian
The Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1955 and 1978. It is currently operated as an Inter-city rail service by Via Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in...
to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and the northern terminus of Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
’s Cascades
Amtrak Cascades
The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in partnership with the states of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the province of British Columbia in Canada...
to Seattle, Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
. Until Via Rail took over operations around 1979
1979 in Canada
-January to June:*January 17 - Edward Richard Schreyer replaces Jules Léger as Governor General*February 1 - The first Winterlude is held in Ottawa*February 24 - An explosion rips through Number 26 Colliery located in Glace Bay, Cape Breton killing 12 men....
, Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
’s passenger trains went further west to Waterfront Station
Waterfront Station (Vancouver)
Waterfront Station is a major intermodal public transportation facility and the main transit terminus in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-Location:...
in downtown Vancouver, now used by the SkyTrain
SkyTrain (Vancouver)
SkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...
and the West Coast Express
West Coast Express
West Coast Express is the interregional commuter railway in British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, it links Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, and Port Moody with Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver, where it interchanges with SkyTrain rapid transit, SeaBus and...
commuter railway.
Main Street-Science World Station
Main Street – Science World Station is an elevated station on the Expo Line of the SkyTrain system in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
. The station is wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
-accessible and is staffed with full Via services.
The station also provides intercity coach service, being the head office and bus depot of Pacific Coach Lines
Pacific Coach Lines
Pacific Coach Lines is a scheduled cross-water bus operator and tour company operating in Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada....
and the main Vancouver terminal for Greyhound Canada. Also Malaspina bus, which serves the Sunshine communities of Gibsons, Sechelt and Powell River
Rather than stopping for an immigration inspection at the border, as happens with Adirondack (Amtrak)
Adirondack (Amtrak)
The Adirondack is a passenger train operated daily by Amtrak between New York City and Montreal. The trip takes approximately 11 hours to cover a published distance of , traveling through the scenic Hudson Valley and the Adirondack Mountains...
to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Maple Leaf (train) to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, passengers for the Cascades
Amtrak Cascades
The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in partnership with the states of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the province of British Columbia in Canada...
to Seattle, Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
pass through U.S. border preclearance facilities and airport-style X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
machines in the station before entering a special, fenced in platform where they can board the train. This is meant to expedite border-crossing times for the train, which otherwise might be delayed hours on an already 4.5 h trip to nearby Seattle.
The Rocky Mountaineer
Rocky Mountaineer
Rocky Mountaineer is a Canadian tour company offering Western Canadian vacation packages that operates trains on four rail routes through British Columbia and Alberta.-Background:...
operated from Pacific Central Station until moving to the nearby Rocky Mountaineer Station
Rocky Mountaineer Station
Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is a railway station which acts as the western terminus of the Rocky Mountaineer train service to Jasper, Banff and Calgary. Prior to 2005, the Vancouver terminus for the Rocky Mountaineer was the Pacific Central Station.The station...
in 2005.
The building was designated a heritage railway station in 1991.
On 8 November 2010, the Canadian government announced a $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
5.1 million plan to rebuild parts of the station, including refubishing windows, masonry, and the roof of the building.