St. Catharines VIA Rail Station
| ||||||||||
| Address | 5 Great Western Street St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 2K3 | |||||||||
| Station code | SCAT (VIA Rail) SCA (Amtrak) | |||||||||
| Type of Station | Unstaffed station | |||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||
| Platforms | 1 | |||||||||
| Parking | Free parking | |||||||||
| Connections | GO Transit St. Catharines Transit | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
St. Catharines VIA Station is a VIA Rail/GO Transit train station located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The station stop is located at the western end of Great Western Street in the southwest part of the city. It is situated at Mile 11.8 along Canadian National Railway's Grimsby Subdivision.[1]
History
The original train station in St. Catharines was built by the Grand Western Railway (GWR) when its mainline track running through the city was opened in 1853. The new railway line paved way for new industrial businesses such as metal manufacturing and fuel production who had setup their businesses along the tracks. In addition, electricity from the dam at Niagara Falls, and the combination of access to the rail network and the nearby Welland Canal continued to attract more industries to the area including Canadian branches of American manufacturers. In 1882, the station was taken over by the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) which later replaced the building structure in 1898.
By 1900, St. Catharines became an important fruit shipping point in the Niagara region. Construction of a newer station building began in August 1917 and was completed during the winter of that year. It is the building that currently stands to this day.
The railway yard was later converted into the station parking lot and the warehouses, fuel storage tanks, and the branch sidings that led to the sites of various former industries were demolished. In 1986, VIA Rail acquired the station building from Canadian National Railways and was later modernized in 1988 to make the station wheelchair accessible.[2] Great Western Street, that road that leads to the station still exists and recognizes the Great Western Railway as the first company to build a railway line through St. Catharines.
Station description
The station building at St. Catharines is staffed 60 minutes prior to train arrival or departure until 30 minutes after train departure. At all other times, the station building is closed and unstaffed. The station is wheelchair accessible and there are washrooms within the building. Free parking is provided at the station.
Service
St. Catharines Station is served by the Maple Leaf, a joint service between Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada, and the GO Transit Niagara Falls line.
Connections to St. Catharines Transit bus service can be made at the bus stops east of the station on St. Paul Street West at Great Western Street.
References
- ↑ CN Eastern Division Great Lakes Timetable, Canadian National Railways. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ↑ de Fort-Menares, Anne M. VIA Rail/Canadian National Railways Station - St. Catharines, Ontario (RSR-233), Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada - Railway Station Report. Retrieved 30 April 2021.