Pacific Central Station is a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia, Canada, which acts as the western terminus of
Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...
's cross-country ''
The Canadian
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' service to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and the northern terminus of
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''
Cascades'' service to
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
and
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. The station is also Vancouver's main
intercity bus terminal. The station is
wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...
accessible and is staffed with full Via services. The station is a candidate for the northern terminus of a possible future high-speed rail line being considered primarily by the
US state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
History
![False Creek station e1f023f2-6300-48b0-806b-3a04ceb0b680-A09113](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/False_Creek_station_e1f023f2-6300-48b0-806b-3a04ceb0b680-A09113.jpg)
Pacific Central Station was built in 1917 by the
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.
Mani ...
as the terminus of its line to
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
. It was dedicated on November 2, 1919, a day after the first
Canadian National
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...
trains began using the station. It was originally named False Creek Station and was designed by the architecture firm
Pratt and Ross. The building was designated a heritage railway station in 1991.
Amtrak service to the terminal was originally offered on the ''
Pacific International
The ''Pacific International'' was a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Seattle, Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia. It was Amtrak's first international train service, operating from 1972 until 1981.
History ...
'' from 1972 to 1981, when it ceased due to budget cuts. Cross-border service returned in 1995 with the introduction of the ''
Mount Baker International
Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest.
Mount or Mounts may also refer to:
Places
* Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England
* Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
'', which was later folded into the modern-day ''Cascades'' brand.
On November 8, 2010, the Canadian government announced a $5.1million plan to rebuild parts of the station, including refurbishing windows, masonry, and the roof of the building.
Services
Rail
Amtrak ''Cascades''
Amtrak ''Cascades'' provides two daily round trips between Vancouver and
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, Washington, with one daily train continuing to
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
.
Amtrak passengers go through Canadian customs at the station upon arrival. Passengers bound for the United States go through
United States border preclearance
The United States Department of Homeland Security operates prescreening border control facilities at airports and other ports of departure located outside of the United States under agreement between it and the host country. Travelers are subj ...
inside the station prior to boarding in Vancouver, with a brief 10-minute stop at the
Peace Arch Border Crossing
The Peace Arch Border Crossing is the common name for the Blaine–Douglas crossing which connects the cities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia on the Canada–United States border. I5 on the American side joins BC Highway 99 ...
for agents to collect forms.
This is in contrast to Amtrak's international services on the East Coast (''
Adirondack'' to
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
and ''
Maple Leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.
History of use in Canada
By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along the ...
'' to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
) where passengers are processed by customs immediately after passing over the border.
To enable customs processing away from the border crossing, Amtrak trains are sequestered inside a secure caged area at Pacific Central Station. Additionally, trains make no stops in Canada other than at Pacific Central Station.
Via Rail ''Canadian ''
Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...
's ''
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
'' train offers twice-weekly cross-country service to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
via
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
,
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
, and
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
; weekly service to Edmonton (summer only).
Bus
Pacific Central Station is Vancouver's main intercity bus terminal.
Public transit
Pacific Central Station is immediately adjacent to
Main Street–Science World station
Main Street–Science World (formerly Main Street) is an elevated station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The station is accessible from both sides of Main Street at t ...
on the
Expo Line of
Greater Vancouver
Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term "Greater Vancouver" is roughly coterminous with the geographic area governed b ...
's
SkyTrain rapid transit system.
See also
*
Waterfront station (Vancouver)
Waterfront station is a major intermodal public transportation facility and the main transit terminus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located on West Cordova Street in Downtown Vancouver, between Granville and Seymour Street. The ...
, used by ''West Coast Express'' trains
*
List of heritage buildings in Vancouver
The following is a list of buildings and structures classified as Schedule "A" and Schedule "B" heritage buildings by the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. These are ''designated'' heritage buildings, and as such are legally protected ...
*
List of designated heritage railway stations of Canada
This is a list of railway stations in Canada which have been designated under the ''Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act''. The names given for stations are taken from the Directory of Designated Heritage Railway Stations maintained by the ...
References
External links
Via Rail page for Vancouver train station (Pacific Central Station)
{{Vancouver landmarks
Via Rail stations in British Columbia
Buildings and structures in Vancouver
Heritage buildings in Vancouver
Transport in Greater Vancouver
Amtrak stations in Canada
Neoclassical architecture in Canada
Designated Heritage Railway Stations in British Columbia
Bus stations in British Columbia
Canadian National Railway stations in British Columbia
Transport infrastructure completed in 1919
Railway stations in Canada opened in 1919
1919 establishments in British Columbia
Juxtaposed border controls
Former Great Northern Railway (U.S.) stations