The community of

Parry Sound Parry Sound is a sound or bay of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sound from Georgian B ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

has two

railway stations A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...

, both of which are currently in use by

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 ...

. In December 2005, CN and CP implemented a plan to reduce train congestion on their parallel lines in central Ontario through the Parry Sound area. Consequently, westbound trains from both railways use the CP tracks while eastbound trains use the CN tracks. This has resulted in Via Rail using the CPR station for passengers taking the westbound ''Canadian'' and using the CNR station for eastbound trains.

CNR Station

The

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

station is located at 1 Station Street in Parry Sound, Ontario. Built in 1932, it has been used as the primary stop for Via Rail's ''Canadian'' transcontinental passenger train service since the massive Via budget cuts on January 15, 1990. From 1955 to 1990 (except 1981–1985) it was a stop on the Super Continental, operated by CN from 1955 to 1977 and by Via from 1977 to 1981 and from 1985 to 1990. The historical Station has been home to the Parry Sound Area Chamber of Commerce, the MTO, and the Park to Park trail association. In 2021, the station was acquired by global luxury real estate brokerage, Engel & Völkers Parry Sound. In 2022, Engel & Völkers Parry Sound donated the property to Rotary International for use as an orientation and donation centre to assist in the arrival and integration of Ukrainian refugees into the surrounding area during the Russian-Ukrainian War.

CPR Station

The

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

station is located at 1 Avenue Road. It was used as a stop for Via Rail's ''Canadian'' from 1978 until January 15, 1990, after which it sat vacant for a decade until being reactivated as a private art gallery named the "Parry Sound Station Gallery" in 2001. The station was reactivated following the rearrangement of track usage. The art gallery announced in fall 2007 that it would be closing due to financial problems. Via refers to this station as "Parry Sound South" in their reservation system in order to differentiate it from the former CN station.

References

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External links

Engel & Völkers donates station to Rotary Intl to welcome refugeesVia Rail station page for Parry Sound StationVia Rail station page for Parry Sound Station Gallery
Via Rail stations in Ontario Rail transport in Parry Sound, Ontario Railway stations in Parry Sound District Designated heritage railway stations in Ontario Canadian National Railway stations in Ontario Canadian Pacific Railway stations in Ontario Railway stations opened in 1932 Railway stations in Canada opened in the 1930s