Windsor station (Ontario)

For the 1911–79 station in Pelletier Street, see Windsor station (Michigan Central Railroad).
Windsor
Interior view of Windsor station in Walkerville in 2018
General information
Location298 Walker Road
Windsor, Ontario
N8Y 2M9
Coordinates42°19′31″N 83°00′33″W / 42.3254°N 83.0092°W / 42.3254; -83.0092
Owned byVia Rail
Platforms1 side platform, 2 island platforms
Tracks3
Construction
Structure typeStaffed station
Platform levels1
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
History
Opened1961
Rebuilt2012
Services
Preceding station Via Rail Following station
Terminus Windsor–Toronto Chatham
toward Toronto
Proposed services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Dearborn
toward Chicago
 Wolverine Terminus
Location
Windsor station is located in Southern Ontario
Windsor station
Windsor station
Location in Southern Ontario
Windsor station is located in Ontario
Windsor station
Windsor station
Location in Ontario
Windsor station is located in Canada
Windsor station
Windsor station
Location in Canada

Windsor station is a train station in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is the western terminus of Via Rail's Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. It is located in the Walkerville neighbourhood adjacent to the Hiram Walker distillery, near the Detroit River. During the week, it is served by eight Via Rail train trips per day, of which 4 originate in Windsor and 4 return to Windsor from Toronto (3 each way on Sundays). In 2012, Windsor was listed as the seventh busiest station in the country, according to Via.

History

The original station was built by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1884 on the waterfront north of Sandwich Street East (Riverside Drive East) at the foot of Goyeau Street.[1] The station was closed in 1961 when service was relocated to the station's present location in Walkerville.[2] The site of the first station is now the location of Riverfront Park and near where Spirit of Windsor Canadian National # 5588 now sits.

The New York Central's train to Toronto and Montreal and Wolverine, as well as Amtrak's Niagara Rainbow train crossed the Detroit River by way of the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel but did not use this station. Instead, they used the Windsor Michigan Central Railroad Depot on the line leased from Canada Southern Railway until 1979 when service ceased.[3] That station, which had been built in 1911, was destroyed by fire in 1996.[4]

On November 8, 2010, Via Rail unveiled the design for a new station building to replace the previous structure built in the 1960s. The new building was completed in September 2012 at a cost of C$5.3 million.[5][6] The station was officially opened on November 16, 2012, with Stephen Fletcher from the Government of Canada and Yves Desjardins-Sciliano from VIA Rail present.[7]

The Amtrak Wolverine is planned to be extended here with service beginning in 2027 pending customs approvals and track upgrades.[8]

References

  1. ^ "G.T.R. Station, Windsor, Ont., Canada. | Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive".
  2. ^ "Rail Stations Through The Years". Lost Windsor, Old Photographs, Postcards, Windsor. International Metropolis. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  3. ^ "Amtrak - Windsor, ON".
  4. ^ "Michigan Central Station – 1976". International Metropolis. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  5. ^ Battagello, Dave (11 September 2012). "New Windsor Via rail station opens its doors to rave reviews". The Windsor Star.
  6. ^ "New Windsor VIA Rail Station officially opens". Railway Track & Structures. 19 November 2012.
  7. ^ Windsor Station Gare (Plaque inside station). inside main doors of Windsor train station: VIA Rail. 2012.
  8. ^ Hindi, Rob (November 9, 2023). "Dilkens believes Amtrak-VIA Rail link is an 'exciting opportunity'". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 10 November 2023.