Pacific Central Station

Pacific Central Station is a railway station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which acts as the western terminus of Via Rail's cross-country The Canadian service to Toronto and the northern terminus of Amtrak's Cascades service to Seattle and Portland. The station is also Vancouver's main intercity bus terminal. The station is wheelchair 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 of Washington.^[3]

Pacific Central
General information
Location	1150 Station Street Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
Coordinates	49°16′25″N 123°05′53″W
Owned by	Via Rail
Platforms	3 island platforms
Tracks	7
Bus stands	24
Bus operators	Amtrak Thruway BC Ferries Connector Ebus FlixBus Greyhound Lines Rider Express Transportation YVR Skylynx
Connections	Main Street–Science World TransLink: 3, 8, 19, 22, 23
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Architect	Pratt and Ross
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts[1]
Other information
Status	Staffed station
Station code	Amtrak: VAC Via Rail: VCVR
IATA code	XEA
History
Opened	November 2, 1919 (1919-11-02)
Previous names	Canadian National Railway Station False Creek Station
Passengers
FY 2023	221,390[2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Via Rail Following station Terminus The Canadian Mission Harbour toward Toronto Abbotsford One-way operation Preceding station Amtrak Following station Bellingham toward Eugene Amtrak Cascades Terminus
Former services Preceding station Rocky Mountaineer Following station Terminus First Passage to the West Kamloops towards Banff Journey Through the Clouds Kamloops towards Jasper Seattle Terminus Coastal Passage Rocky Mountaineer towards Banff or Jasper Preceding station Canadian National Railway Following station Terminus Main Line New Westminster toward Montreal Preceding station Via Rail Following station Terminus Super Continental Jasper toward Toronto Preceding station Great Northern Railway Following station New Westminster toward Seattle Vancouver, BC – Seattle Terminus
Heritage Railway Station (Canada)
Designated	1991
Reference no.	4527
Location Pacific Central Station Location in Vancouver Show map of Greater Vancouver Regional District Pacific Central Station Location in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia Pacific Central Station Location in Canada Show map of Canada

History

The station in 1918, then known as False Creek Station. Shows the land around the building being filled in.

The station's arrivals and departures board in 1981

Pacific Central Station was built in 1917 by the Canadian Northern Railway as the terminus of its line to Edmonton.^[4] It was originally named False Creek Station and was designed by the architecture firm Pratt and Ross.^[5] The station was dedicated on November 2, 1919, a day after the first Canadian National Railway (CNR) trains began using the station.^[6][7]

In 1962, Great Northern Railway closed its neighbouring Vancouver station and moved its passenger operations to Pacific Central.^[8] The building was designated a heritage railway station in 1991.^[1] In 1992, Via Rail took ownership of the station from CNR and began a $6,000,000 improvement program, along with Greyhound and other bus companies, to make the station an intermodal transportation center.^[9] In connection with the station's upcoming ownership transfer and transformation into an intermodal facility, The Province newspaper held a contest in 1991 to rename the station, and Pacific Central Station was chosen. Previously, the building was referred to simply as the CNR station or the Via Rail station.^[10] Pacific Central Station became Vancouver's intercity bus depot in late 1992, when the bus companies relocated there from the previous station at Larwill Park.^[11] The facility renaming became official in 1993, after the building refurbishment was completed.^[12] In 1994, the large neon Canadian National signage atop the building was replaced by the letters Pacific Central in the same styling.^[13]

Amtrak service to the terminal was originally provided on the Pacific International from 1972 until 1981, when it ceased due to budget cuts.^[14] Cross-border service returned in 1995 with the introduction of the Mount Baker International, which was later folded into the modern-day Cascades brand.^[15]

On November 8, 2010, the Canadian government announced a $5.1 million plan to rebuild parts of the station, including refurbishing windows, masonry, and the roof of the building.^[16]

Services

Rail

Amtrak Cascades

Amtrak Cascades provides two daily round trips between Vancouver and Seattle, Washington, with one daily train continuing to Portland, Oregon.

Amtrak passengers bound for the United States go through United States border preclearance inside the station prior to boarding in Vancouver, with a brief 10-minute stop at the Peace Arch Border Crossing for agents to collect forms. Canadian-bound passengers go through Canadian customs at the station upon arrival; northbound trains travelling towards Pacific Central Station do not stop at the border. This is in contrast to Amtrak's international services on the East Coast (Adirondack to Montreal and Maple Leaf to Toronto), 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.^[17]

Via Rail Canadian

Via Rail's Canadian train offers twice-weekly cross-country service to Toronto via Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg; weekly service to Edmonton (summer only).^[18]

Bus

Pacific Central Station is Vancouver's main intercity bus terminal.

Bus company	Destinations
Amtrak Thruway (operated by Cantrail)[19]	Seattle
BC Ferries Connector[20]	Victoria (via Tsawwassen ferry terminal)
Ebus	Kelowna, Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Prince George
FlixBus[21]	Bellingham, Seattle
Greyhound Lines	Bellingham, Seattle
Rider Express[22]	Kamloops, Revelstoke, Banff, Calgary and Edmonton
YVR Skylynx	Squamish, Whistler

Public transit

Pacific Central Station is immediately adjacent to Main Street–Science World station on the Expo Line of Greater Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system.

See also

• Waterfront station (Vancouver), used by West Coast Express trains
• List of heritage buildings in Vancouver
• List of designated heritage railway stations of Canada