Ottawa station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about Ottawa's main railway station. For the former bus station, see Ottawa Central Station.
For other uses, see Ottawa station (disambiguation).
Ottawa
Ottawa train station 2013 2.jpg
Main entrance seen in 2013
Location200 Tremblay Road
Ottawa, Ontario
K1G 3H5
Coordinates45°24′59″N 75°39′06″W / 45.41639°N 75.65167°W / 45.41639; -75.65167Coordinates: 45°24′59″N 75°39′06″W / 45.41639°N 75.65167°W / 45.41639; -75.65167
Owned byVia Rail
Line(s)VIA Rail Canada simplified.svg Corridor
Platforms1 standard-level side platform
3 low-level island platforms
Tracks5
Bus operatorsBus interchange Air France-KLM (to Airport interchange YUL)
Bus interchange Ontario Northland
Bus interchange Orléans Express
ConnectionsO-Train icon.png Ottawa - Line 1 Confederation Line.svg Tremblay
Bus-logo.svg  N39 
Bicycle facilities Confederation Pathway
Construction
Structure typeManned station; At-grade
Parking330 spaces (surface lot)
Bicycle facilitiesBicycle parking racks
Bike check service on some trains[1]
Disabled accessYes
ArchitectJohn B. Parkin & Associates
Architectural styleInternational
Other information
Station codeOTTW
IATA codeXDS
WebsiteOttawa train station
History
OpenedAugust 1, 1966; 55 years ago (1966-08-01)
Rebuilt2016–2018
ElectrifiedNo
Key dates
2020LEED Gold certification
Passengers
FY2016800,000+ yearly[2]
Services
Preceding station VIA Rail Canada simplified.svg Via Rail Following station
Fallowfield
toward Toronto
 Toronto–Ottawa Terminus
Terminus Ottawa–Montreal Casselman
toward Montreal
Fallowfield
Limited service
Terminus
Terminus Ottawa–Québec City Casselman
toward Quebec City
Official nameOttawa Railway Station
DesignatedJune 1, 1996
Reference no.15815
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Location
Ottawa station is located in Ottawa
Ottawa station
Ottawa station
Location in Ottawa

Ottawa station (French: gare d'Ottawa; IATA: XDS), or Ottawa Train Station, is the main inter-city train station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by Via Rail. It is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of downtown Ottawa and adjacent to Tremblay O-Train station in the neighbourhood of Eastway Gardens. The station serves inter-city trains connecting to Toronto, Kingston, Montreal and Quebec City on Via Rail's Corridor Route.

Location[]

Ottawa Station and Tremblay Station Area Map
Intercity Transport Hubs in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Ottawa station is located at 200 Tremblay Road, which lies directly south of Ontario Highway 417 (known locally as the Queensway) near Exit 117 and east of Riverside Drive (Regional Road 19) in an industrial park area. Its main entrance faces north to Tremblay Road.

South of the station building, trains call at 1 standard-level side platform and 3 low-level island platforms on 5 tracks. The platforms are connected to the main building by an underground walkway that is accessed by a circular ramp or elevator and escalators. The tracks are bordered on the south by offices of the Canada Revenue Agency, surface parking lots and low-rise commercial buildings located on Terminal Avenue.[3]

Northeast of the station main entrance and past Tremblay Station is the Max Keeping Pedestrian Bridge, which crosses Highway 417. It allows access to RCGT Park[4] (a minor-league baseball stadium) as well as the Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa East[5] and Hampton Inn by Hilton Ottawa[6] west of the stadium parking lot. These two hotels are the closest to the station, and are linked to each other by the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre.[7] All of these are accessible within a 12–15 minute walk.

The station is also within the vicinity of a number of big-box stores, including the Ottawa Train Yards[8] shopping complex south of Terminal Avenue. (However, there is no pedestrian bridge over the tracks, so this can only be accessed on foot or by car via Belfast Road.) An office complex of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is also located to the north east of the station, across the highway cloverleaf and next to the Rideau River.

Ottawa station is located approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north of the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport.[9]

Railway services[]

As of February 2021, Ottawa station is served by 2 domestic routes (with connections). All are provided by Via Rail, the primary passenger rail operator in Canada. No overnight long distance trains depart from this station.

Departures have been reduced to 5 trains per day due to the coronavirus pandemic (effective April 1, 2021).

Ottawa–Québec City[]

Train Operator From Via To Freq.
24 Via Rail Ottawa Alexandria – Coteau – Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport Dorval – Montreal – Saint-Lambert – Drummondville – Charny – Sainte-Foy Quebec 1/day
28 Via Rail Ottawa Casselman – Alexandria – Coteau – Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport Dorval – Montreal – Saint-Lambert – Saint-Hyacinthe – Drummondville – Charny – Sainte-Foy Quebec 1/day
  • No local service between Québec City, Sainte-Foy and Charny, or Saint-Lambert and Montréal.

Ottawa–Toronto[]

Train Operator From Via To Freq.
643 Via Rail Ottawa Fallowfield – Smiths Falls – Brockville – Kingston – Napanee – Belleville – Trenton Junction – Cobourg – Port Hope – Oshawa – Guildwood Toronto 1/day* (Mon, Fri, Sat, Sun only)
53 Via Rail Ottawa Fallowfield – Smiths Falls – Brockville – Gananoque – Kingston – Belleville – Cobourg – Oshawa – Guildwood Toronto 1/day
55 Via Rail Ottawa Fallowfield – Brockville – Kingston – Napanee – Belleville – Trenton Junction – Cobourg – Port Hope – Oshawa – Guildwood Toronto 1/day
  • No local service between Ottawa and Fallowfield, or Guildwood and Toronto.[10]

Structure[]

Interior of Ottawa VIA Rail Station including ticket desk
A spiral ramp descends to an underground passageway to the far platforms
Station platforms in 2013

Ottawa station is an international style building composed of exposed cantilevered Vierendeel trusses supported by massive concrete piers. This creates a spacious open plan interior with a powerful roofline. The station's walls are a non-loadbearing glass skin and extend through the open steel trusses to the roof deck. None of the interior walls extend above the lower chords of the trusses, allowing for an uninterrupted view of the roof structure.[11]

Inside, an expansive waiting area features a circular ticket office and a descending circular ramp leading to the far platforms.

History[]

Ottawa's former Union Station in the 1920s
For more information on the early history of rail in Ottawa, see Ottawa Union Station.

The present Ottawa station east of downtown and the Rideau River is the outcome of an urban renewal plan by the French urban planner Jacques Greber. The plan was commissioned by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, who sought a re-imagining of the city following World War II. Among the proposals in Greber's city plan was the relocation of railway tracks outside of the downtown core. At that time, many trains were still pulled by steam locomotives which brought their noise and soot to the downtown Union Station and rail yard. In addition, the trains running through Ottawa were not grade separated, meaning there were perhaps 100 level crossings impeding car and pedestrian traffic. Greber sought to clean up the downtown by relocating rail traffic outside of the city center. This would require the construction of a new train station.[12]

The new Ottawa station was built for passenger services of the Canadian National Railway (CNR) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) companies, and was the last of the monumental union stations to be built in Canada. It was seen as an attempt to project a modern and futuristic image of rail travel in an era when it was being increasingly superseded by other means of transportation. The station was designed by the modernist architect John Cresswell Parkin of John B. Parkin & Associates in collaboration with the Montreal firm Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, Michaud & Sise and was completed in August 1966, just a few months prior to the start of Canadian Centennial celebrations. Their design reflects a mix of modernism and Beaux Arts planning principles.[13] It won a Massey Medal for architecture in 1967. In 2000, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada named the station as one of the top 500 buildings produced in Canada during the last millennium.[14]

Ottawa's trains once came into the large downtown Union Station (active 1912–1966), a short distance from the Parliament buildings and south of the Château Laurier Hotel. However, in 1966 the railway tracks beside the Rideau Canal were replaced by the National Capital Commission’s Colonel By Drive scenic parkway as part of the Greber Plan. Initially the former station was converted into a Government Conference Centre before becoming a new temporary home for the Senate of Canada in 2019, as extensive renovations are conducted on their former location in the Centre Block building on Parliament Hill.

Per a sign located inside the station:

"The Ottawa Station was completed in 1966 as part of a plan for the relocation and consolidation of many railway lines built between 1854 and 1916. The new arrangement was based on the plans of the noted urban planner, Jacques Greber, and was constructed by the National Capital Commission. The Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific railway are owners and operators of the new installations."[15]

The station has been protected under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act since 1996. It "is a glass and steel, International style railway station [...] The VIA Rail Station at Ottawa is one of the finest examples of the International style in Canadian architecture."[16]

Renovation[]

A $21.7 million renovation project was undertaken from late 2016 to 2018. The project added an elevator to improve accessibility in the spiral ramp and at tracks 3 and 4. The station's Track 1 side platform was also raised from the previous low-level to a standard level for faster and easier boarding. Maintenance work was also conducted on the roof, and a climate controlled waiting area was built next to Track 1 for departing passengers to wait for their trains.[17][18]

The station management also began working to attain a LEED Silver green building certification from the Canada Green Building Council.[19]

The official certification process began in 2019 and on August 10th 2020, the building achieved a LEED v4.1 Operation and Maintenance: Existing Buildings certification at the Gold level, earning 68 of a possible 100 LEED points.[20][21][22]

Station services[]

Ottawa station waiting area, 2017

The station is staffed and offers ticket sales, checked baggage and checkroom service, bicycle box service, an ATM, a cafe/restaurant, vending machines, wifi (in the station and business lounge), telephones and washrooms.[23][24][25]

A Via Rail business lounge is located in the southeast corner of the station, adjacent to the tracks. Services include a business centre with computers and a selection of magazines, free newspapers and non-alcoholic beverages. Access is restricted to business class travellers for a maximum of two hours.[26]

The station's entrance, ticket office, washrooms and platforms are wheelchair accessible and a wheelchair lift is available to assist with boarding. Courtesy wheelchairs are provided and curbside assistance is also available on advance request. A service animal relief area is located near the station entrance.[23]

Public transit[]

Main article: Tremblay station

Ottawa station connects to local OC Transpo public transportation through the adjacent Tremblay station, located northwest of the main entrance. Tremblay is a stop on the Confederation Line of Ottawa's O-Train light rail system and also serves neighbourhood bus services.[27][28][29]

Intercity bus[]

Ontario Northland[]

Ontario Northland's Bus 501 and 502 offer connections to Pembroke, North Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie from Ottawa station.

Ontario Northland schedule as of 4 July 2021
Stop Route Destination / description Notes
Ottawa Train Station 501, 502 to Sudbury (ONTC), continuing west to Sault Ste. Marie as route 503, via Kanata, Arnprior, Renfrew, Cobden (f), Pembroke, Petawawa, Chalk River, Deep River (f), Point Alexander (f), Rolphton (f), Stonecliffe (f), Deux Rivières (f), Mattawa, Rutherglen (f), North Bay, Sturgeon Falls, Verner, Warren (f), Hagar, and Wahnapitae (f)[30]
f: Flag stop

Orléans Express[]

Orléans Express service between Gatineau, Kirkland and Montreal runs daily from Ottawa station.[31][32]

Auto[]

A taxi stand is located outside the main entrance and a Discount Car & Truck Rentals automated kiosk is available immediately inside the main entrance doors.[33][34]

330 surface lot parking spaces are managed by Indigo Parking. The lot is controlled by an automated, gated system; hourly and monthly rates are available.[35] Inside the lot there is a small electric vehicle charging station.[36]

Bicycle access[]

Ottawa station is connected to the Capital Pathway bike path system. This makes it somewhat possible to travel most of the way downtown using multi-use paths, dedicated bike lanes or less busy roads.

A path just to the north of Tremblay station connects to the Rideau River Pathway, which provides a slightly longer but easier northbound/westbound route to the city core via Lower Town. Crossing the Rideau River Pedestrian/Cycling Bridge offers a shorter but slightly more complicated westbound route via Sandy Hill, uOttawa and the Rideau Canal Eastern or Western Pathway.[37][38][39] Either route requires a 20–30 minute ride.

The Max Keeping Pedestrian Bridge north of the station allows cycling and connects the station to the Overbrook and Vanier neighbourhoods on the other side of Highway 417. It also provides access to Coventry Road and the St. Laurent Centre to the east.

Cycle paths and lanes in Ottawa are mostly used during the more temperate months of the year, but a few are plowed in the winter as part of a winter cycling network.[40]

OC Transpo allows bikes to be brought on board the Confederation Line at Tremblay Station[41] and Via Rail allows them as checked luggage on some trains for an additional fee when checked up to an hour prior to departure.[1]

Airport shuttles[]

Air France–KLM runs a connecting shuttle bus from this station to Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport for Air France and KLM passengers only.[42][43] As of 2016, Air France–KLM has three daily bus services between those cities.[44] Swiss International Air Lines previously operated its Swissbus service from Ottawa station to Montréal–Trudeau International Airport for its passengers.[45]

Area redevelopment[]

In April 2020, developers Colonnade BridgePort and investment firm Fiera Real Estate acquired the 5 acre industrial site immediately to the east of the station, with plans to develop it into a mixed-use residential and commercial centre.[46][47] Initial proposals include a cluster of six blocks of mixed-use highrises reaching up to 30 storeys.[48] The project is also expected to include a central park and an extensive network of pedestrian and cycling paths to connect the development with Ottawa and Tremblay stations.[49]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Take your bike on board". Via Rail. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "Celebrating 50 years: Via Rail Ottawa Station Major Renovation Project and New Departures". Via Rail. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Google (8 May 2021). "Ottawa station and surrounding area" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Ottawa Stadium (RCGT Park)". ottawa.ca. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Courtyard Ottawa East". Marriott International. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Hampton Inn by Hilton – Ottawa, Canada Hotels". Hilton. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Ottawa Conference and Event Centre". ottawaconferenceandeventcentre.com. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Ottawa Trainyards". ottawatrainyards.com. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  9. ^ Google (6 January 2021). "Ottawa station to Ottawa International Airport via Riverside Dr./Ottawa Regional Rd 19 and Airport Pkwy S" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. ^ "VIA Rail Bilingual Timetable – Temporary Schedule due to COVID-19 – Effective April 1, 2021" (PDF). Via Rail Canada. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  11. ^ Ottawa Regional Society of Architects. "Ottawa Train Station". www.orsa.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06.
  12. ^ Reevely, David (13 June 2017). "The Capital Builders: How Mackenzie King and Greber made the Modern City". heritageottawa.org. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Canada's Historic Places: Via Rail Station 200 Tremblay Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada". Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  14. ^ Cook, Maria (11 May 2000). "Cultural consequence". Ottawa Citizen. Canwest. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  15. ^ Ottawa Station (Plaque inside station). Ottawa.
  16. ^ "VIA Rail Station". historic places.ca. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  17. ^ "CELEBRATING 50 YEARS: VIA RAIL OTTAWA STATION MAJOR RENOVATION PROJECT AND NEW DEPARTURES | VIA Rail". media.viarail.ca.
  18. ^ Sustainable Mobility Report 2018 (PDF) (Report). Via Rail Canada. p. 19.
  19. ^ Sustainable Mobility Report 2018 (PDF) (Report). Via Rail Canada. p. 37.
  20. ^ VIA Rail Canada Inc. "VIA Rail Obtains LEED Gold Certification for its Heritage Ottawa Station". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Gold LEED® Certification for Ottawa station | VIA Rail". corpo.viarail.ca. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Project Database – Ottawa Station – Project 19788". leed.cagbc.org. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ottawa train station". Via Rail. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  24. ^ "The Ministry of Coffee – Ottawa Locations – Via Rail Train Station". theministryofcoffee.com. The Ministry of Coffee. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Blue Heaven Cafe – Locations – Ottawa Train Station". blueheaven.cafe. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  26. ^ "Our Business lounges are at your disposal – Ottawa". Via Rail. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  27. ^ "Our Services – Stations – Tremblay". octranspo.com. OC Transpo. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Schedules & Maps | OC Transpo". www.octranspo.com. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Moovit: Your Public Transit Guide". Moovit. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  30. ^ "Ontario Northland Schedule 501 & 502 Sudbury – North Bay – Ottawa" (PDF). ontarionorthland.ca. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  31. ^ "Orléans Express: Travel Québec by bus". Retrieved 8 July 2021. Starting July 8th we will be adding the Montréal-Ottawa corridor with stops in Ottawa, Gatineau, Kirkland, and Montreal.
  32. ^ "Orleans Express Will Offer a Service Route Between Quebec and Ontario". newswire.ca. July 5, 2021.
  33. ^ "Discount Car & Truck Rentals locations in Ottawa – Discount Car Rental Ottawa 200 Tremblay Road". discountcar.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  34. ^ "Via Rail – Discount Car Rental". Via Rail. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  35. ^ "OT507 – VIA Rail Ottawa". Indigo Parking. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  36. ^ "Ottawa Station Parking". plugshare.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  37. ^ "Biking to the Ottawa Train Station from Centretown". ottawavelooutaouais.com. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  38. ^ "New MUP along downtown Confederation Line LRT". hansonthebike.com. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  39. ^ "Official Cycling Map for Ottawa-Gatineau". City of Ottawa. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  40. ^ "Cycling – City of Ottawa". City of Ottawa. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  41. ^ "OC Transpo – Bikes on our Network". OC Transpo. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  42. ^ "Travel by bus or train on a KLM ticket – Bus between Ottawa Railway Station and Montreal". klm.com. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  43. ^ "Bus between Ottawa Railway Station (XDS) and Montreal (YUL)". Travel by train on a KLM ticket. KLM. Archived from the original on 2015-12-06. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  44. ^ "A new bus service to Quebec City Archived 2017-02-20 at the Wayback Machine." Air France. August 16, 2016. Retrieved on October 29, 2016.
  45. ^ "Swissbus Bus transportation between Ottawa and Montreal-Trudeau airport" (Archive). Swiss International Air Lines. June 20, 2012. Retrieved on October 29, 2016.
  46. ^ "Colonnade BridgePort to build 'mixed-use community hub' near Via Rail, LRT stations" (Article). Ottawa: Ottawa Business Journal. 27 April 2020.
  47. ^ "Colonnade Bridgeport, Fiera acquire Ottawa redev site" (Article). Real Estate News Exchange. 27 April 2020.
  48. ^ "Developer proposes massive mixed-use six-tower project for industrial land near Ottawa's Via Rail station". Ontario Construction News. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  49. ^ "Highrises, park key elements in Colonnade BridgePort's east-end development proposal" (Article). Ottawa: Ottawa Business Journal. 28 August 2020.

External links[]

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