Montreal Central Station

This article is about the railway station. For the bus station, seeGare d'autocars de Montréal.

Montreal Central Station Gare centrale de Montréal
Montreal Central Station, Christmas 2016
General information
Location	895De la Gauchetière StreetWest Montreal,Quebec
Coordinates	45.4996°N 73.5668°W/45.4996; -73.5668
Owned by	Cominar REIT (since 2012) Homburg Invest Inc. (2007–2012) CN(1943–2007)
Line(s)	Quebec City–Windsor Corridor
Platforms	7island platforms(in use)
Tracks	20
Bus operators	Société de transport de MontréalatBonaventure Réseau de transport de LongueuilatTerminus Centre-Ville
Connections	Orange LineatBonaventure
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	Yes, paidpark and ride
Bicycle facilities	Bike boxesavailable
Accessible	Yes
Architect	John Schofield; concourse design byJohn Campbell Merrett
Other information
Station code	Amtrak:MTR Via Rail:MTRL REM:GCT
IATA code	YMY
Fare zone	ARTM:A
History
Opened	1943(1943)
Rebuilt	1967(1967)(Place Bonaventure)
Passengers
10,018,800 (AMT 2015) 593,081 (Via 2012) 12,861 (Amtrak FY 2023)
Services
Preceding station Via Rail Following station Terminus Montreal–Senneterre Sauvé towardSenneterre Montreal–Jonquière Sauvé towardJonquière Ocean Saint-Lambert towardHalifax Dorval towardOttawa Ottawa–Québec City Saint-Lambert towardQuebec City Dorval towardOttawaorFallowfield Ottawa–Montreal Terminus Dorval towardToronto Toronto–Montreal Preceding station Amtrak Following station Terminus Adirondack Saint-Lambert towardNew York Preceding station Exo Following station Terminus Mont-Saint-Hilaire Saint-Lambert towardMont-Saint-Hilaire Ahuntsic towardMascouche Mascouche Terminus Preceding station REM Following station Terminus Réseau express métropolitain Île-des-Soeurs towardBrossard
Future services Preceding station REM Following station McGill towardDeux-Montagnes,Anse-à-l'OrmeorAirport Réseau express métropolitain Stage 2 Griffintown towardBrossard Preceding station Amtrak Following station Proposed services St. Albans towardWashington, D.C. Vermonter Terminus
Former services Preceding station Canadian National Railway Following station Services in 1948 Lachine towardVancouver Main Line Terminus Turcot East towardSarnia Grand Trunk Railway Main Line Lachine towardOttawa Montreal–Ottawa Semi-local stops Turcot East towardVaudreuil Montreal–Vaudreuil Local stops L'Epiphanie towardRivière-à-Pierre Montreal–Rivière-à-Pierre Portal Heights towardRawdon Montreal–Rawdon Local stops Mount Royal towardLac Remi Montreal–Lac Remi Portal Heights towardSt. Eustache-sur-le-LacorHawkesburg St. Eustache-sur-le-Lac services Terminus Central VermontRoute St. Lambert towardEast Alburgh Montreal–Moncton St. Lambert towardMoncton Montreal–Victoriaville Bridge Street towardVictoriaville Montreal–Fort Covington Bridge Street towardFort Covington Montreal–Portland Bridge Street towardPortland St. Johns services Bridge Street towardWaterlooorRouses Point Preceding station Via Rail Following station Terminus Atlantic Saint-Lambert towardHalifax Dorval towardVancouver TheCanadian before 1990 Terminus Preceding station Exo Following station Canora towardDeux-Montagnes Deux-Montagnes Terminus Preceding station Amtrak Following station Terminus Montrealer Saint-Lambert towardWashington, D.C.
Location Montreal Central Station Location in Montreal Montreal Central Station Location in Southern Quebec Montreal Central Station Location in Quebec Montreal Central Station Location in Canada

Montreal Central Station(French:Gare centrale de Montréal,IATA:YMY) is the majorinter-city railstationand a majorcommuter railhub inMontreal,Quebec, Canada. Nearly 11 million rail passengers use the station every year,making it thesecond-busiesttrain station in Canada, afterToronto Union Station.

The main concourse occupies almost the entire block bounded byDe la Gauchetière Street,Robert-Bourassa Boulevard,René Lévesque BoulevardandMansfield Streetindowntown Montreal.Its street address and principal vehicular access are on de La Gauchetière; pedestrian access is assured by numerous links through neighbouring buildings. The station is adorned withart decobas-relieffriezeson its interior and exterior.The station building and associated properties are owned by Cominar REIT as of January 2012.Homburg Invest Inc. (renamed Canmarc in September 2011) was the previous owner, since November 30, 2007.Prior to that, from the station's inception in 1943, it had been owned byCanadian National Railway(CN).

Central Station is at the centre of theQuebec City–Windsor Corridor,the busiest inter-city rail service area in the nation (marketed as theCorridor), which extends fromWindsorandSarniain the west, throughToronto,Ottawa,andMontreal,toQuebec Cityin the east. Inter-city trains at Central Station are operated byVia RailandAmtrak,while commuter rail services are operated byRéseau de transport métropolitain(RTM). The station is also a hub for theRéseau express métropolitain,which opened on July 31, 2023. The station is also connected to theMontreal Metrosubway system.

Central Station is the second-busiest Via Rail station in Canada, afterToronto Union Station.Its Via station code is MTRL; its Amtrak code is MTR, and itsIATAcode is YMY.

History

Central Station opened in 1943, after several years of construction. It stands on the site originally occupied by the terminus of theCanadian Northern Railway's Tunnel Terminal, which had originally opened in 1918.

Canadian National Railways

The trench of the Canadian National Railway nearDorchester Streetin 1930.

Following the bankruptcy of theGrand Trunk Railway,theGovernment of the Dominion of Canadadecided to consolidate the Grand Trunk Railway with the variousCanadian Government Railwaysto form theCanadian National Railway(CNR). The merger left CNR with a somewhat viable patchwork of different networks.

For much of the first half of the 20th century, CNR found itself in a highly uncomfortable position in Montreal due to the scattering of its terminals.Bonaventure Stationwas used for routes heading west and south east, the Tunnel Terminal served routes heading north, Moreau Street Station served eastbound routes, and theMcGill Street Terminalserved the interurban streetcars of theMontreal and Southern Counties Railway.Making matters worse, the various stations were not connected to one another except via long detours. To transfer a train from Bonaventure Station to Tunnel Station it would need to travel toHawkesbury, Ontario,and to travel from Tunnel Station to Moreau Station it needed to take a detour viaRawdonin theLaurentians.

Consolidation and construction

Red shows proposed line to facilitate access to Central Station.

The solution chosen was to take advantage of theMount Royal Tunnelto bring trains from the north and east through the tunnel to a large electrified central station. Trains from the south and west gained access by a new elevated viaduct. Interurban electric trains, however, remained at McGill Street Terminal until the service was abandoned in 1956.

The new station plan allowed for the development of air-rights, similar toNew York City's two major stations,Grand Central TerminalandPenn Station.The new Central Station would be situated in the block bounded byDe la Gauchetière Streetto the south,Mansfield Streetto the west, Cathcart Street to the north andUniversity Streetto the east.

Central Station was designed byJohn Schofield,architect-in-chief of CNR. Construction started in 1926, but was halted in 1930 as a result of theGreat Depression.Construction resumed in 1939, the economy having improved. The new station finally opened on July 14, 1943, as the first of a series of large-scale urban redevelopment projects undertaken by CNR and the federal government inDowntown Montreal.But the Central Station that came out was a more modest structure with 20 tracks, 16 of which had platforms.

Opening

Postcard of Central Station, from about 1943.

The opening of a 'central' station was part of a consolidation project undertaken by CNR since1929with the enactment of theCanadian National Montreal Terminals Act, 1929byParliament;this saw the closure of former temporary stations operated by CNR predecessorsGrand Trunk(Bonaventure Station) andCanadian Northern.

Consolidation of CN and CP intercity trains

Central Station was an important passenger station for CN trains from 1943 until the creation ofVia Railin1978.Following Via's full absorption ofCP's passenger trains in1978,intercity rail traffic fromWindsor Stationwas slowly redirected to Central Station. The final Via trains switched from Windsor Station to Central Station were theQuebec Citytrains that operated by way ofTrois-Rivières(April 29, 1984). Amtrak'sAdirondackwas switched to Central Station on January 12, 1986.

Modifications to the station

On June 2, 1995, the last commuter train hauled by venerable CN Z-1-a electric Bo-Bo #6710 has arrived in Central Station and pauses with the train crew. This locomotive was the same that had inaugurated theMount Royal Tunnel,77 years earlier.

At Central Station's opening, tracks (7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12) of the Tunnel Station were used only by trains heading north through the tunnel, and they did not continue south of the station. These tracks were finally connected to the south when the old Tunnel Station was demolished as well as the warehouse located south of De la Gauchetière Street and east of Inspector Street (now Mansfield Street). This also allowed for the construction of the new headquarters of CNR as well asPlace Bonaventure.This division is once again in effect following the rebuilding of theDeux-Montagnes line.These tracks are now part of the Two Mountains Subdivision, extending south for a distance of about 1,600 metres (5,249 ft). Undercatenarywires, they serve as parking for trains on the Deux-Montagnes line during the day. Since the reopening of theMont-Saint-Hilaire line,they are also used to park trains from this line.

Tracks 6–16 lead to the tunnel to the north, and lanes 4, 5 and tracks 16 to 23 are in a cul-de-sac to the north (track 16 is provided with a switch just north of the stairs). Tracks 13 to 15 are never used in the northbound direction because of the lack of catenary wires.

One platform (23) is inaccessible to the main concourse, and serves instead as parking for the company cars belonging to upper-level management.

Upon entry into service of theUAC TurboTrain,three tracks (4, 5, 6) were arranged on the west side of the station for a servicing and maintenance facility located there. The workshop, called "Turbo Bay", is still used to maintain lightcommuter trainsas well as the private cars belonging to CN's senior management who use the station. The tracks in the workshop are protected by derails.

Around 1980, the catenary wire was removed from tracks 13, 14, 15 and 16, to allow dome train cars to enter the station.

In 1994–1995, the complete reconstruction of the commuter rail Deux-Montagnes Line resulted in tracks 7–12 being re-electrified at25 kV AC.The original 3000-volt DC catenary was removed from the other tracks.

The platforms of tracks 7 and 8 are now inaccessible from the station, the entrance having been sealed to allow for the development of commercial space, and the tracks now used as parking for trains waiting to be repaired in the "Turbo Bay".

Bombing

On September 3, 1984, a pipe bomb exploded inside a Central Station locker, killing 3 people and injuring 30 more. The bomb was alleged to have been set by retired American armed forces officerThomas Bernard Brigham,who claimed to have been protestingPope John Paul II's visit to Canada.

Architecture

With the design being overseen by CNR's architect-in-chief John Schofield (1883–1971),the architecture of Central Station is modern; it is a mixture ofArt Decoand theinternational style.Its large concourse, designed byJohn Campbell Merrett(1909–1998), is illuminated by large windows. Originally, the concourse was cluttered by various ticket counters and kiosks, but, over time, they were pushed to the extremities of the room, which left much more space for the passing crowds.

The 14 underground tracks are accessible by seven stairwells, five of which are equipped withescalators.

The east and west interior walls of the station feature two largebas-reliefsdepicting Canadian life, arts and industry, designed byCharles Comfortand executed by Sebastiano Aiello.Included in the bas relief are a few of the lyrics of "O Canada",which was only an unofficial national anthem when the station was built. The lyrics are in French on the east side of the station and in English on the west side. Canadian artistFritz Brandtnercreated the three large chiselled stone reliefs depictingMercury,ApolloandPoseidonon the station's north exterior wall. The representations of Mercury and Poseidon measure approximately 2.5 by 4.5 m (8 ft 2 in by 14 ft 9 in). Apollo is larger but visual access is very limited. These were obscured by the 1958 construction of the neighbouring Queen Elizabeth Hotel. It is disputed whether Comfort or Brandtner created the thematic stone medallions depicting water, land and air transportation on the station's west, south and east exterior walls. Stylistically, however, the bas-relief medallions bear a strong resemblance to the frieze by Charles Comfort created for theToronto Stock Exchangebuilding in 1937.

Railway operations

A sample of thebas-reliefartwork that adorns the concourse's walls.

Because of its underground urban location, the railway station quickly imposed operational constraints on CNR.

To avoid smoke in the vicinity of the station, the first trains were powered by electric locomotives. The change of traction took place at Bridge Street, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south for trains serving the south-east, atTurcot Yards,6 kilometres (3.7 mi) west for trains serving the west, Val Royal, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north for trains running northwest of the junction and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north for trains serving the northeast. A fleet of 14 electric locomotives were used for this work.

An elaborate system of signals allowed staff to track the status of the various trains. At the station, as soon as the train was ready to receive passengers, the conductor inserted the key switch in a special switch indicating to staff at the station (ticket checkers) that the train was ready. The movement director at Wellington was also advised via a series of lights that the train was receiving passengers, which then allowed him to establish the route out of the station.

Access to the platforms is controlled by ticket examiners who verify each passenger's ticket. This configuration limits access uniquely to passengers. At the time of departure, after all passengers had descended, the ticket checker would press a button that notified the conductor, through a green light on the platform, that the train could leave. The movement director in Wellington was also advised of the departure by a special light. The final decision of departure was the responsibility of the conductor, until conductors were replaced by a second engineer in the 1990s.

Urban development

The parking garage borderingde La Gauchetière Street.

Over the years, the empty space around Central Station has gradually developed to the point where the station building itself is hardly visible from the outside.

In 1948,ICAObuilt its headquarters over the northeast portion of the station along University Street south of Dorchester Street. Then in 1959, theQueen Elizabeth Hotelwas built on the western portion, on the corner of Dorchester and Mansfield, which was the first of many major redevelopments in the area.

In 1960, the former Tunnel Station building was demolished to allow for the construction of the new head-office of CNR, and soon after, a large parking garage was built over the southern part of the station. TheTerminal Towerof 1966 completely hid the station from Dorchester Boulevard.

Belmont Street, east of the station was extended over the station itself to Mansfield Street. On Belmont is the only visible portion of the exterior of the station, the rest having been attached to the various buildings built over the years.

The north side of Dorchester (now René Lévesque Boulevard) then saw the construction of the complex ofPlace Ville-Marie,which now includes four skyscrapers whose highest was 45 floors and an underground shopping mall, which was the beginning of theUnderground City.

In the mid 1960s,Place Bonaventurewas built over the tracks, south of de La Gauchetière Street. In 1966, Central Station and Place Bonaventure were connected underground by the newBonaventure metro station,named in honour of the demolished Bonaventure railway station.

All of these buildings underwent major renovations over the next 30 years.

Connecting facilities

Les Halles de la gareshopping and restaurant complex.

Central Station is located adjacent toCNHeadquarters and is an important link in theunderground city,with tunnels toPlace Ville-Marie,Place Bonaventure,theQueen Elizabeth Hotel,1000 de La Gauchetière,and theBonaventure metro station.

It also contains twoparking facilities,one of which is a multi-level facility that is located above the station.

Les Halles de la Gare

Central Station has gradually grown to includeLes Halles de la Gare,a shopping andrestaurant complex.Real estate pressures have meant that the shopping area would be expanded several times.

While the old ICAO building was undergoing renovations in 1981, (after the relocation of ICAO toSherbrooke Street), a railway-themed shopping area expanded on the north side of the station. This section was completely destroyed in 1995 during the restoration of the Deux-Montagnes Line, and was replaced by the present Les Halles de la Gare complex.

U.S. preclearance

In May 2012, U.S. SenatorsCharles Schumer,Kirsten Gillibrand,Patrick Leahy,andBernie Sanderssent a letter to PresidentBarack Obamaurging him to fastrack the approval of aU.S. Customspreclearancefacility at the station that will benefit U.S. bound travelers on theAdirondackfrom having to stop at therailway stationlocated inRouses Point,New Yorkfor immigration and customs checks whenever they cross theCanada–US border.Under the arrangement, the stop inSaint-Lambertwould be removed.The agreement will also allow another Amtrak line, theVermonter,to be extended from its current terminus atSt. Albansto Montreal, though this agreement must first be approved byUnited States Congressand theParliament of Canada.This would enable direct travel by train from Montreal toWashington, D.C.'sUnion StationviaMassachusettsand New York City, as well as the potential development of direct service toBoston.

On March 16, 2015, the United States and Canada signed an agreement that would allow for such a facility.Enabling legislation was enacted by the United States on December 16, 2016 as the Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act of 2016.

Services

Exo trains waiting at platforms at Central Station.

Via Rail

FrequentCorridorservices offer multiple-daily departures on the following routes:

• Fallowfield/Ottawa-MontrealtoAlexandriaandOttawa
• Montreal-Quebec CitytoSaint-Lambert,Drummondville,Sainte-FoyandQuebec City
• Toronto-MontrealtoCornwall,Brockville,Kingston,Belleville,OshawaandToronto,with westbound trains continuing toOakvilleandBurlington

In addition, the following long distance/rural services are operated several times weekly:

• Montreal–Senneterre traintoShawinigan,La TuqueandSenneterre
• Montreal–Gaspé trainto Charny,Rivière-du-Loup,Rimouski,Matapedia,Carleton-sur-Mer,New Carlisle,Chandler,PercéandGaspé(Note: This service was suspended by Via Rail from August 22, 2013 due to infrastructure problems between Matapedia and Gaspé)
• OceantoSaint-Lambert,Sainte-Foy,Rivière-du-Loup,Rimouski,Matapedia,Campbellton,Bathurst,Miramichi,MonctonandHalifax(Note: This service was suspended by Via Rail from March 13, 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.)
• Montreal–Jonquière traintoShawinigan,Chambord,andJonquière

Amtrak

• AdirondacktoSaint-Lambert,Plattsburgh,Saratoga Springs,Schenectady,Albany–Rensselaer station,Poughkeepsie,and New York City, as well as intermediate points.

Exo

• Mont-Saint-Hilaire line(Exo 3)
• Mascouche line(Exo 5)

Réseau express métropolitain

REM platform at Gare Centrale

Main article:Réseau express métropolitain

A separaterailway platformhas been built to the south of the existing platforms for the REM service which connects the South Shore to the Trudeau Airport, West Island and North Shore. Service to the South Shore began 31 July 2023,the other destinations are delayed until late 2024.

Public transit connections

Metro

Main article:Montreal Metro

• Bonaventure(Orange Line)
• McGill(Green Line) is three blocks north, by way of theUnderground city,which includes passing throughPlace Ville Marieand theMontreal Eaton Centre

STM buses

Main articles:Société de transport de MontréalandList of Montreal bus routes

SeeBonaventure Metrofor connecting bus routes.

Other connecting buses

Main article:Terminus Centre-Ville

• RTL and inter municipal buses

Further reading

• Schofield, John (November 1943)."Canadian National Railways–Montreal Terminal Development"(PDF).20(11): 185–197.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)

External links

• Official website
• Via Rail station page for Montreal Central Station

• Montreal Central Station – Amtrak
• Montreal Central Station – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)