November 8, 2010
Government of Canada and VIA Rail Unveil new Windsor Station Design
To view an artist's rendering of the new station, click here.
WINDSOR, ONTARIO – Today, Dave Van Kesteren, Member of Parliament for Chatham-Kent-Essex, Eddie Francis, Mayor of Windsor, and Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, General Counsel and Secretary of VIA Rail Canada, unveiled the design plans for VIA’s new Windsor passenger rail station.
Representing an estimated investment of $6.3 million from the Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, this investment will provide modern, attractive facilities to passengers with capacity to meet potential future growth. “By investing in rail services and facilities such as these, our government is helping to stimulate economic activity and job creation and improving Canada’s passenger rail system for years to come,” MP Van Kesteren said.
Mayor Francis welcomed the investment. “Beyond the immediate benefits of jobs and economic stimulus, this station will enhance the quality of service to our community. That means better access to transportation that is both efficient and environmentally sustainable for the future.”
Scheduled for completion in the fall of 2011, the new station will replace one built in the early 1960s, providing a welcoming and accessible environment for passengers with convenient parking, passenger pick-up and drop-off facilities, efficient ticketing and baggage handling, and comfortable waiting areas. The project is part of a comprehensive upgrade of the rail infrastructure throughout the Ontario-Quebec Corridor, including a $17 million investment to modernize rail traffic control systems and track structure between Windsor and Chatham.
“The station design reflects VIA’s commitment to deliver the best possible travel experience for our customers,” Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano said. “That is critical as we continue to enhance our service to meet the needs of people here in Windsor and across the country, who look to passenger rail for a transportation alternative that is safe, convenient, reliable, and more environmentally sustainable.”
The Ontario-Quebec corridor is critical to VIA’s success. As a result of the capital investment by the Government of Canada, VIA is revamping services while becoming more efficient and improving its environmental footprint and operational performance.
About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada's mandate is to provide efficient and cost-effective passenger transportation to Canadian travellers in both official languages. Every week VIA operates 503 intercity, transcontinental and regional trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometre route network. The demand for VIA services is growing as travelers increasingly turn to train travel as a safe and reliable alternative to congested roads and airports. VIA safely transports over four million passengers annually.
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Backgrounders:
To learn more about VIA’s Capital Investment Program please visit /en/about-via-rail/our-company/capital-investment
/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/About_VIA/our-company/media-room/backgrounders/SP20101108E - Windsor.pdf