Waterfront Train Station

Location: 601 W Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1G1

Waterfront Station, located on Seymour and W. Cordova St. (residing on the land of the Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, and Musqueam Peoples) is an elaborately built terminus station and “an easy point of connection” between multiple transit lines including the Canada line, Expo line, Seabus, and the West Coast Express. The station is both publicly and privately funded and its crucial stakeholders consist of the government, Translink, Translink employees, and of course - transit users. Location-wise, Waterfront station is also in close proximity to multiple heritage sites, tourist sites, educational facilities, and viewpoints and is considered a tourist attraction in itself. Upon entering, you’ll meet old fashioned white ionic columns, the glorious window column-like ceiling, and the red brick facades which outline neoclassical architecture. You may also take notice of the two large clock faces on the east and west walls of the main area in addition to tasteful art designs that wrap around the station. During peak hours, you may experience the hustle and bustle of Vancouver’s city life. You may hear the buzzing of non-stop chatter in a plethora of languages - a sign of the rich multiculturalism that resides in our municipality.

Historically, the main entrance originally served as a pacific terminus of Canada’s first coast-to-coast railway (Canadian Pacific Railway) and was designed and built between 1910-1914. Despite being initially designed by Barott, Blackader, and Webster - a Montreal architect firm, this beautiful station would not have been possible without the excruciating labour of thousands of construction workers. Many of these labourers were foreigners hired to reduce labour costs. This included a large number of Chinese people who risked their lives to come to Canada and work. To this day, there is still a lack of acknowledgment for the hard work and discrimination these people experienced.

1977 marked the last year in which Waterfront Station provided service to the Canadian Pacific Railway. After the railway transportation ended, the station became a fully public transit facility. Throughout the following years, numerous transit lines began to connect to Waterfront station as its main terminus. In particular, 2009 was an important year in which the Canada Line was built to strengthen the transit system in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. That year marked a significant upbringing in uniting Canadian culture and the innumerable countries and languages that participated in the Winter Olympics. To this day, Waterfront Station continues to serve not only as a public transportation system but also as a system that allows people of all languages and backgrounds to connect and explore the rich and vibrant city of Vancouver.

References

The Province. (2016, June 16). By the Numbers: Waterfront Station turns 100. Retrieved from https://theprovince.com/news/local-news/by-the-numbers-waterfront-station-turns-100

Waterfront. (2017). Retrieved from http://thecanadaline.com/station-guides/waterfront/

Waterfront Station. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sfu.ca/geog/geog351fall11/project6/website here/waterfront.html#:~:text=Built in 1914 by the,of Barott, Blackader and Webster.

Waterfront station (Vancouver). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Waterfront_station_(Vancouver)#:~:text=Waterfront station was built by,, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario.