Guelph Central Station (also known as Guelph Central GO Station[2]) is the main inter-modal transportation terminal in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is used by Via Rail and GO Transit trains, as well as Guelph Transit local buses, GO Transit regional buses and intercity buses. It is located at 79 Carden Street and includes the historic Guelph Railway Station, as well as the site of the former Guelph Bus Terminal.
Guelph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The heritage Grand Trunk Railway building | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 79 Carden Street Guelph, Ontario N1H 3A4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°32′39″N 80°14′49″W / 43.54417°N 80.24694°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Guelph | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bus stands | 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bus operators |
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| Connections | Guelph Transit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Unstaffed station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | No | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 39 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1911 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | May 13, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Designated | 1992 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference no. | 4569 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History
editGTR station
editThe current station building was built in 1911 by the Grand Trunk Railway, which had been serving Guelph since 1856.[3] In addition to serving regional trains, in the pre-Amtrak era, it served the Grand Trunk Western's Maple Leaf (Chicago - Toronto). The station is a classic example of early 20th century Canadian railway station design and has been designated as a heritage structure per the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act.[4][5] The Romanesque Revival building, with an Italianate tower, has been listed on the Canadian Register since 2006 and was formally recognized as one of Canada's Historic Places in November 1992.[6]
In 1923, the Grand Trunk Railway was merged into the Canadian National Railway.
Between 1982 and 2004, the Central station was served by the International Limited, a train service between Chicago and Toronto that was then operated jointly by Via Rail and Amtrak.[7]
Guelph was also served by GO Transit trains between 1990 and 1993, when it served as the terminus of the then Georgetown line. Provincial cutbacks in 1993 caused GO Transit to cut back service to Georgetown.
The current GO Train service through Guelph Station began on December 19, 2011, when two daily trains in each direction on the then Georgetown line were extended to Kitchener.[8]
Intermodal Terminal
editThe Intermodal Transit Terminal was first proposed in 2002 to consolidate intercity bus, local bus and railway services into one facility.[9] At the time, the downtown terminal for Guelph Transit was three blocks away at St. George's Square. A feasibility study was initiated in 2004, and Guelph City Council endorsed the Carden Street location and the concept design that same year. The project received federal and provincial infrastructure stimulus funding in 2009, and detailed design and stakeholder consultations were conducted. Construction began in April 2010.[10]
The name "Guelph Central" was chosen with input from the community and the transit service providers using the new station.[11]
The station opened to the public on May 13, 2012.[12] The project was projected to cost $8 million, of which $5.3 million was from the Provincial and Federal Infrastructure Stimulus Funds.[13]
The opening of the bus portion of the station was delayed from October 2011 to May 2012 to allow time for the renovations of the railway station building to be completed.[13]
Additional renovations, with a $2.1 million budget, were completed in 2016–2017. The work also helped to preserve and restore heritage characteristics.[4][14]
Services
editGuelph Transit
editOn January 1, 2012, all the Guelph Transit routes were changed.[15] While it was originally planned to have the new bus routes meeting at the new station on the same date, this change was delayed until May 6, 2012.[16] In September 2016, Guelph Transit began offering early morning shuttle service for those connecting with early GO Trains. The PRESTO co-fare cards can be used through all of the hours of GO service in Guelph.[17]
Via Rail
editVia Rail operates one daily train in each direction on the Sarnia - London - Toronto line.[18]
GO Transit
edit- GO Train service on the Kitchener line to Toronto Union Station.[19]
- Bus service to York Mills Bus Terminal & Union Station Bus Terminal (GO Bus routes 31 and 33).[20]
- Bus service to Square One via Aberfoyle park & ride, Milton Carpool Lot, Winston Churchill Station and Erin Mills Station (GO Bus route 29) [21]
Guelph Owen Sound Transportation
editStarting August 31, 2020, the GOST (Guelph Owen Sound Transportation) operates a bus service between Guelph Central Station and Owen Sound Transit Terminal twice a day.[22]
Bus platforms
editGuelph Central Station provides an exchange with both local and regional bus services. Bays 1-20 are located on an island bus platform, while bays 21 and 22 are located on the south side of Macdonell Street, immediately adjacent to the island platform. Bus platform allocation are as follows:[23]
| Bay | Provider | No. | Route / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guelph Transit | 2A | West Loop Clockwise |
| 2 | 16 | Southgate | |
| 3 | 10 | Imperial | |
| 4 | 5 | Gordon | |
| 5 | 3A | East Loop Clockwise | |
| 6 | 3B | East Loop Counter Clockwise | |
| 7 | 8 | Stone Road Mall | |
| 8 | 9 | Waterloo | |
| 9 | CS | Community Bus South | |
| 10 | CN | Community Bus North | |
| 11 | |||
| 12 | GO Transit[20][21] | 29 | Guelph - Mississauga |
| 31 | Guelph - Georgetown | ||
| 13 | 33 | Guelph - North York | |
| 14 | Guelph Transit | 20 | Northwest Industrial |
| 15 | 11 | Willow West | |
| 18 | 13 | Victoria Road Recreation Centre | |
| 19 | 12 | General Hospital | |
| 20 | 2B | West Loop Counter Clockwise | |
| 21 | 4 | York | |
| 22 | 14 | Grange |
See also
edit- List of designated heritage railway stations of Canada
- Quebec City–Windsor Corridor (Via Rail) – trans-provincial passenger rail corridor which includes Guelph
- Rail transport in Ontario
References
edit- ^ a b "Kitchener transit hub now expected to cost $130M, Phase 1 to start later this year". CBC News. 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Guelph Central GO". Gotransit.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ^ Seto, Chris (19 April 2017). "Guelph Central Station is officially reopened". Guelpmercury.com. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Fact sheet: Guelph Central Train Station". City of Guelph. April 11, 2017. Archived from the original on October 5, 2017.
- ^ "Guelph Via-GO". Ontario Heritage Properties Database. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
- ^ "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". Historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ Melzer, Matt (23 April 2004). "Final Run of the Amtrak / VIA International". TrainWeb.org. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
From 1982, Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada had jointly operated the International train between Chicago and Toronto
- ^ "Guelph's first GO train late, but still a hit". GuelphMercury.com. Metroland Media Group. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012.
- ^ "Guelph-Wellington Transportation Study - 5. Public Transit" (PDF). City of Guelph. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Transit Terminal Timeline". City of Guelph. Archived from the original on 2013-03-11. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ "Guelph Central Station top pick for new transportation terminal". Guelph Tribune. Metroland Media Group. September 20, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Guelph Central Station". City of Guelph. Archived from the original on 2012-05-19. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ^ a b "About the Inter-Modal Transit Terminal". City of Guelph. July 13, 2011. Archived from the original on December 27, 2011.
- ^ "Guelph Central Station Building to be Renovated - Steven Petric for Ward 3 Guelph City Council". Stevenpetric.com. March 6, 2016. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ "Guelph Transit Routes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-14. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ "New timing for transit terminal". City of Guelph. July 13, 2011. Archived from the original on December 27, 2011.
- ^ "Guelph Transit offers earlier morning service to connect with GO train as well as Co-Fare Rate - Steven Petric for Ward 3 Guelph City Council". Stevenpetric.com. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ "Via Rail Timetable: Toronto-London-Sarnia". Viarail.ca. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "Kitchener Line Schedule" (PDF). GO Transit. 31 August 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Kitchener Line GO Bus & Train Schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 14, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "Table 29 Guelph Mississauga" (PDF). GO Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 14, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ^ Guelph Owen Sound Transportation
- ^ "Guelph Central Station Platforms" (PDF). Guelph.ca. Retrieved 29 September 2018.