Waterfront station (Vancouver)

Metro Vancouver public transportation facility

For other places with the same name, see Waterfront Station.

Waterfront

TransLink station

Waterfront station in 2005

General information
Location|

* 601 West Cordova Street, Vancouver
* 439 Granville Street, Vancouver

Coordinates| 49°17′09″N 123°06′42″W﻿ / ﻿49.28583°N 123.11167°W﻿ / 49.28583; -123.11167
Owned by|

* Canadian Pacific Kansas City
* TransLink
* Cadillac Fairview (station building)

Operated by| TransLink
Platforms| 3 separate sets of centre platforms
Tracks| 6
Connections|  R5 Hastings St
Construction
Structure type| At-grade and underground
Bicycle facilities| Outside bike racks
Accessible| Yes
Architect| Barott, Blackader and Webster
Other information
Station code| WF
Fare zone| 1
History
Opened| August 1, 1914; 111 years ago (1914-08-01)
Key dates
1977| SeaBus opens
1985| SkyTrain: Expo Line opens
1995| West Coast Express opens
2002| SkyTrain: Millennium Line opens
2009| SkyTrain: Canada Line opens
2016| SkyTrain: Millennium Line rerouted
Passengers
2024[1]|

* 10,471,000 (Expo and Canada Lines) 5.9%
* 737,000 (West Coast Express) 20%

Rank|

* 1 of 54 (Expo and Canada Lines)
* 1 of 8 (West Coast Express)

Services
| Preceding station  | TransLink | Following station

|
|

Terminus |  | Expo Line |  | Burrard

towards King George or Production Way–University

| Canada Line |  | Vancouver City Centre

towards Richmond–Brighouse or YVR–Airport

| SeaBus |  | Lonsdale Quay

Terminus

| West Coast Express |  | Moody Centre

towards Mission City

Former services

| Preceding station  | Canadian Pacific Railway | Following station

|
|

Terminus |  | Main Line  |  | Heatley Avenue

toward Montreal Windsor

Preceding station  | TransLink | Following station
Terminus |  | Millennium Line |  | Burrard

towards VCC–Clark via Columbia

Location

Waterfront station is a major intermodal public transportation facility and the main transit terminus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is on West Cordova Street in Downtown Vancouver, between Granville and Seymour Street. The station is also accessible via two other street-level entrances, one on Howe Street to the west for direct access to the Expo Line and another on Granville Street to the south for direct access to the Canada Line.

The station is within walking distance of Vancouver's historical Gastown district, Canada Place, Vancouver Convention Centre, Harbour Centre, Sinclair Centre, and the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre float plane terminal. A heliport operated by Helijet, along with the downtown campuses for Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, are also located within the vicinity of the station.

## History

[edit]

Waterfront station c. 1923

Waterfront station was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and opened on August 1, 1914.[2] It was the Pacific terminus for CPR's transcontinental passenger trains to Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto, Ontario. The current station is the third CPR station. The previous CPR station was located one block west, at the foot of Granville and, unlike the current classical-styled Waterfront station, was built in "railway gothic" like CPR's many railway hotels.[3][4]

During World War II, the station was used as a temporary hospital for wounded returning soldiers.[5]

Waterfront station was targeted for conversion into a public intermodal transit facility in the mid-1970s.[6] This effort was previously outlined in the Granville Waterfront Station Plan (GWS Plan), which also proposed the relocation of the termini of Canadian National Railway's Super Continental and Amtrak's Pacific International intercity train services from False Creek to Waterfront station, and the construction of an intercity bus terminal across the street to replace the terminal at Larwill Park.[7][8] The conversion reached an important milestone in 1977, when the SeaBus began operating out of a purpose-built floating pier that was connected to the main terminal building via an overhead walkway above the CPR tracks.[9]

After Via Rail took over the passenger operations of CPR and Canadian National Railway (CNR) in 1978, it initially continued using both railways' stations in Vancouver. However, on June 14, 1979, Via decided to consolidate its Vancouver operations at the Vancouver CNR station and to cease using the CPR station. The choice of CNR station was made due to the lower cost of modifications required for additional train service, greater room for expansion, and better access to maintenance facilities. Also, because only a small percentage of intercity train travellers used transit to reach their train departures, the superior local bus and ferry connections of the CPR station became less of a determining factor.[10][11] The last scheduled Via passenger train to use Waterfront station departed on October 27, 1979.[5][2]

CPR's passenger platform and some of its tracks were torn up in the early 1980s to make way for the guideway of the original SkyTrain line (Expo Line), which opened on December 11, 1985. During Expo 86, SkyTrain operated special shuttle trains between Waterfront station and Stadium–Chinatown station (then named Stadium station), connecting the Canadian Pavilion at Canada Place to the main Expo site along False Creek.[citation needed]

A private ferry company, Royal SeaLink Express, ran passenger ferries from a new dock on the west side of the SeaBus terminal to Victoria and Nanaimo in the early 1990s but ultimately folded.[citation needed] In 2003, HarbourLynx began operating out of Royal Sealink's old facility at the SeaBus terminal. In 2006, following major engine problems with their only vessel, they folded as well.

In 1995, platforms were built adjacent to the SkyTrain station for the West Coast Express, which uses the existing CPKC tracks. The platforms for the West Coast Express were built in the same location as the old CPR platforms.

In 2002, Millennium Line trains began to share tracks with the Expo Line at Waterfront station. The lines continued to share tracks until late 2016, when an Expo Line branch to Production Way–University station was created in replacement of the Millennium Line service between VCC–Clark and Waterfront stations.[12]

In 2009, the Canada Line opened with separate platforms which are accessible via the main station building, but require leaving the fare-paid zone when transferring between other modes. Waterfront station serves as a common terminus point for both the Expo Line and the Canada Line.

Waterfront station was one of the first stations to receive TransLink's "T" signage, denoting a transit station.[13] This signage was originally installed in the downtown core of Vancouver to help visitors during the 2010 Olympics.

In 2018, TransLink announced that Waterfront's Canada Line platforms, as well as two other stations on the line within downtown Vancouver, would receive an accessibility upgrade including additional escalators, as most Canada Line stations were built with only up-escalators initially.[14] Construction began in early 2019 and was completed in December.[15][16]

In 2020, TransLink started work on replacing the escalators connecting to the Expo Line.[17] The first step in this project was to close access to the Expo Line from Cordova Street for three weeks in June. The closure forced passengers to access the Expo Line from the Howe Street entrance. Because the construction blocked access to the elevators to the Expo Line platforms, a temporary shuttle bus service between the SeaBus terminal, the main concourse area, and Burrard station was instated.

In 2022, TransLink relocated the in-person service centre at Stadium–Chinatown station and opened a new 580-square-metre (6,200 sq ft) customer service centre at Waterfront station on September 23.[18][19]

## Architecture

[edit]

Waterfront's main concourse in 2018

Waterfront's main station building was designed in a neoclassical style, with a symmetrical red-brick facade dominated by a row of smooth, white Ionic order columns. The Ionic columns are repeated in the grand interior hall, flanking the perimeter of the space. The main hall features two large clocks facing each other high on the east and west walls. Paintings depicting various scenic Canadian landscapes, completed in 1916 by Adelaide Langford, line the walls above the columns. The Montreal architecture firm Barott, Blackader and Webster was responsible for designing the main station building.[20]

The station building is owned by Cadillac Fairview and underwent renovations in 2015 to restore its brick facade.[21]

## Services

[edit]

* SkyTrain Expo Line through Vancouver to northeast/south Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey
* SkyTrain Canada Line, through Vancouver to central Richmond and Vancouver International Airport
* West Coast Express commuter rail Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and Mission
* SeaBus passenger ferry to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver
* Various local, suburban, and express bus services provided by TransLink
* HeliJet's heliport is adjacent to the SeaBus concourse, therefore allowing passengers to connect to Waterfront station's main terminal building
* Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre float plane terminal is located approximately two blocks west of Canada Place

## Station information

[edit]

The Howe Street entrance to Waterfront station in 2006 Expo Line platform (Platforms 1 & 2) in 2016 The digital "next arrival" sign at the Expo Line island platform (2017) SkyTrain's Canada Line platform in 2010 West Coast Express platform in 2010

### Entrances

[edit]

* Cordova Street entrance (terminal building) : a fully accessible entrance connecting all services at Waterfront station. The entrance is at the east end of platforms 1 and 2 (Expo Line) and north end of platform 3 and 4 (Canada Line).
* Howe Street entrance: serves Canada Place, with underground connection to Sinclair Centre and Waterfront Centre at concourse level. No elevator is available at this entrance.
* Granville Street entrance : a new entrance opened 2009 in conjunction to the opening of the Canada Line. Located at the south end of platform 3 and 4 (Canada Line).

### Transit connections

[edit]

See also: List of bus routes in Metro Vancouver

Bus services load on Cordova Street. Additional stops are on Hastings Street, adjacent to the Canada Line entrance near Granville Street for the R5 RapidBus service.[22]

Bay  | Location  | Route  | Notes

|
|
|

1  | Cordova Street
Westbound | 44 UBC |

* Express, weekday only. No evening service.

2  | Cordova Street
Westbound | 2 Macdonald  |
3  | Cordova Street
Westbound | 50 False Creek South  |
4  | Cordova Street
Eastbound | 3 Main  |
4 Powell  |
7 Nanaimo Station |
8 Fraser  |
10 Downtown  |
50 Waterfront Station  |
N8 Fraser Nightbus  |
| Hastings Street
Westbound | R5 Hastings Street to Burrard Station |

* RapidBus service

| Hastings Street
Eastbound | R5 Hastings Street to SFU |

* RapidBus service

## See also

[edit]

* List of heritage buildings in Vancouver
* Pacific Central Station
* Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel
* Fairmont Pacific Rim

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2024 Transit Service Performance Review – SkyTrain Stations Summaries". tableau.com. TransLink. May 20, 2025. Archived from the original on May 21, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
2. ^ a b "By the Numbers: Waterfront Station turns 100". The Province. July 31, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
3. ^ Photograph of CPR Station, foot of Granville, 1906, British Columbia Archives.
4. ^ CPR station, undated photograph Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, British Columbia Archives, at Columbia Pacific.
5. ^ a b Bocking, Mike (October 27, 1979). "Station bids farewell to era of train travel". Vancouver Sun. Vol. 93, no. 99\. p. A11. ISSN 0832-1299. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
6. ^ Greater Vancouver Regional District (March 26, 1975). The livable region 1976/1986: Proposals to manage the growth of Greater Vancouver (PDF) (Report). p. 24\. OCLC 794383312. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
7. ^ "Rail Canada". Rail Travel Newsletter. Vol. 4, no. 19\. October 1974. p. 5\. ISSN 0896-4440. ARK ark:/13960/s28kh5h0hcr. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
8. ^ Sullivan, Brian (October 29–31, 1976). "A case in point: The Granville Waterfront Station". In Jackson, Michael (ed.). Passenger stations in an integrated public transport network: Some considerations and an example. National Rail Passenger Conference (First ed.). Regina, Saskatchewan. pp. 86–93\. OCLC 4147003. ARK ark:/13960/t4sj8zk75. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
9. ^ "Vancouver's Sea-Bus moves 15,000 people". Prince George Citizen. Vol. 21, no. 119\. Canadian Press. June 20, 1977. p. 2\. ISSN 0832-4247. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
10. ^ "Rail Canada". Rail Travel News. Vol. 9, no. 8\. July 1979. p. 6\. ISSN 0896-4440. ARK ark:/13960/s2khwwd65dn. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
11. ^ §E: Manager's report: Selection of transcontinental rail station (Recommendation). Vancouver City Council (Report) (published June 13, 1979). June 19, 1979. pp. 438–439\. ARK ark:/13960/t1kh3641d. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
12. ^ "TransLink introduces new SkyTrain operating pattern on October 22". TransLink. September 19, 2016. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
13. ^ "More T signage is now up in downtown Vancouver" Archived January 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, The Buzzer Blog, TransLink, January 27, 2010.
14. ^ Chan, Kenneth (July 9, 2018). "More escalators to be installed at every Canada Line station in downtown Vancouver". Daily Hive. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
15. ^ "Canada Line Escalator Enhancement Project". TransLink. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
16. ^ Chan, Kenneth (February 1, 2019). "Construction begins on new escalators for all downtown Canada Line stations". Daily Hive. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
17. ^ Chan, Kenneth (June 8, 2020). "Main entrance for Waterfront Station's Expo Line to close for three-week renovation". Daily Hive Vancouver. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
18. ^ Kertcher, Sarah (September 22, 2022). "TransLink unveils new Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station". The Buzzer Blog. TransLink. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
19. ^ Chan, Kenneth (September 22, 2022). "Inside TransLink's new Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station". Daily Hive. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
20. ^ "Waterfront Station". Vancouver Historic Building Atlas. Simon Fraser University. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
21. ^ Lazaruk, Susan (July 12, 2015). "By the Numbers: Waterfront Station gets a major overhaul". The Province. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
22. ^ Waterfront Station (PDF) (Map). TransLink. January 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Waterfront station at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

TransLink services in Metro Vancouver

SkyTrain
History – Lines and stations – Rolling stock

Expo Line |

* Waterfront ■■■■
* Burrard ■
* Granville
* Stadium–Chinatown
* Main Street–Science World
* Commercial–Broadway ■■
* Nanaimo
* 29th Avenue
* Joyce–Collingwood ■
* Patterson
* Metrotown
* Royal Oak
* Edmonds
* 22nd Street
* New Westminster
* Columbia ■
* Scott Road ■
* Gateway
* Surrey Central ■
* King George ■

| Lougheed branch|

* Columbia ■
* Sapperton
* Braid
* Lougheed Town Centre ■
* Production Way–University ■

|

Surrey–Langley extension (future)|

* Green Timbers
* 152 Street
* Fleetwood
* Bakerview–166 Street
* Hillcrest–184 Street
* Clayton
* Willowbrook
* Langley City Centre

|

Millennium Line |

* VCC–Clark
* Commercial–Broadway ■■
* Renfrew
* Rupert
* Gilmore
* Brentwood Town Centre
* Holdom
* Sperling–Burnaby Lake
* Lake City Way
* Production Way–University ■
* Lougheed Town Centre ■
* Burquitlam
* Moody Centre ■
* Inlet Centre
* Coquitlam Central ■■
* Lincoln
* Lafarge Lake–Douglas

| Broadway extension (future)|

* Arbutus
* South Granville
* Oak–VGH
* Broadway–City Hall ■
* Mount Pleasant
* Great Northern Way–Emily Carr

|

Canada Line |

* Waterfront ■■■■
* Vancouver City Centre
* Yaletown–Roundhouse
* Olympic Village
* Broadway–City Hall ■
* King Edward
* Oakridge–41st Avenue ■
* Langara–49th Avenue
* Marine Drive
* Bridgeport ■
* Capstan
* Aberdeen
* Lansdowne
* Richmond–Brighouse

| Airport branch|

* Bridgeport ■
* Templeton
* Sea Island Centre
* YVR–Airport

|

Passenger ferry and commuter rail

SeaBus |

* Waterfront ■■■■
* Lonsdale Quay ■

West Coast Express |

* Waterfront ■■■■
* Moody Centre ■
* Coquitlam Central ■■
* Port Coquitlam
* Pitt Meadows
* Maple Meadows
* Port Haney
* Mission City

Bus routes and transit exchanges

B-Line |

* 99 B-Line

RapidBus |

* R1 King George Blvd
* R2 Marine Dr
* R3 Lougheed Hwy
* R4 41st Ave
* R5 Hastings St
* R6 Scott Rd

Exchanges|

* Blanca Loop
* Capilano University Exchange
* Carvolth Exchange
* Dunbar Loop
* Guildford Exchange
* Haney Place Exchange
* Kootenay Loop
* Ladner Exchange
* Langley Centre
* Lonsdale Quay
* Marpole Loop
* Newton Exchange
* Park Royal Exchange
* Phibbs Exchange
* Scottsdale Exchange
* SFU Exchange
* South Delta Exchange
* South Surrey Park and Ride
* Stanley Park Loop
* Steveston Exchange
* UBC Exchange
* White Rock Centre

General|

* Coast Mountain Bus Company
* Trolley buses in Vancouver
* West Vancouver Municipal Transit

Former|

| B-Line|

* 97 B-Line
* 98 B-Line

|

Exchanges|

* Airport Station
* Matthews Exchange

Miscellaneous

Cycling|

* BC Parkway
* Central Valley Greenway

Fares|

* Compass card
* U-Pass BC

Other|

* Metro Vancouver Transit Police
* Surrey LRT

* Stations ordered inbound → outbound
* ■■■■■■■ indicate connections
* Future stations or routes italicized

* v
* t
* e

Landmarks in Greater Vancouver

Buildings|

* BC Place
* Beatty Street Drill Hall
* Bentall Centre (Bentall 5)
* BowMac sign
* Canada Place
* CBC Regional Broadcast Centre Vancouver
* Central Heat Distribution
* Dominion Building
* Former Vancouver Public Library
* Fort Langley National Historic Site
* Gulf of Georgia Cannery
* H. R. MacMillan Space Centre
* Harbour Centre
* Hotel Europe
* Hotel Georgia
* Hotel Vancouver
* International Buddhist Temple
* Living Shangri-La
* Marine Building
* One Wall Centre
* Orpheum
* Pacific Central Station
* Pacific Coliseum
* Park Royal
* Parq Vancouver
* Rogers Arena
* Royal Centre
* Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
* Science World
* Seaforth Armoury
* Shaw Tower
* Sinclair Centre
* Stanley Theatre
* Sun Tower
* Sylvia Hotel
* Vancouver Art Gallery
* Vancouver City Hall
* Vancouver Public Library
* Waterfront Station
* Wooden Roller Coaster
* List of tallest buildings in Vancouver
* Hyatt Regency Vancouver

Metro Vancouver

Bridges|

* Alex Fraser Bridge
* Arthur Laing Bridge
* Burrard Bridge
* Cambie Bridge
* Capilano Suspension Bridge
* Georgia Viaduct
* Golden Ears Bridge
* Granville Street Bridge
* Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing
* Knight Street Bridge
* Lions Gate Bridge
* Oak Street Bridge
* Pattullo Bridge
* Pattullo Bridge replacement
* Pitt River Bridge
* Port Mann Bridge
* Queensborough Bridge
* Skybridge

Locations|

* Chinatown
* Commercial Drive
* Gastown
* Golden Village
* Granville Island
* Kitsilano Beach
* Metrotown
* Punjabi Market
* Robson Square
* Stanley Park / Vancouver Aquarium

Natural|

* Burnaby Mountain
* Burrard Inlet
* Burrard Peninsula
* Cypress Mountain
* English Bay
* False Creek
* Fraser River
* Golden Ears
* Grouse Mountain
* Indian Arm
* The Lions
* Mount Seymour
* Point Grey
* Little Mountain

*[c.]: circa
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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template