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Waterfront
TransLink station
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; 110 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
2023	9,889,900 (Expo and Canada Lines) 25.3% 614,000 (West Coast Express) 49.0%
Rank	1 of 53 (Expo and Canada Lines) 1 of 8 (West Coast Express)
Services
Preceding station TransLink Following station Terminus Expo Line Burrardtowards King George or Production Way–University Canada Line Vancouver City Centretowards Richmond–Brighouse or YVR–Airport SeaBus Lonsdale QuayTerminus West Coast Express Moody Centretowards Mission City
Former services Preceding station Canadian Pacific Railway Following station Terminus Main Line Heatley Avenuetoward Montreal Windsor Preceding station TransLink Following station Terminus Millennium Line Burrardtowards VCC–Clark via Columbia

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

Waterfront station was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and opened on August 1, 1914. It was the Pacific terminus for the 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 the CPR's many railway hotels.

In 1978, when Via Rail took over the passenger operations of the CPR and the Canadian National Railway, it continued using both railways' stations in Vancouver, but a year later, Via consolidated its Vancouver operations at Pacific Central Station, the CN station near False Creek, and ceased using the CPR station. The last scheduled Via passenger train to use Waterfront station departed on October 27, 1979.

Waterfront station's transformation into a public intermodal transit facility began in 1977. That year, 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. The 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.

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. 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.

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. 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. Construction began in early 2019 and was completed in December.

In 2020, TransLink started work on replacing the escalators connecting to the Expo Line. 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.

Architecture

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.

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

Services

• 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

Entrances

• 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

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.

See also

• List of heritage buildings in Vancouver
• Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel
• Fairmont Pacific Rim

References

1. "2023 Transit Service Performance Review – SkyTrain Stations Summaries". tableau.com. TransLink. April 17, 2024. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
2. ^ "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. "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.
6. "More T signage is now up in downtown Vancouver" Archived January 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, The Buzzer Blog, TransLink, January 27, 2010.
7. Chan, Kenneth (July 9, 2018). "More escalators to be installed at every Canada Line station in downtown Vancouver". Daily Hive. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
8. "Canada Line Escalator Enhancement Project". TransLink. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
9. Chan, Kenneth (February 1, 2019). "Construction begins on new escalators for all downtown Canada Line stations". Daily Hive. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
10. 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.
11. Kertcher, Sarah (September 22, 2022). "TransLink unveils new Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station". The Buzzer Blog. TransLink. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
12. Chan, Kenneth (September 22, 2022). "Inside TransLink's new Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station". Daily Hive. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
13. "Waterfront Station". Vancouver Historic Building Atlas. Simon Fraser University. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
14. Lazaruk, Susan (July 12, 2015). "By the Numbers: Waterfront Station gets a major overhaul". The Province. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
15. Waterfront Station (PDF) (Map). TransLink. January 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.

External links

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
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 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

• SkyTrain stations in Vancouver
• Heritage buildings in Vancouver
• Canadian Pacific Railway stations in British Columbia
• SeaBus
• Expo Line (SkyTrain) stations
• Canada Line stations
• West Coast Express stations
• Transit centers
• Ferry terminals in British Columbia
• 1914 establishments in British Columbia
• Railway stations in Canada opened in 1914
• Railway stations in Canada opened in 2009
• Railway stations located underground in Canada