VIA Rail Receives Honorary Award from Heritage BC for its Newly Renovated Vancouver Station

VANCOUVER, Oct. 22, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - VIA Rail Canada was very proud to receive a prestigious honorary award from Heritage BC for the restoration of its Pacific Central station in Vancouver. The award was in recognition of the high standards of quality and the commitment to the preservation of heritage shown in the building's renovation, which was completed in December 2011. VIA Rail received this honour alongside the projects' architect and consulting firms, Thibodeau Architecture + Design and Donald Luxton and Associates Inc., at Heritage BC's 2012 awards ceremony on Friday, October 19^th at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby, British Columbia.

"We are thrilled to receive this award," declared John Ring, Regional General Manager, Western Canada. "And we'd like to acknowledge those without whom the work would not have been possible; the support of the Government of Canada and the amazing companies that contributed to the project. This restoration will benefit not only passengers lucky enough to be travelling through Vancouver, but also the City's heritage legacy for many years to come. We are also proud to have helped support Canada's economy, by creating new jobs."

The station was restored following strict rules to preserve the heritage features of the building, erected in 1919. In addition to making it even more beautiful, the work helped improve the station's energy efficiency and safety.

The 90-year-old building was rejuvenated from top to bottom. The building's exterior masonry was repointed and cleaned up, the roof was redone, the windows and exterior doors were restored or replaced, the emblematic "Pacific Central" sign on the roof was stabilized and many safety enhancements were made. Along the departure and arrival tracks the platform canopies and lighting were improved, and the station's columns were repaired.

This is one of the largest scale projects completed by VIA Rail to date under the umbrella of the Government of Canada's 923 million-dollar investment since 2007. The Pacific Central Station project was a $6.9 Million endeavour, $5.6 million of which was used on the building itself. The funding for the restoration was provided through the Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan, part of its total investment of $923 million in VIA Rail since 2007.

History of Vancouver Station

Built in 1919, Vancouver Station was designed in the grand Beaux-Arts style by architects Pratt & Ross. It is characterized by symmetry, monumentality and the use of classical features in design, massing and details. Vancouver Station was designated a Heritage Railway Station by the federal government in 1991 under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act.

The envelope is built from locally sourced materials including granite, brick and andesite, a volcanic stone from a quarry on Haddington Island off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada's (www.viarail.ca) mandate is to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation in the country's two official languages. VIA operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometre route network. Winner of the 2011 RAC Safety Award and the 2012 Baxter Travel Media's Agent's Choice Award as voted by Canadian travel agents for the 11^th time in 12 years, VIA transports over four million passengers annually. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has provided VIA with nearly one billion dollars in capital investment funding. Follow the evolution of current projects at viarail.ca/transformingvia.

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SOURCE: VIA RAIL CANADA INC.

Mylène Bélanger
Senior Advisor, Media Relations
VIA Rail Canada
514-871-6137 | 1-877-393-8787
[email protected]