Ottawa station

Ottawa station (French: Gare d'Ottawa, IATA: XDS), or Ottawa Train Station, is the main inter-city train station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of downtown Ottawa, adjacent to Tremblay O-Train station in the neighbourhood of Eastway Gardens. The station is operated by Via Rail and serves inter-city trains connecting to Toronto, Kingston, Montreal and Quebec City on Via Rail's Corridor Route. It also serves as an intercity bus stop for several bus operators.

Ottawa station is located at 200 Tremblay Road, which lies directly south of Ontario Highway 417 (known locally as the Queensway) near Exit 117 and east of Riverside Drive (Regional Road 19) in an industrial park area. The station's main entrance faces north towards Tremblay Road.

To the northeast of the station area lies the Max Keeping Pedestrian Bridge, which provides pedestrian and bicycle access north across Highway 417 to Ottawa Stadium (a minor-league baseball stadium), the Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa East and Hampton Inn by Hilton Ottawa (the closest hotels to the station). These two hotels are connected to each other by the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre and are located within a short walking distance to the west of the stadium parking lot. All of these locations are within a 10–15 minute walk from the station.

South of the station, across the railroad tracks and Terminal Avenue lies the Ottawa Train Yards power centre shopping complex which includes a number of big-box stores. There is no direct pedestrian connection south across the railroad tracks to the Ottawa Train Yards, so they may only be accessed by a longer route via Belfast Road (to the east of the station). Currently, the City of Ottawa is evaluating proposals to create a pedestrian and cycle crossing across the tracks from Tremblay O-Train station to Terminal Avenue.

Far to the northeast of the station, across the 417 highway cloverleaf and next to the Rideau River is an office complex of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Ottawa station is located approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north of the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport. It takes 30 minutes to get there by public transport and 19 minutes by car or taxi. The station is also conveniently accessible from the Confederation O-train LRT Tremblay station, located 50 meters away. An O-train trip from a downtown Ottawa LRT station, such as Parliament or Rideau station, to Ottawa train station and vice-versa takes 13 and 10 minutes, respectively.

The first passenger rail services in Ottawa began in 1854 with the opening of the Bytown and Prescott Railway. Several other railways subsequently began operations, and their services were eventually consolidated at Ottawa Union Station, which was active from 1912 to 1966. This station was located on Rideau Street, directly across from the Château Laurier Hotel at Confederation Square and near the Parliament buildings. In 1966, railway services were relocated to Eastway Gardens, east of downtown and the Rideau River.

The current Ottawa station is the result of an urban renewal plan by the French urban planner Jacques Greber. The plan was commissioned by Prime Minister of Canada William Lyon Mackenzie King, who sought a re-imagining of the city following World War II.