VIA Rail Canada has announced it has begun construction work on its new Belleville train station in Belleville, Ontario.
Located slightly east of the current station, the new facility is scheduled to open in early 2012 and will include an island platform and an overhead walkway to service tracks north of the platform. VIA is in discussions with the city regarding an appropriate future use for the current heritage station building.
Some work on the island platform must be carried out during night-time hours due to access and train operations issues. Every effort will be made to keep noise to a minimum. The night-time work, scheduled to begin around February 20, should last about one month.
Belleville is the tenth busiest station in VIA’s national network. The new station will be a fully-accessible and aesthetically-pleasing structure. Its construction will allow VIA to respond to anticipated future growth, as the region continues to expand and prosper.
This project is linked with other work VIA is undertaking throughout its Ontario – Quebec Corridor with the overall result being improvements in train safety, additional frequencies and better on-time performance, as well as reductions in travel time. All of this work, including construction of the new station, adds up to better passenger rail service for customers.
