September 2026
The dominance over transportation once held by the railroads has diminished over the decades, replaced by motor vehicles and paved highways that have made transportation of people and goods easier and more efficient. While many railway lines and infrastructure such as railway stations have disappeared, many of the grand railway stations of the past can still be found in cities and towns. Some are still used for railway purposes and others have been converted to other uses.
The Canadian National Railway (CN) station in Sarnia, Ontario, is an example of these once grand railway stations. The a two-storey, brick Gothic Revival station was built in 1891 for the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR). With its symmetrical proportions and an prominence on height rather than magnitude, the station is a good example of the design work done by GTR Chief Engineer Joseph Hobson.
Canadian National Railways took over the Sarnia Station in 1922, along with all of the GTR’s operations following the demise of the company.
Today, the Sarnia Station is the western terminus for Via Rail trains running from Toronto through southwestern Ontario. It’s also the last rail stop before entering the St. Clair River Tunnel, running from Sarnia to Port Huron, Michigan. The unstaffed station includes vending machines, washrooms, a pay phone, and a medium-sized waiting area.
Passenger rail service has been an on-and-off affair for years at the Sarnia Station. The international was a passenger service that operated between Chicago and Toronto, an overnight train originally operated by the GTR, then under CN, who extended the run to Montreal. By 1970, the service had been eliminated after Port Huron, Michigan, then completely terminated the following year.
The Port Huron to Toronto service was revived by 1982 by Amtrak and Via Rail, an extension of Amtrak’s Blue Water Limited line.
In 2008, the station was designated a federal historical building.
Sources: Sarnia station – Wikipedia, HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca.
