The Belleville railway station in Belleville, Ontario, Canada is served by Via Rail trains running from Toronto to Ottawa and Montreal. The station is staffed, with ticket sales, vending machines, telephones, washrooms, and wheelchair access to the station and trains.History1856 Grand Trunk stationBuilt from bluish-grey Trenton limestone in 1856 by Thomas Brassey for Canadian National Railway predecessor Grand Trunk Railway, the station was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1973 and protected under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act since 1992.It is the oldest of multiple buildings which were once part of Belleville's GTR station yard, a facility which employed 100 by 1864 and included one of the first three GTR locomotive shops. A new locomotive shop was built in 1867, increasing capacity to 24 engines. GTR cutbacks in December 1876 led to a violent labour dispute on December 29 which stopped all trains; the Queen's Own Rifles militia deployed from Toronto on January 2, 1877 to end the strike. A new round house was built in 1912 to accommodate 42 engines, with a wheel shed and machine shop adjacent. With over a thousand people at its peak, the railway became Belleville's largest local employer.
