Halifax station is an inter-city railway terminal in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is operated by Via Rail.Current useThe station is the eastern terminus of the Ocean, Via Rail's eastern transcontinental train which operates between Montreal and Halifax; thus it is also the eastern terminus of Via Rail.The Ocean is North America's longest running "named passenger train" as it was introduced by the Intercolonial Railway in 1904 to provide first-class rail passage between Halifax and Montreal.In the early 2000s, the Acadian Lines inter-city bus company moved its Halifax terminal from Almon Street in the North End to the Halifax Railway Station.The Halifax Railway Station adjoins the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel, a former railway hotel that was built and owned by Canadian National Railways, which also built the station. CN divested the hotel during the 1980s and it is currently operated under the Westin Hotels banner.HistoryThe 80-year-old Halifax Railway Station continues the 150-year history of passenger rail service to the city and is the eastern terminus of North America's passenger rail network.Predecessor stationsRichmond station (1858 - 1877)The first railway station in Halifax was opened by the Nova Scotia Railway at that line's southern terminus along the Halifax Harbour at Richmond in 1858. The location was a considerable distance northward from downtown Halifax. The extension of the line to the south was blocked by concerns that locomotive embers would threaten the Royal Navy Dockyard located to the south. The first station was a large, plain wooden building with enclosed platforms. A horse-drawn street railway connected the station to the downtown.
