page_title: Montreal Central Station
section_title: Urban development
hierarchical_section_title: Montreal Central Station / Urban development
caption_attribution_description: English: Front of the Gare Centrale on de la Gauchetière.
context_page_description: Montreal Central Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Nearly 11 million rail passengers use the station every year, making it the second-busiest train station in Canada.
  The main concourse occupies almost the entire block bounded by De la Gauchetière Street, Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, René Lévesque Boulevard and Mansfield Street in Downtown Montreal. Its street address and principal vehicular access are on de La Gauchetière; pedestrian access is assured by numerous links through neighboring buildings. The station is adorned with art deco bas-relief friezes on its interior and exterior. The station building and associated properties are owned by Cominar REIT as of January 2012. Homburg Invest Inc. was the previous owner, since November 30, 2007. Prior to that, from the station's inception in 1943, it had been owned by Canadian National Railway.
  Central Station is at the centre of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, the busiest inter-city rail service area in the nation, which extends from Windsor and Sarnia in the west, through Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, to Quebec City in the east.
context_section_description: Over the years, the empty space around Central Station has gradually developed to the point where the station building itself is hardly visible from the outside.
  In 1948, ICAO built its headquarters over the northeast portion of the station along University Street south of Dorchester Street. Then in 1959, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel was built on the western portion, on the corner of Dorchester and Mansfield, which was the first of many major redevelopments in the area.
  In 1960, the former Tunnel Station building was demolished to allow for the construction of the new head-office of CNR, and soon after, a large parking garage was built over the southern part of the station. The Terminal Tower of 1966 completely hid the station from Dorchester Boulevard.
  Belmont Street, east of the station was extended over the station itself to Mansfield Street. On Belmont is the only visible portion of the exterior of the station, the rest having been attached to the various buildings built over the years.
  The north side of Dorchester (now René Lévesque Boulevard) then saw the construction of the complex of Place Ville-Marie, which now includes four skyscrapers whose highest was 45 floors and an underground shopping mall, which was the beginning of the Underground City.
  In the mid 1960s, Place Bonaventure was built over the tracks, south of de La Gauchetière Street.
  In 1966, Central Station and Place Bonaventure were connected underground by the new Bonaventure Metro station, named in honour of the demolished Bonaventure railway station.
  All of these buildings underwent major renovations over the next 30 years.
caption: The parking garage bordering de La Gauchetière Street.
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