Winnipeg Bus Terminal

The Winnipeg Bus Terminal was an intercity bus station, located beside the Winnipeg International Airport.

Winnipeg Bus Terminal
Location2015 Wellington Ave,
Winnipeg, MB
R3H 1H5
Canada
Coordinates49°54′09″N 97°13′33″W
Elevation239 m (784 ft)
Owned byGreyhound Canada
Distance8.1 km (5.0 mi) from Portage & Main
Connections15 Sargent / Mountain
20 Watt / Academy
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Platform levels1
Parking29
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
IATA codeYWG
History
OpenedAugust 15, 2009 (August 15, 2009)
ClosedOctober 31, 2018 (October 31, 2018)

History

Union Bus Depot

The Union Bus Depot was constructed in the 1930s, opened on December 12, 1936,[1] and operated out of 264 Hargrave St.,[2] a site where True North Square development currently stands.

Bus lines that operated from Union Bus Depot were Greyhound Canada, Grey Goose, Eagle (St. Anne), Beaver (Selkirk), Cross Country (Ft. Whyte), Eastern Bus Lines (Birds Hill), Southern (Ste. Adolphe), Sonnichsen (Headingley), Riverbend (Ste. Adolphe), Thiessen (Stonewall, Stony Mountain).[3]

Winnipeg Intercity Bus Terminal
A Greyhound bus waiting at the old terminal in downtown Winnipeg

In December 1962 plans were announced to replace the old Union Bus Depot between Hargrave and Carlton St. to the Winnipeg Bus Terminal fronted on Portage Avenue between Colony and Balmoral Streets and be named the Mall Centre. The project on 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) of land would cost $4.5 million and would include a parkade and a 7-storey office building and 6-storey hotel.[4] It was designed by architectural firm of Moody, Moore, Whenham and Partners, architects of the Centennial Concert Hall a few years later, along with Edmonton-based John McIntosh.[5] The new bus terminal would be able to park up to 15 intercity buses at once.

PCL began demolition of existing building(s) at the site began in the spring of 1963. Construction crews had to dig 21 metres (70 ft) to reach bedrock level, although they expected to dig no more than 15 metres (50 ft) to do so.[5]

The Mall Centre and Bus Depot opened on October 15, 1964.[5] It covers 38,000 sq ft (3,500 m2) along with the Mall Centre Hotel. The 'Park-M-All' for up to 400 vehicles was included in the development.[5] A Dutch Treat Cafeteria was the initial fast food restaurant that set up shop in the Bus Depot.[5]

For several years, Salisbury House restaurant and a small convenience store operated from the bus terminal

In the 1980s the Mall Centre Hotel was demolished to make way for the 160-room[6] Relax Plaza (360 Colony St.) which was constructed in 1986,[7] and later branded as a Holiday Inn Downtown and apartment complex.

Winnipeg James Richardson International Airport

Greyhound Canada announced in March 2008[8] that it would move the Winnipeg bus terminal from the Mall Centre in downtown Winnipeg to a new C$6.3 million building with a single storey structure with separate areas for freight and passengers[9] inside of a 930 m2 (10,000 sq ft) of passenger space and 930 m2 (10,000 sq ft) of cargo processing space[8] at the Winnipeg International Airport.[10] The terminal moved operations on August 15, 2009,[11] where it had been for 45 years.[9]

The terminal was a hub for Greyhound, with buses originating from and travelling to Vancouver; Edmonton; Calgary; Medicine Hat; and Toronto. On October 30, 2018 Greyhound Canada stopped serving western Canada, causing the closure of the bus terminal.[12]

Repurposing Mall Centre Bus Depot
Main article: Winnipeg RT

Today the old Winnipeg Bus Terminal on Portage Ave. has become Balmoral Station and functions as a termination or pass-thru point for Winnipeg Transit buses. A University of Winnipeg Student Centre currently occupies all of the space within the office complex (491 Portage Ave.).

See also

Selkirk Transit

Greyhound Canada

Further reading
  • Cavanagh, Dennis; Wyatt, David A., Regiec, Alex (2006). Dusty Trails to Divided Highways: A History of Intercity Bus Lines in Manitoba. Winnipeg. Rest Stop. ISBN 978-0978192105.

References

"Greyhound Bus-Terminal: Analysis of Options for the Winnipeg Downtown Terminal Final Report". Institute of Urban Studies. 2006. uwinnipeg.ca

  1. "Winnipeg's New Union Bus Depot Formally Opened". Winnipeg Free Press. December 14, 1936. p. 17.
  2. "Greyhound ad". Winnipeg Free Press. June 14, 1934. p. 2.
  3. Wyatt, David A. (September 24, 2010). "Suburban Winnipeg Buses by William A. Luke". All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  4. "New Look Downtown: Work To Begin In Spring On Bus Depot-Shop-Plaza". Winnipeg Free Press. December 18, 1962. p. 3.
  5. "The Mall Centre Opens Thursday". Winnipeg Free Press. October 14, 1964.
  6. "Axworthy applies". Winnipeg Free Press. March 5, 1986. p. 25.
  7. Whiteway, Doug (April 26, 1986). "Looking Back to the Future". Winnipeg Free Press. p. 27.
  8. McNeill, Murray (March 27, 2008). "Airport lands bus depot". Winnipeg Free Press. p. B5.
  9. "Winnipeg bus depot to move after 45 years downtown". CBC News Manitoba. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012.
  10. "It's official: Greyhound to move bus depot to Winnipeg airport". CBC Manitoba. 26 March 2008.
  11. Santin, Aldo (August 13, 2009). "New Greyhound depot opens doors Saturday". Winnipeg Free Press. p. B2.
  12. "Greyhound cuts bus routes in Western Canada". CBC News. 10 July 2018.
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