Minaki VIA Rail station

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Minaki

Address Minaki, Ontario, Canada
Station code MNKI
Type of Station Sign post
Tracks 1
Platforms None
Parking None
Connections None
Next Station:
Ottermere
towards Vancouver
Canadian
(Vancouver-Toronto)
Next Station:
Redditt
towards Toronto

Minaki VIA Station is a train station operated by VIA Rail Canada and is located in the rural community of Minaki, ON, in the Unorganized Kenora District. It is accessed from nearby Ontario Highway 596. The station is situated at Mile 137.4 along Canadian National Railway's Redditt Subdivision.

History

Situated along the banks of the Winnipeg River, the land where Minaki presently sits was purchased by Hays Land Development Company, which was owned by Charles Melville Hays, the former President of Canada's Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad and a visionary who purchased land along new railroad routes for development. He commissioned L.V. Rourke to survey and plan the site of a new town that was to be called "Winnipeg River Crossing" with the purpose of being a holiday destination for Canadian and American tourists looking to experience the wilderness of the Canadian Shield. In 1910, the bridge over the Winnipeg River was completed and soon after, the new train station was constructed which featured 14 rooms with staff living quarters on the second floor, and a refueling and water tower on the property. In 1914, the town name was changed to its present name "Minaki", an Ojibwa name for beautiful water or good land. The tourism industry in Minaki continued to be well supported as it was the largest stop along the CNR-operated Camper's Special, which was a special Friday-Sunday round trip train that served the cottages on the Malachi, Ottermere, and Farlane Lakes. In the 1960s, business along the rail line began to shift towards freight service and passenger service began to decline. The town's famous Minaki Lodge was closed in 1978 and the Camper's Special train was later cancelled.[1]

The abandoned train station building at Minaki still remains to this date. On July 19, 2011, the station building was designated a heritage building under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act.[2]

Station description

The station stop at Minaki is situated in the center of the rural community and just west of the bridge that spans the Winnipeg River. The station has no platforms or facilities and there is no public access to the station building. There is vehicle access to the station, however, there is no parking provided on the station premises.

Service

Minaki Station is served by VIA Rail's Canadian. For a stop at the station, it is recommended to have tickets purchased at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled train arrival as Minaki is a request stop.

References

  1. Minaki & Northwest Ontario's History, Sunset Point Minaki. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. Former Canadian National Railway Station - Minaki, Ontario, Parks Canada Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Retrieved 30 April 2021.