By Lindsey Cole
The Oshawa Express

With a VIA train whistling in the background, local politicians and VIA representatives alike gathered to make a very large announcement that will change the future of the Oshawa station forever.
Oshawa MP Colin Carrie, along with Mayor John Gray and Pierre Santoni, VIA Rail’s national sales director, recently announced plans for a new station with improved and expanded facilities – to the tune of $7 million.
Of the project’s total cost, $3 million will come from the federal government’s Economic Action Plan. The remaining $4 million comes from funding that was given to VIA Rail in 2007, says MP Carrie.
“The origin of today’s announcement goes back to October 2007,” he explains.
“This investment builds on the future commitment of VIA. Demand for VIA is growing. We know that more passengers will choose VIA. Our government has shown the same faith in Oshawa as I have.”
According to Santoni, Oshawa’s new station will be fully accessible and adjacent to the existing building.

The company is currently studying options for the design of the new station, with construction slated to begin early next year, states a press release from VIA.
The new station will replace a structure built by the Canadian National Railway in the 1960s, which was expanded by VIA in the 1990s. There will also be an additional track built on the main line, explains Santoni, and a second platform. The track will also be reconfigured to enable easy access and more traffic to flow in and out of the station safely, he says.
“I commuted from this very station for 15 years,” Santoni told members of the media.
“Now we are making tracks, literally making tracks. We have outgrown the current station. Oshawa now requires a new, larger railway station. We will keep the city fully informed.”
Mayor Gray says it’s another welcome investment in Oshawa.
“Transportation has always been an important part of Oshawa. We understand that a lot of the goods and the necessity of moving people is very important.”
And while most seemed to welcome the news, Santoni summed it up by simply saying, “Bon Voyage,” to the future passengers who will use the station.