Ottawa Central Station - Proposed Relocation

Proposed Relocation

In early 2010, Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien announced that he was working with Greyhound to move to bus terminal to a new location next to the Via Rail station on Tremblay Road, effectively creating a transport hub along with the proposed LRT. According to O'Brien, talks had been going on for a while and Greyhound seemed warm to the idea, however the Catherine station's owner, Stewart Robertson, was never consulted and only learned through the media about the proposed move. The move has sparked controversy and mixed opinions with the public and local politicians, stating that the proposed location is inconvenient as it's not central, or more convenient as it's along the Transitway.

Robertson, the station's owner, released renderings of a proposed renovation that would see the inside and outside of the terminal's aesthetics improved as well as the terminal's heating and ventilation system, however these improvements would only come if Greyhound were to sign a long-term agreement with Robertson, which in the end would result in Station Centrale being phased out as the terminal's operators.

A website was created for the public to voice their opinion concerning the proposed move, Keep It Downtown, Ottawa.

On March 11th, 2011, it was revealed that Stewart Robertson had applied for rezoning of the lot to general mixed-use as a contingency plan if Greyhound were to leave.

In September 2011, Greyhound signed a long-term lease with Crerar Silverside Corporation. As a result, the terminal will not be relocated and extensive renovations are to done to the station in 2011 and 2012, possibly totalling over one million dollars.