VIA Ottawa station earns LEED Gold
VIA Rail announced on March 2 that its Ottawa station has earned LEED Gold certification for a series of renovations.
The Ottawa station, located on Tremblay Road, is considered a heritage building and is VIA’s flagship station. The building underwent a series of renovations between 2016 and 2019 to improve accessibility and environmental performance.
The Canada Green Building Council began its process to evaluate and certify the building in 2019. The process took about a year to complete.
"Obtaining the LEED Gold v4.1 certification is a milestone for VIA Rail and a great source of pride for our teams. It brings us one step closer to our green building goal and formalizes our commitment to creating more sustainable and accessible stations and maintenance centres,” said VIA Rail’s chief operating officer Dominique Lemay. “The certification process allowed us to identify several opportunities to improve the efficiency of the station’s operations, which then led to the implementation of changes to our building management processes and practices. Ultimately, our goal is not only to enhance the travel experience, but also to go further together. And it is by modernizing our infrastructure and services, and by making them greener, that we will lead Canadians to a more sustainable future.”
As part of the LEED certification process, the building showed superior performance in energy water consumption, waste diversion and human experience. VIA also integrated green building principles through the upgrade of the station’s east wing.
According to VIA, the accreditation reinforces the company’s commitment to modernizing passenger rail service in Canada, all while contributing to a more sustainable, low-carbon future.
VIA Rail is working on the modernization of other buildings and stations. Its facility in Winnipeg, for example, recently earned a BOMA BEST “certified” level certification in 2019. VIA has also launched. a LEED certification process for the building.