Historic train station needs urgent repair: lobby group

People in Fredericton are worried the historic York Street train station, owned by J.D. Irving Ltd., will collapse over the winter if no repairs are done.

The station has been in limbo for the past decade, and Tim Scammell, president of Fredericton Friends of the Railway, said something must be done soon to save it.

"If the owner of the building is not going to step in and at least preserve it from further damage, you know fix it, then somebody an elected official should step in and do something. Or fix it and give Irving the bill," Scammell said Sunday.

Irving spokeswoman Mary Keith said it would cost about $2 million to fix the train station, and the company is looking for help from other developers to cover the cost.

In the meantime, Keith said, the company is looking at what repairs can be done to ensure the building is still standing by next spring.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said the city has no power to do anything about the state of the train station.

Woodside said the city cannot legally touch it because it falls under the federal Railway Act.

"We can't even enforce our own unsightly premises bylaw, which is unfortunate as well, because I certainly would have pursued any avenue to have this dealt with once and for all," he said.

Built in 1923 by the Canadian Pacific Railway to replace an older station, it was once a hub of transportation, commerce and community.

The station was sold to J.D. Irving after the end of freight service in 1990. Until 1962 it was a station on the Atlantic passenger train connecting Halifax and Montreal.

In 1991, it was designated as a heritage site by Parks Canada's Historic Sites and Monuments Board.

The station is in sad shape with its roof caved in and its wallscovered in graffiti and pigeon droppings. Heritage Canada has recognized the station as one of the Top 10 Most Endangered Places in Canada.