12/20/2025
🚂 Port Alberni Train Station — A Legacy on the Tracks
The Port Alberni Train Station is more than a historic building — it’s a symbol of how our community grew, connected, and thrived. Its story begins with the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (E&N), incorporated in 1883 to support Vancouver Island’s booming coal and lumber industries. By 1905, the line reached Port Alberni, and in December 1911, the very first train rolled into town.
Built that same year and designed by R.A. Bainbridge, the station quickly became the heartbeat of the city. For decades, it served passengers, freight, and mail — and from 1911 to 1953, crowds gathered here to welcome family, collect deliveries, or simply watch the trains come and go.
At one point, Vancouver Island had 45 train stations, eight of which were in Port Alberni. Today, only one remains — standing proudly as a designated heritage building and a tribute to our transportation past.
Thanks to the dedicated volunteers of the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society (WVIIHS), the station has been lovingly restored, including a major restoration in 1990 to return it to its original appearance. Today, it serves as a museum and ticket office, keeping local rail history alive.
And while the train isn’t currently running to McLean Mill, it has in the past — offering unforgettable rides through the forest to the McLean Mill National Historic Site, a preserved early 20th-century logging and sawmilling operation. McLean Mill remains a powerful tribute to the families, workers, and machinery that helped build the Alberni Valley’s forestry heritage.
A timeless landmark, the Port Alberni Train Station continues to remind us where we’ve been — and how the rails helped shape our community.
Read more in the latest copy of the Valley Vibe !
