Stratford station (Ontario)

Stratford is a Via Rail train station in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. It is served by one daily round trip between Sarnia and Toronto via London.

History
From the fall of 1863, a young Thomas Edison worked as a telegrapher at the Stratford, Ontario station of the Grand Trunk Railroad. Edison's father was from Canada and fled to US after the Rebellion of 1837.

Two structures remain that were built in 1913 by the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR): a two-storey, brick-clad, railway station building, and a one-storey express building linked by an overhead canopy. The GTR merged into the Canadian National Railway in 1920. In addition to serving regional trains, it served international trains to Michigan and Chicago, including the Grand Trunk's long-running Maple Leaf.

The station buildings were designated as a Heritage Railway Station in 1993. The station is also designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act since June 13, 1988.

The Ontario Heritage Act designation notes that the station is built in the Prairie Style of architecture, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was erected by the Grand Trunk in 1913 and opened in August 1914. The designation covers the exterior of the whole structure, roof, masonry, windows, original doors and brick platforms (these were covered at the time of the designation in 1988). The building included a tower, that has since been removed.

Between 1983 and 2004, Stratford was served by the International Limited, an international train service operated jointly by Via Rail and Amtrak between Chicago and Toronto.

Between October 2021 and October 2023, Stratford was served by one weekday round trip on the GO Transit Kitchener line which operated between London and Toronto.