The Winnipeg Railway Museum at VIA Rail’s Union Station, 123 Main Street, continues to work toward reopening its doors to the public, with discussions currently underway with Parks Canada regarding the next steps for the historic museum.

The museum has been closed since December 2021 due to safety concerns and required upgrades to the building. In June 2024, the Midwestern Rail Association announced that it had reached a 25-year agreement with VIA Rail Canada, ensuring that the museum will remain at its longtime home inside Union Station.

Since then, work toward reopening the museum has continued, including improvements. New skylights have been installed through the building’s former smokestack channels, courtesy of VIA Rail, while new windows have been installed along Track 1.

The new windows feature replica painted chicken wire, recreating the historic appearance of the original windows, which contained the actual wire.

The museum had previously hoped to reopen in 2025, with further work dependent on available funding and approval from Parks Canada. Discussions with Parks Canada are now ongoing as the museum continues to move toward reopening.

Work is also progressing on one of Winnipeg’s significant pieces of transportation history. Heritage Winnipeg’s Streetcar 356, Winnipeg’s last known wooden streetcar, has received new boxcar wheels as part of its ongoing rehabilitation project.

Streetcar 356 with boxcar wheels underneath, August 2026. Source: Heritage Winnipeg

The continued work at Union Station represents an important step toward bringing the Winnipeg Railway Museum and its collection back to the public after nearly five years of closure. A new reopening date has yet to be determined. In the meantime, Winnipeg will continue to wait for the Railway Museum’s reopening.

The Winnipeg Railway Museum sign in the Union Station passenger concourse, August 2026. Source: Heritage Winnipeg.

Featured Image: The Countess of Dufferin at the Winnipeg Railway Museum (the new skylights are visible above), August 2026. Source: Heritage Winnipeg.