Winnipeg Railway Museum closing at end of December

WINNIPEG -

After 30 years of showcasing railway artifacts and technology, the Winnipeg Railway Museum is closing at the end of December following notice from VIA Rail that the museum’s part of Union Station is no longer available.

According to the museum, major upgrades are needed to tracks one and two of Union Station, which is where the museum is located, to bring it up to safety standards. Though the repairs have begun, visitors will not be allowed for the sake of public safety.

The museum noted that tracks one and two are included in Winnipeg Transit’s master plan, so it knew would have to move eventually. However, the timing is sooner than expected, with the museum staying open until Dec. 31, 2021.

“This may take some time but, when we can, we hope to display our collection of railway artifacts to the people of Winnipeg once more,” said Gary Stempnick, president of Midwestern Rail, in a news release.

Stempnick said Midwestern Rail would like to maintain a presence in the downtown area near The Forks, noting it would like to open the museum again as soon as it can get set up.

“We’ve got a lot to do,” Stempnick said.

“We’re looking forward to working with new friends and partners to get us back up and running sometime in the future.”

The museum encourages people to visit before it shuts down.