See historical images from Hamilton's Rebecca Street terminal
The Hamilton GO Centre opening in 1996 meant the closing of the crowded Rebecca Street bus terminal.
Jan 13, 2022
The square photos were the first hint that these pictures were from a bygone era.
After dusting off an old box in the GO Transit achieves, Metrolinx News discovered a photo album, filled with Polaroid shots taken in 1975.
Along with longer hair and dated fashion, the pictures show a time before station signs and back office equipment became digitalized.
The Rebecca Street bus terminal opened in 1955. It was owned by Gray Coach Lines, with some funding from Canada Coach Lines.
Hamilton’s old Rebecca Street bus terminal in 1975. (Metrolinx photo)
On Sept. 8, 1970, GO bus service from the station began. It was operated by Gray Coach, under contract to GO.
Passengers patiently waiting. (Metrolinx photo)
These pictures from 1975 show a station that was already approaching its capacity limit, but it would remain in use until 1996. More recently, the building was home of the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre.
Here’s a crowded platform. (Metrolinx photo)
GO bus and train service moved into the newly built Hamilton GO Centre on April 29, 1996. This Hunter Street site also has a long history as a transportation landmark. It was previously home of a Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway (TH&B) station.
Looking to the future, work for the Hamilton LRT is being done in offices above the station.
After flipping through the polaroid photos, Metrolinx News found one more piece of nostalgia on the album’s back cover – the logo for Black’s Photography. That chain of retail stores closed in 2015.
Platform waiting space. Notice the signage. (Metrolinx photo)
The concession stand. (Metrolinx photo)
Waiting room, concessions and ticket line. (Metrolinx photo)
The ticket office. (Metrolinx photo)
The back wall of ticket office. (Metrolinx photo)
Ticket counter. (Metrolinx photo)
The information room. (Metrolinx photo)
Dispatcher’s office. (Metrolinx photo)
Upstairs washroom and attendant. (Metrolinx photo)
The ticket takers worked with old fashioned cash registers. (Metrolinx photo)
Coaches parked behind the station. (Metrolinx photo)
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story said the former terminal is home of the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre, but that is no longer the case.
by Mike Winterburn Metrolinx communications senior advisor
