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Yesterday, VIA Rail Canada Inc. unveiled plans to upgrade stations in Ontario and British Columbia.

The railroad plans to spend $6.1 million to build a new Windsor station in Windsor, Ontario. Scheduled to be complete in fall 2011, the facility will replace a station built in the early 1960s. The new station will feature “convenient” parking, and passenger pick-up and drop-off areas, as well as “efficient” ticketing and baggage handling counters and “comfortable” waiting areas, according to a press release.

The project is part of a program to upgrade rail infrastructure along the Ontario-Quebec Corridor, including a $17 million project to modernize rail traffic control systems and track structure between Windsor and Chatham.

VIA Rail also plans to spend $5.1 million to rehabilitate the Heritage train station in Vancouver. To be complete next year, the project calls for replacing the facility’s masonry, roof and windows while preserving the facility’s historic features. The railroad expects to award contracts for the work by year’s end.

The station projects will be funded through the Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan.