During WWI the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Railways were amalgamated to create Canadian National Railways. When the Canadian Northern Railway closed its divisional point in Lucerne in 1924, the population of Jasper doubled and Canadian National built much need housing for their workers. The roundhouse and turn table were expanded and three tracks were added in the railroad yard. That same year, the original Grand Trunk Pacific station burned to the ground. A new station was built in 1925 at a cost of $30,000. The station was an important stop for all Canadian National transcontinental trains.
The entrance to the general waiting room was through a porte corchere of and near the entrance were a news stand and a public telephone, the men’s smoking room and a ladies’ waiting room. A dining room had a large fireplace and a lunch counter was situated between the dining room and the train platform. Upstairs was a staff dormitory and expanded facilities for sleeping and dining car crews.
Before a dependable highway was built, just about everything and everyone arrived in Jasper by rail. Many east and west bound trains would stop at the station each day and passengers and crews had to be fed at all hours. The building reflected the importance of the railway to Jasper National Park and was the hub of the town for many years.
