In 1985, Via Rail President Pierre Franche estimated that Via lost around 15 to 20 percent of their Ottawa business because of the closing of Union Station. In addition to its more distant location, public transit service to Ottawa station was absent or minimal for its first 15 years of existence, discouraging access by non-car owning passengers. This was partly remedied in 1983, when OC Transpo constructed a Transitway bus rapid transit station (Train station) across from Ottawa station, which would be replaced by Tremblay O-Train station to the west of the Ottawa station building in 2019. Continued service reductions in the late 1980s and early 1990s further compounded the declining popularity of train travel in Ottawa. Services to Toronto and Montreal were reduced, and Ottawa lost transcontinental service to Vancouver on the Super Continental when the train was cancelled in 1990. Heritage designation The station has been protected under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act since 1996. It "is a glass and steel, International style railway station [...] The VIA Rail Station at Ottawa is one of the finest examples of the International style in Canadian architecture." Renovation A $21.7 million renovation project was undertaken from late 2016 to 2018. The project added an elevator to improve accessibility in the spiral ramp and at tracks 3 and 4. The station's Track 1 side platform was also raised from the previous low-level to a standard level for faster and easier boarding. Maintenance work was also conducted on the roof, and a climate controlled waiting area was built next to Track 1 for departing passengers to wait for their trains. The station management also began working to attain a LEED Silver green building certification from the Canada Green Building Council. The official certification process began in 2019 and on August 10, 2020, the building achieved a LEED v4.1 Operation and Maintenance: Existing Buildings certification at the Gold level, earning 68 of a possible 100 LEED points. Accessibility improvements Following the renovations, Via Rail began a pilot project to test electronic systems that would allow passengers with visual impairments to navigate autonomously between the station entrance and platforms. These tests were carried out in collaboration with the International Union of Railways, Canadian Council of the Blind and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. The company intends to improve the system and eventually deploy the technology in other stations in its network.