It stands slightly north of the site of the terminus of the Canadian Northern Railway's Tunnel Terminal, which had originally opened in 1918.

For much of the first half of the 20th century, CNR found itself in a highly uncomfortable position in Montreal due to the scattering of its terminals.

The new station finally opened on July 14, 1943, as the first of a series of large-scale urban redevelopment projects undertaken by CNR and the federal government in Downtown Montreal.

One platform (23) is inaccessible to the main concourse, and serves instead as parking for the company cars belonging to upper-level management.

The workshop, called "Turbo Bay", is still used to maintain light commuter trains as well as the private cars belonging to CN's senior management who use the station.

In 1994–1995, the complete reconstruction of the commuter rail Deux-Montagnes Line resulted in tracks 7–12 being re-electrified at 25 kV AC.

Following the construction of the Réseau Express Métropolitain starting in 2019, tracks 7-12 have been repurposed for the REM Gare Centrale station.

On September 3, 1984, a pipe bomb exploded inside a Central Station locker, killing 3 people and injuring 30 more.

The bomb was alleged to have been set by retired American armed forces officer Thomas Bernard Brigham, who claimed to have been protesting Pope John Paul II's visit to Canada.

[12] With the design being overseen by CNR's architect-in-chief John Schofield (1883–1971),[13] the architecture of Central Station is modern; it is a mixture of Art Deco and the international style.

Originally, the concourse was cluttered by various ticket counters and kiosks, but, over time, they were pushed to the extremities of the room, which left much more space for the passing crowds.

The east and west interior walls of the station feature two large bas-reliefs depicting Canadian life, arts and industry, designed by Charles Comfort and executed by Sebastiano Aiello.

Canadian artist Fritz Brandtner created the three large chiselled stone reliefs depicting Mercury, Apollo and Poseidon on the station's north exterior wall.

It is disputed whether Comfort or Brandtner created the thematic stone medallions depicting water, land and air transportation on the station's west, south and east exterior walls.

Stylistically, however, the bas-relief medallions bear a strong resemblance to the frieze by Charles Comfort created for the Toronto Stock Exchange building in 1937.

The movement director at Wellington was also advised via a series of lights that the train was receiving passengers, which then allowed him to establish the route out of the station.

At the time of departure, after all passengers had descended, the ticket checker would press a button that notified the conductor, through a green light on the platform, that the train could leave.

Then in 1959, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel was built on the western portion, on the corner of Dorchester and Mansfield, which was the first of many major redevelopments in the area.

Central Station has gradually grown to include Les Halles de la Gare, a shopping and restaurant complex.

This section was completely destroyed in 1995 during the restoration of the Deux-Montagnes Line, and was replaced by the present Les Halles de la Gare complex.

Senators Charles Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Patrick Leahy, and Bernie Sanders sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to fastrack the approval of a U.S. Customs preclearance facility at the station that will benefit U.S. bound travelers on the Adirondack from having to stop at the railway station located in Rouses Point, New York for immigration and customs checks whenever they cross the Canada–US border.

[16][17] Enabling legislation was enacted by the United States on December 16, 2016 as the Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act of 2016.