The station is a candidate for the northern terminus of a possible future high-speed rail line being considered primarily by the US state of Washington.

[6][7] In 1962, Great Northern Railway closed its neighbouring Vancouver station and moved its passenger operations to Pacific Central.

[10] On November 8, 2010, the Canadian government announced a $5.1 million plan to rebuild parts of the station, including refurbishing windows, masonry, and the roof of the building.

This is in contrast to Amtrak's international services on the East Coast (Adirondack to Montreal and Maple Leaf to Toronto), where passengers are processed by customs immediately after passing over the border.

To enable customs processing away from the border crossing, Amtrak trains are sequestered inside a secure caged area at Pacific Central Station.