Today I learned the reason why Vancouver has two impressive-looking historic train stations: they were built by two different companies to serve as the terminus of two different railways.
Waterfront station was built in 1914 for the Canadian Pacific Railway, while Pacific Central Station was built a few years later for the Canadian Northern Railway.1
Anyways, neither station is currently used by the company that built it, with Waterfront Station serving as the regional public transit hub and Pacific Central Station used by Via Rail, Amtrak, and various intercity bus companies.