The Grand Trunk was incorporated in 1853 to run from Sarnia to Portland, Maine. Although it took over existing lines, new ones had to be built, including sections of the key Toronto to Montréal line completed by the noted English engineering firm of Peto, Brassey, Jackson and Betts in 1856. The Belleville station, built about 1856, is representative of the larger stations erected by this firm for the Grand Trunk Railway. Although its design was influenced by English railway stations, it is an enduring monument to early Canadian railway enterprise.