Union needs a place that can double as a lunch restaurant not just somewhere to go for a night out. Something like Jamie Olivers Italian Kitchen or even along the lines of Frans. Nobody is going to eat Oysters for lunch which leaves them with a pretty narrow market for an Oyster Bar.

The oyster bar thing sounds like mimicking Grand Central - not sure if that's the thing for Toronto.

AoD
 
The oyster bar thing sounds like mimicking Grand Central - not sure if that's the thing for Toronto.

AoD

The Grand Central Oyster Bar was custom built as a restaurant for the station when it opened. Right now they are trying to shoehorn a restaurant into what was formerly small offices and ticket wickets. What they need is something small and quick.. like a bistro wherein you have minimal seating but quality food.
 
Is there any indoor (not covered moat) way to get to the PATH system from Union Station? The routes I know of either require walking outside and crossing the street, or going into/around the TTC Union Subway Station. Why can't there be a tunnel that goes directly to the PATH system (subway tracks/station in the way)?
 
Is there any indoor (not covered moat) way to get to the PATH system from Union Station? The routes I know of either require walking outside and crossing the street, or going into/around the TTC Union Subway Station. Why can't there be a tunnel that goes directly to the PATH system (subway tracks/station in the way)?
See:
PATH map.jpg


As the covered moats are (or will) run all along the north side of Union Station between Bay and York it's hard to see how using them can be avoided if you want to walk north and (frankly) why you would not want to use them. There will be a new (above street) eastern extension of the PATH going to the new CIBC Centre and, in time, to Backstage condos
 

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Is there any indoor (not covered moat) way to get to the PATH system from Union Station? The routes I know of either require walking outside and crossing the street, or going into/around the TTC Union Subway Station. Why can't there be a tunnel that goes directly to the PATH system (subway tracks/station in the way)?

Yeah, not sure what your issue is with covered moats. You could use the Yor9k St covered moat to connect to the West (Citibank) and Northwest PATH links, the northwest link currently just takes you to street level across the intersection but is going to be extended to meet up with the main network in the next few years.

As for the main network, the only means of access, as you said, is either via the TTC station or street access. Again, I'm not sure what the issue is with covered moats or the TTC station...indeed, they would have to tunnel under the streetcar platform, subway platform, and TTC concourse in order to get directly between Union and the main PATH, I don't think that's realistically possible. You walk out into the covered moat, around the outside perimeter of the TTC station, and you're in the PATH.

There is however direct indoor access to the skywalk, including the Delta Hotel and Convention centre indoors. Also the southern PATH--you can exit from the south end of the VIA Concourse Hall, the "Union Plaza" exit, and there is a set of doors that leads upstairs into the PATH walkway through the ACC, which has indoor bridges connecting to Maple Leaf Square (with future path connections through Longos into ICE condos and Infinity condos ending at Simcoe south of Bremner), and through One York St down to RBC Waterpark Place. There will be bridges to the new southeast waterfront PATH network, but it remains to be seen if the entire connection will be indoors, or if Platform 3 will remain a covered through open-to-air connection.
 
Interesting, I hadn't heard that, and Union's website listed it in the same manner as other retailers.

Also, if it has truly shut down as of today, then it wasn't open months, it was barely open a month, since I believe it opened December 5th 2017.

The CXBO Website notes that it is indeed a pop-up shop that will be open until the end of February:

CXBO Pop-Up (until February 28, 2017)

Union Station, Toronto (in the PATH beneath the Great Hall) 65 Front St. W

Union Hours:
Monday - Friday 8 am - 7 pm
Saturday - Sunday 10 am - 7 pm
 
Yeah, not sure what your issue is with covered moats. You could use the Yor9k St covered moat to connect to the West (Citibank) and Northwest PATH links, the northwest link currently just takes you to street level across the intersection but is going to be extended to meet up with the main network in the next few years.

As for the main network, the only means of access, as you said, is either via the TTC station or street access. Again, I'm not sure what the issue is with covered moats or the TTC station...indeed, they would have to tunnel under the streetcar platform, subway platform, and TTC concourse in order to get directly between Union and the main PATH, I don't think that's realistically possible. You walk out into the covered moat, around the outside perimeter of the TTC station, and you're in the PATH.

There is however direct indoor acc.ess to the skywalk, including the Delta Hotel and Convention centre indoors. Also the southern PATH--you can exit from the south end of the VIA Concourse Hall, the "Union Plaza" exit, and there is a set of doors that leads upstairs into the PATH walkway through the ACC, which has indoor bridges connecting to Maple Leaf Square (with future path connections through Longos into ICE condos and Infinity condos ending at Simcoe south of Bremner), and through One York St down to RBC Waterpark Place. There will be bridges to the new southeast waterfront PATH network, but it remains to be seen if the entire connection will be indoors, or if Platform 3 will remain a covered through open-to-air connection.
The covered moat along Front Street will be climate controlled between the "bridges" from the Front Street sidewalk t the east and west wing doors: people won't be going outside when they pass through it once construction is complete. The Bay and York moats will be covered but outside. Doors separating inside from out will be installed under the bridges.

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The covered moat along Front Street will be climate controlled between the "bridges" from the Front Street sidewalk t the east and west wing doors: people won't be going outside when they pass through it once construction is complete. The Bay and York moats will be covered but outside. Doors separating inside from out will be installed under the bridges.

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Will this be covered?
Union Bay Street Map.jpg
Union Bay Street.jpg
 

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What exactly is a “teamway”? Is it like the enclosed areas with stairs to platforms underneath the rail corridor, but to the concourse?
Originally the teamways were to create passageways below the tracks used by teams of horses to deliver goods to and from trains. They are thus level.
 
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We forget that, in the day, the volume of package freight and mail carried on passenger trains was as important for the business as carrying the people themselves. Union Station exemplifies that in that the original square footage dedicated to freight and mail was huge relative to square footage built in for public use. Over the years that space ceased to be needed for mail and express, and ended up being used for parking etc. as well as (later) the old GO terminal. If that space hadn't been built into the original station, it wouldn't be available for redevelopment now. Perhaps not the original vision, but a very happy fact nonetheless.

- Paul
 

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