ChesterCopperpot said:
Why on earth would you expect them to provide you with engineering drawings???
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Why on Earth not? Is Metrolinx a secret society? They're our government, citizens have a right to know what they're doing. Government decisions affect the citizens of this Province — why would you think they should be able to operate without any oversight and hide information from the public they work for?

Besides, they've shown engineering drawings and cross sections for Bathurst station when asked. This tells me that it's probably nothing sinister, they just haven't finished, which again is crazy to me considering these stations are currently under construction.
 
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Isotack said:
Seems to be a question with every post. The original proposed subway was about a 1/3rd of the length what it is going to be. Now...a massive neighborhood of lower income families will have access to rapid transit. Lofty drawings and renditions are a thing with every proposal from governments at all levels to the private sector...be they buildings, airports, subways LRTs, high speed rail...the list is endless. We will have a subway. The people using it will not give a fuck if there is a nice looking entrance to a station. It will be functional...and it will fill a gap in the system that governments literally decades back could not get their shit together and build.
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1) I disagree. I think people care about beauty. When you travel to Paris, or Rotterdam or Vienna, you're doing that to look at beautiful buildings in part. Just when you to to Hawaii or BC, you're looking for mountains, rain forests and ocean views.

The idea that everything must be utilitarian is utter nonsense, the arguably most left-leaning country in the developed world, Sweden, spent lots of money on beautiful subway stations.

For reference:

1771523325647.png

From: https://i0.wp.com/handluggageonly.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/6I9A4226.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1

2) It's a false choice to suggest that we can't build more subway and better subway. Architectural flourish and finishes, together, (accretive beyond basic) represent less than 3% of cost on a typical project like this, that's well less than the contingency budget.
 
nightstreak said:
I got an answer from Metrolinx. "The design of East Harbour station is preliminary".
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This is misleading, at best.

It's true that not every detail has been finalized.......but the basic form/massing is known and very unlikely to change .

*****

Check your messages. :)
 
Northern Light said:
1) I disagree. I think people care about beauty. When you travel to Paris, or Rotterdam or Vienna, you're doing that to look at beautiful buildings in part. Just when you to to Hawaii or BC, you're looking for mountains, rain forests and ocean views.

The idea that everything must be utilitarian is utter nonsense, the arguably most left-leaning country in the developed world, Sweden, spent lots of money on beautiful subway stations.

For reference:

View attachment 716438
From: https://i0.wp.com/handluggageonly.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/6I9A4226.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1

2) Its a false choice to suggest that we can't build more subway and better subway. Architectural flourish and finishes, together, (accretive beyond basic) represent less than 3% of cost on a typical project like this, that's well less than the contingency budget.
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Totally off topic but it's really funny that Swedish word for down is Ej Upp ↓ (Not up) 😅

On topic: wow, what a beautiful station. A cavern and some paint.
 
Northern Light said:
This is misleading, at best.

It's true that not every detail has been finalized.......but the basic form/massing is known and very unlikely to change .
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Perhaps I could add more context to my question. I asked whether the station design was intended to be replaced by buildings in the future, hence why it seems so utilitarian. I lamented the lack of any design flourish and the missed opportunity for a signature platform canopy. Their answer was curt but in that context, I read into it that what's been released was a basic shape or massing and that the actual detailed design is underway.

I can imagine that much can be done with the current massing. It's a skeleton. The blank walls do hint that at least part of this structure will be straddled with other buildings, yet to come.
 
Not sarcasm. I legitimately love that station. The paint over the raw cavern ceilings and lighting turned an unfinished station into something spectacular. Can we leave Osgoode Station bare cavern please?


Screenshot 2026-02-19 at 1.15.06 PM.png


The engineering drawings for Osgoode show the tunnel from north to south shafts that could be left bare in the style of Swedish station you shared:

Screenshot 2026-02-19 at 1.15.18 PM.png


For East Harbour, I'd be happy to hear confirmation that the massing is intended to be replaced with towers in the future, hence why they're so utilitarian. Add a signature canopy over the platforms and tracks hemmed in between glass towers and you've got a beautiful station that can work as a transit hub with shopping in the towers.
 
Northern Light said:
This is misleading, at best.

Its true that not every detail has been finalized.......but the basic form/massing is known and very unlikely to change .

*****

Check your messages. :)
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I rather suspect it's preliminary in the sense of what the finishes will be, not the overall form and design. So basically what NL wrote!
 
nightstreak said:
Why on Earth not? Is Metrolinx a secret society? They're our government, citizens have a right to know what they're doing. Government decisions affect the citizens of this Province — why would you think they should be able to operate without any oversight and hide information from the public they work for?
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LOL - let us know how you get on.
 
I think that in a subway, the stations provide a bit of relief from the monotony of being in a crowded subway car in a dark tunnel.
One of the defining aspects on parts of the Ontario Line will be the scenery out the windows on the shared GO Corridor and on the elevated sections and bridges.
In that respect, you don't need to make as much of an impression with the stations, as the views will compensate.
 
officedweller said:
I think that in a subway, the stations provide a bit of relief from the monotony of being in a crowded subway car in a dark tunnel.
One of the defining aspects on parts of the Ontario Line will be the scenery out the windows on the shared GO Corridor and on the elevated sections and bridges.
In that respect, you don't need to make as much of an impression with the stations, as the views will compensate.
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And that would be ok if the original low budget of $9BN were maintained but we’re at 3x original estimates for utilitarian plain buildings… as usual with Mx somebody’s pockets are getting lined. Getting hosed seems to be the Canadian way. Le sigh.
 
Isotack said:
The people using it will not give a fuck if there is a nice looking entrance to a station. It will be functional...and it will fill a gap in the system that governments literally decades back could not get their shit together and build.
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Toronto used to be stubbornly pragmatic, austere, and provincial but that blue collar industrial mindset you allude to isn't nearly as prominent today. This is a cosmopolitan global city and its inhabitants demand the same quality in design as their counterparts in Sydney, Stockholm, Singapore, etc. What Toronto and its infrastructure looks like matters a great deal.

Architecture and design standards in Toronto have risen dramatically, but in all fairness, we're still lagging our peers.
 
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