[GenerationW]

*sigh*...

Another brilliant reply.

 

[junctionist]

Everywhere seems to have such wide open-concept subway/rapid transit stations. Makes the ones here seem claustrophobic and dingy.

Montreal may have some of the best designed stations in the world. Lionel-Groulx's architecture and engineering is sophisticated. Not only does that openness look good, it helps people to navigate the station since they can see its multiple levels in one glance. St. George looks crude and cheap by comparison. The TTC should stop getting station design inspiration from New York's system (if they haven't already).

 

[salsa]

Montreal may have some of the best designed stations in the world. Lionel-Groulx's architecture and engineering is sophisticated. Not only does that openness look good, it helps people to navigate the station since they can see its multiple levels in one glance. St. George looks crude and cheap by comparison. The TTC should stop getting station design inspiration from New York's system (if they haven't already).

St. George won't win any architectural awards, however I appreciate the ease of transferring between subway lines. In many cities you may have to walk hundreds of metres to do that. Also, if you've ever been on the Spadina or Sheppard line, you should know that the TTC has not looked to NY for station design ever since the construction of the BD line many decades ago.

 

[nfitz]

Montreal may have some of the best designed stations in the world.

Until you try and transfer to a bus at one of them. Good luck finding the right bus stop on the streets around Lionel-Groulx station. It's amazing how far you have to walk from the station entrance to some of these stops ...

What's bizarre, is that when they built the station, there was plenty of space to build a proper terminal ... but they chose to make it park instead, and force people to walk long distances to play hunt-the-bus.

Still, at least you have a chance of finding the local buses ... as opposed to Snowdon - the other station that people here seem to have wet dreams about.

It's a great station, until you try and use it. Do you have any idea how long it takes to get from the very deep platforms, to the poorly placed entrance on Queen Mary? The platform design is brilliant. However, St. George is far more accessible to the surface than Snowdon is.

 

[Solid Snake]

Until you try and transfer to a bus at one of them. Good luck finding the right bus stop on the streets around Lionel-Groulx station. It's amazing how far you have to walk from the station entrance to some of these stops ...

What's bizarre, is that when they built the station, there was plenty of space to build a proper terminal ... but they chose to make it park instead, and force people to walk long distances to play hunt-the-bus.

Still, at least you have a chance of finding the local buses ... as opposed to Snowdon - the other station that people here seem to have wet dreams about.

It's a great station, until you try and use it. Do you have any idea how long it takes to get from the very deep platforms, to the poorly placed entrance on Queen Mary? The platform design is brilliant. However, St. George is far more accessible to the surface than Snowdon is.

It's well known that Montreal copied Paris. You won't find many bus terminal there

 

[nfitz]

It's well known that Montreal copied Paris. You won't find many bus terminal there

Off-hand, I don't recall any stations like Lionel-Groulx or Vendôme (which has a decent bus terminal) in Paris. Or any stations like Châtelet in Montreal.

 

[Solid Snake]

Off-hand, I don't recall any stations like Lionel-Groulx or Vendôme (which has a decent bus terminal) in Paris. Or any stations like Châtelet in Montreal.

I meant that in style espacially in the 60s and 70s, they are very similar. The train set is practically a copy of Paris train set at the time. Drapeau didn't even hide the fact that he wanted Montreal Metro to be like Paris Metro. He fell in love with the rubber tire technology. Paris doesn't have interchange stations like Lionel-Groulx or Snowdon, that is true. The closest station that looks like Chatelet is maybe Cartier but the lighting at Chatelets is amazing. The Sheppard Line could use some purple lighting.



Paris Victor-Hugo Station

Montreal Guy-Concordia Station

Later



Paris Champs elysees station

Montreal Atwater Station

other similar modern station


Paris Gare de Lyon

Montreal Concorde Station

Paris Chatelets

Montreal Cartier

 

[nfitz]

I meant that in style espacially in the 60s and 70s, they are very similar. Paris doesn't have interchange stations like Lionel-Groulx or Snowdon, that is true. The closest station that looks like Chatelet is maybe Cartier but the lighting at Chatelets is amazing.

I wasn't talking about the art or design. Merely the functionality.

I was referring to Chatelet's infamous 10-minute long walks to transfer between lines, making the transfer between the Spadina line and Bloor line at Spadina station seem efficient.

There's no question that Montreal's stations tend to look better. Not a surprise given that almost every station was designed by a different architect, who had a mandate to be creative. As compared to Toronto where many stations were designed by the same engineer with a mandate to be cheap. At the same time, the whining here by some about the new Spadina stations being a waste of money ... oh well, the boring Eglinton stations should be more there style ...

 

[Solid Snake]

I wasn't talking about the art or design. Merely the functionality.

I was referring to Chatelet's infamous 10-minute long walks to transfer between lines, making the transfer between the Spadina line and Bloor line at Spadina station seem efficient.

There's no question that Montreal's stations tend to look better. Not a surprise given that almost every station was designed by a different architect, who had a mandate to be creative. As compared to Toronto where many stations were designed by the same engineer with a mandate to be cheap. At the same time, the whining here by some about the new Spadina stations being a waste of money ... oh well, the boring Eglinton stations should be more there style ...

True, although at Berri-Uqam the transfer to the Yellow line does require a bit of a walk, same for Jean-Talon between the orange and blue line.

The architecture of Toronto's station doesn't bother me at all. I just feel that TTC can still make the station beautiful regardless with audacity and imagination. Every downtown station should be remake like Museum.

Themes:

Queen Park :Toronto being the capital of Ontario and picture of Queen's Park building and picture/drawing of past Ontario Premiers

St.Patrick: Focus on AGO with replica of famous paintings or original paintings from citizens and make the station look like an art gallery

Osgoode: Focus on Fashion and the performing arts due to ballet and opera due to the four season.

St.Andrews: Focus on the church and the theatre district and the Thomson Hall

Union : Under renovation

King: Bay street, $$$,

Queen: More City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square content

Dundas : Get rid of the mustard collere and use the fact that it's under Dundas Square

College is fine, Personally I would add all of the original 6 hockey players

Wellesley : ?

Bloor-Yonge : The Bloor plateform is fine but something needs to be done with Yonge. Surely elements of Yorkville could be added

Bay: Heart of Yorkville

St.Georges and Spadina : U of T

Etc...

I like what they've done with Pape.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

To be fair our stations are state of the art when they're built I believe - my only complaint is that they're scaled for a far lower level of use than what we're facing now.

Not a fan of the Museum redo - it was half-baked and dated. I much rather see more effort put into high quality finishing and functional improvements to the stations.

AoD

 

[lister]

True, although at Berri-Uqam the transfer to the Yellow line does require a bit of a walk, same for Jean-Talon between the orange and blue line.

For me, the king of all transfers was a one kilometre walk in Tokyo between subway stations. I couldn't believe it when I saw the sign.

 

[Red October]

The vast majority of the London Underground doesn't. Not excusing Toronto though, just saying.

The vast majority, yes I agree most are underground tunnels. But they do have ones like Westminster, Waterloo, Canary Wharf, Baker Street, Bank, Paddington, Aldgate, Liverpool Street, etc. which are all much more open-concept than here.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

The vast majority, yes I agree most are underground tunnels. But they do have ones like Westminster, Waterloo, Canary Wharf, Baker Street, Bank, Paddington, Aldgate, Liverpool Street, etc. which are all much more open-concept than here.

Hi Red, do you think Toronto's subway system could take cues from London?

Thanks!

 

[Red October]

Hi Red, do you think Toronto's subway system could take cues from London?

Thanks!

I think it's too late to completely take after London, as by the time Toronto got their first subway line, London had a more extensive system than we do today. Things were easier then with cheaper labour and less politics. That and London's built form is drastically different than Toronto's, with it actually being composed of 2 cities (London and Westminster), plus all the surrounding core. London can move in all directions away from the core, whereas Toronto is built on a grid system and only really has 180 degrees to work with. However, we can really look at the Docklands light rail and the way transit works going in and out of Canary Wharf to see what a system looking forward can do.

That and I would just like to feel less claustrophobic in subway stations. I think Yonge-Bloor could (if money and politics weren't an issue) be redone to be much more open concept, as can Yonge-Eglinton, which would really open up the space and do wonders for the aesthetics and movement of passengers.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

I think it's too late to completely take after London, as by the time Toronto got their first subway line, London had a more extensive system than we do today. Things were easier then with cheaper labour and less politics. That and London's built form is drastically different than Toronto's, with it actually being composed of 2 cities (London and Westminster), plus all the surrounding core. London can move in all directions away from the core, whereas Toronto is built on a grid system and only really has 180 degrees to work with. However, we can really look at the Docklands light rail and the way transit works going in and out of Canary Wharf to see what a system looking forward can do.

That and I would just like to feel less claustrophobic in subway stations. I think Yonge-Bloor could (if money and politics weren't an issue) be redone to be much more open concept, as can Yonge-Eglinton, which would really open up the space and do wonders for the aesthetics and movement of passengers.

Intresting. Toronto's grid system is limiting in a way because it keeps subways on singular routes as well. Yonge Bloor is awful. I hate Yonge station is only at one side of the platform, which contributes heavily to the crowding.