[W. K. Lis]

Then fill the moat with water for our guests.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

You must have forgotten this meme:

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dai...tation-image-goes-viral-kuwait-204251203.html

http://imgur.com/M1eQm

AoD

 

[mdrejhon]

Then fill the moat with water for our guests.

There are already alligators in the moat, they just have nameplates like Caterpillar, Kawasaki, or John Deere.

Ferocious teeth made out of metal.

 

[DSC]

A report is coming to Government management Committee next week. See: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/gm/bgrd/backgroundfile-97861.pdf

Among its comments is "At the time of the completion of the tender documents for Stage 2 and 3, it was assumed that Carillion Construction Inc. (Carillion) would complete all of the remaining Stage 1 work in advance of the Stage 2 and 3 contractor starting on site and therefore no Stage 1 scope was included. Unfortunately, due to ongoing issues in the performance of Carillion which is currently subject to an ongoing litigation action, a significant amount of the Stage 1 work remained unfinished at the time of the City's Stage 2 and 3 contractor, Bondfield started work on site. In addition, Carillion's ongoing construction activities on site resulted in some areas not being available for Bondfield construction activities. No availability of "as-built" record drawings from Stage 1 has also created a number of scope gaps that now need to be addressed. This outstanding work needs to be completed in order to allow Stage 2 and 3 to be completed.

In addition to the foregoing, over the course of the past 13 months of Bondfield Stage 2 and 3 construction USRP has experienced the typical to-date Union Station construction challenges, being: unforeseen site conditions, environmental abatement, stakeholder requests, third party change requests/requirements, insufficient/missed design details and heritage design issues. A shortfall in the inspection and testing allowance in Bondfield's Contract has also been identified. All of these issues have resulted in a drawdown of Bondfield's current in-Contract contingency amounts.

As a result of the above, and in order to progress the construction work to completion, an amendment to the Contract value is required to address the issues identified. Staff will manage this additional authority at the City's sole discretion only.

Sufficient uncommitted funds are available within the USRP approved budget to accommodate this amendment.

USRP Stage 2 and 3 construction work is progressing well towards a substantial completion in early 2018. All remaining construction activities will be completed in 2018.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Took VIA to Montreal this weekend. Was amazed at the destroyed look of the waiting areas below the platforms. Wasn't this construction started over five years ago?

 

[Richard White]

Took VIA to Montreal this weekend. Was amazed at the destroyed look of the waiting areas below the platforms. Wasn't this construction started over five years ago?

Yes it was but it was done in stages. The Departures Concourse is the most recent section to be done. For the past few years they have been working on the west wing and the York Concourse. Only now have they moved onto the Great Hall and the Departures Concourse.

If you think that is bad, I shudder to think how bad things will be when they do the ceiling in the Great Hall. I only hope they do not block it off too much with hoarding.

 

[Admiral Beez]

One thing I'd like to see is nice looking rail embarking spaces. Take a train from Paddington Stn or many others in the U.K. and you board the trains in grand platform areas. For example, here is Darlington Stn in the UK. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlington_railway_station

Meanwhile in Toronto and Montreal we board in dark, low-ceilinged, unfinished concrete-like bunkers.

I hope there are some plans to improve the platform space at Union.

And don't get me started about Ottawa, where you board outside in all weathers like it's some hick side stop, not the nation's capital.

 

[smallspy]

Wasn't this construction started over five years ago?

Not the departures level in the centre block. That only dates back about 3 or 4 months.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

One thing I'd like to see is nice looking rail embarking spaces. Take a train from Paddington Stn or many others in the U.K. and you board the trains in grand platform areas. For example, here is Darlington Stn in the UK. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlington_railway_station

Meanwhile in Toronto and Montreal we board in dark, low-ceilinged, unfinished concrete-like bunkers.

I hope there are some plans to improve the platform space at Union.

And don't get me started about Ottawa, where you board outside in all weathers like it's some hick side stop, not the nation's capital.

When was the last time you were in Union station or have you not see the new glass roof over the what remains of the "historic bush shed" is pretty much almost gone. The only thing currently stoping work now is figuring out what to do with the old parts when go electrifies its system in the coming years.

 

[Skeezix]

And don't get me started about Ottawa, where you board outside in all weathers like it's some hick side stop, not the nation's capital.

Point taken. Although that's a photo of the Fallowfield station out in the suburbs, not the Ottawa station.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Ottawa Station is actually very nice.

 

[Admiral Beez]

When was the last time you were in Union station or have you not see the new glass roof over the what remains of the "historic bush shed" is pretty much almost gone. The only thing currently stoping work now is figuring out what to do with the old parts when go electrifies it's system in the coming years.

I walked under it, and immediately remarked that it's only covering about 1/4 of the platform.

What about the rest of the platform?

 

[Admiral Beez]

Point taken. Although that's a photo of the Fallowfield station out in the suburbs, not the Ottawa station.

Oddly, it's hard to find a pic of Ottawa station loading passengers in the winter. Must be something we prefer to forget, winter and all, brr....

 

[muller877]

One thing I'd like to see is nice looking rail embarking spaces. Take a train from Paddington Stn or many others in the U.K. and you board the trains in grand platform areas. For example, here is Darlington Stn in the UK. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlington_railway_station

There are a few reasons why the various London stations look better than Union.

- they are terminus stations where the street, platform and the waiting area are on the same level. A bigger space creates this sense of grandeur.
- Looking at some of the roof structures I wonder if they could withstand a large snow load
- If we raised the roof that high throughout Union it would be very very windswept and cold in the winter. Again...because ours is not a terminus the one end cannot be a wind barrier so we have to keep the roof low. And our weather is colder than in London.
- electricity....non-diesel trains allow for brigher and cleaner ceilings which makes it look even more grandeur (splash some bright paint on the ceiling of Union and it would look bigger)

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

I walked under it, and immediately remarked that it's only covering about 1/4 of the platform.

What about the rest of the platform?

It's because the train shed is "historic" because it's the only bush shed left in north america which to me says that we shouldn't bother saving it because it's not useful any more. It's from a time when steam engines used to run and needed places for smoke and steam to be ventilated well they were in the platforms. There are many examples of older things being retired because they don't fit in with the modern use or needs.