I was at Union today and they have FINALLY removed the hoarding on the west end of the East Front Moat (between TTC station and the Bay Concourse) and the stairs to the passage below John A Macdonald Plaza are accessible - though the (new) doors at the top of them are still locked. They were also working on the westerly doors into the TTC so they will most likely open soon too. As the 4th Quarter of 2021 is about to end, I suspect we will see a few other bits and pieces finished off so they can say they met a (much postponed) deadline!
 
So basically gut the Downtown Core and replace the busiest intersection in Canada with a railway station?

Given the expropriation required and the space constraints what you propose would have been insanely expensive not to mention time consuming.

This isn't like Budapest where the suburban trains run into Subway stations. To do what you propose, you would need to tear down quite a few homes and buildings for railway tracks.

There is no way in hell any politician would approve this, get behind it or even consider it.
I agree it is unrealistic, I was lamenting the fact that one central station made sense a decade ago, but the population growth in Toronto has been massive and it’s unfortunate our transit system doesn’t work well for having two main central hubs, like an Union East/West or North/South.
 
What they should do is fix the Missing Link and then run GO Trains from Milton to Markham that stop at the Toronto North Station which is currently an LCBO. This will give people direct GO Train access to Bloor and Yonge Area. I know its at Summerhill but people can quickly get on the Subway and go to Yonge-Bloor or go uptown to Yonge-St.Clair which will spur job growth in both areas.
Didn’t know there was a North Toronto station that’s been abandoned. Definitely makes sense, and the proximity to the new Crosstown will hopefully rivitalize the midtown area and have large business throughout the region, rather than all cramming into the downtown core.
 
Didn’t know there was a North Toronto station that’s been abandoned. Definitely makes sense, and the proximity to the new Crosstown will hopefully rivitalize the midtown area and have large business throughout the region, rather than all cramming into the downtown core.
AFIK, the 'north Toronto station' does not really exist any more (either as a building that could be used - it is now an LCBO) or with platforms (which were removed decades ago). The rail line is now the main freight line through Toronto (there is now negligible freight traffic passing through the Union Station Rail Corridor.)
 
I'm sure the effort to turn North Toronto Station into a functioning GO station is not that difficult if that is what the province wanted to do, as compared to new build options in a different location on the line. The greater effort would be the investment required on track infrastructure to remove the contention with freight traffic (i.e. new passenger only rails on the south side of the corridor or a Toronto bypass).
 
AFIK, the 'north Toronto station' does not really exist any more (either as a building that could be used - it is now an LCBO) or with platforms (which were removed decades ago). The rail line is now the main freight line through Toronto (there is now negligible freight traffic passing through the Union Station Rail Corridor.)
I'm sure the effort to turn North Toronto Station into a functioning GO station is not that difficult if that is what the province wanted to do, as compared to new build options in a different location on the line. The greater effort would be the investment required on track infrastructure to remove the contention with freight traffic (i.e. new passenger only rails on the south side of the corridor or a Toronto bypass).

A couple of things to mention here.

The LCBO is occupying the original station, which has been lovingly restored. The restoration was done with an eye to preserving the option of restoring passenger service in the future.

The stairs to the platforms are still intact, preserved behind walls, and covered up top.

1638404762346.png

from: https://globalnews.ca/news/1510531/what-you-might-not-know-about-the-summerhill-lcbo/

***

Space for the platforms is mostly intact:

1638404936331.png


Though the LCBO did build into that space somewhat

****

Overall, subject to losing one of the great booze barns on earth.........returning the station to active service would be remarkably straight-forward.

As noted by @EnviroTO , the greater challenge would lie in both obtaining CP's blessing to run the service, and the requisite infrastructure investments (added track, upgraded signalling etc.) that would be required.

However, it's my understanding that CP is in fact open to this idea, provided the province brings the $$$.

I think it's likely it will happen at some point...........but

It's far from a current priority...........I certainly don't expect any investment here in the next decade.
 
15 years ago the rail deck park was an urbanist's pipe dream, now we are seeing it coming together ... s l o w l y ...

I wouldn't be surprised to see a mid town line centred on North Toronto come to fruition during the 2050's

I personally think the main rail hubs in Toronto should be Union, Pearson Transit hub, Dundas Wes/Lansdowne, and North Toronto/Midtown. Secondary/Tertiary hubs (mainly due to connectivity/distance issues) would be Kipling, Danforth/Main, and Kennedy.
 
15 years ago the rail deck park was an urbanist's pipe dream, now we are seeing it coming together ... s l o w l y ...

I wouldn't be surprised to see a mid town line centred on North Toronto come to fruition during the 2050's

I personally think the main rail hubs in Toronto should be Union, Pearson Transit hub, Dundas Wes/Lansdowne, and North Toronto/Midtown. Secondary/Tertiary hubs (mainly due to connectivity/distance issues) would be Kipling, Danforth/Main, and Kennedy.

Guildwood would be a better railway hub than Kennedy or Danforth. During the G20, it was the defacto terminal for trains coming from the east.
 
What's with the east front doors (@ Bay) being blocked off with orange tarps. I assumed these were put there (about 4-5 months ago) to allow them to repair/replace the older doors (as they did with the centre doors) but it seems to be VERY slow (even for Union!) Possibly they have taken them off and sent them somewhere to be refurbished? (I assume the west doors - to UPX - will be done next (and last).
 
What's with the east front doors (@ Bay) being blocked off with orange tarps. I assumed these were put there (about 4-5 months ago) to allow them to repair/replace the older doors (as they did with the centre doors) but it seems to be VERY slow (even for Union!) Possibly they have taken them off and sent them somewhere to be refurbished? (I assume the west doors - to UPX - will be done next (and last).
Possibly struggling with supply chain like everyone else.
The current PVDF resin shortage means you cannot get painted aluminium extrusion for the doors.
Shipping backlogs delaying hardware shipments. A lot of door hardware is imported.
Steel shortages also affect hardware.
Some door security hardware requires chips.
Polyamides for thermal breaks are in high demand too.
 
Possibly struggling with supply chain like everyone else.
The current PVDF resin shortage means you cannot get painted aluminium extrusion for the doors.
Shipping backlogs delaying hardware shipments. A lot of door hardware is imported.
Steel shortages also affect hardware.
Some door security hardware requires chips.
Polyamides for thermal breaks are in high demand too.

Wopchop isn't just a pretty face; he's full of interesting info! TY!
 
Wopchop isn't just a pretty face; he's full of interesting info! TY!
No problem.
I don't even know if those doors are painted, or if they were stainless, or what they are doing really. But those are all real issues that suppliers are experiencing right now. There are hundreds more.

I am sure we have all walked by a site and wondered why everything takes forever.
Passing judgement is easy.
Understanding is hard.
 
No problem.
I don't even know if those doors are painted, or if they were stainless, or what they are doing really. But those are all real issues that suppliers are experiencing right now. There are hundreds more.

I am sure we have all walked by a site and wondered why everything takes forever.
Passing judgement is easy.
Understanding is hard.
Agreed, but (on all their projects) the City would stop much criticism if they actually explained what they are doing and their schedule. Shit DOES happen and there is no doubt that getting 'stuff' currently takes far too long. The City has a website on Union Station renovation/restoration ( https://www.toronto.ca/services-pay...tion/union-station-revitalization-milestones/ ) which says 'the revitalization of Union Station concluded in July 2021" - which is clearly untrue! They have announced that the Great Hall floor and lighting will be fixed in 2022 and the ceiling of the area below the Great Hall will be painted in Q1 2022.
 
Not going to defend the City, but people take the announcement of completion far too literally.

More than likely they announced it was completed because the contract achieved "substantial completion".

This is a contractual term, which means that the property is fit for occupancy, the municipality issues Occupancy Permit, and the Owner or Tenant can take possession.
It does not mean than 100% of the work is completed. Not by a longshot in many cases.

I have worked many, many projects that achieved SC and has plenty of work left to achieve substantial performance of the contract.
 
Last edited:

Back
Top