Toronto Union Station Revitalization | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | NORR

I find this picture awesome. I was commuting through Union into the TTC every morning while going to school. This was back in 2015 just after they had closed the old Bay concourse and There was a very similar setup in the area with hoarding on both sides channeling pedestrians from the TTC up into the area under the Great Hall. The columns, the hoarding, the sets of construction doors on either side... everything is the exact same. Except here we are 5 years later and it looks a hell of a lot bigger and nicer. Serious déjà vu.
 
As we enter the second decade of this project let's try to remember that good things come to those that ......................wait.

Don’t forget that Union Station was built between 1914 and 1920 but not opened until 1927.

The wait is a heritage attribute. It can’t be removed.

It’s part of the station’s historical significance - as a symbol of Toronto transportation culture.

- Paul
 
Bay st retail was supposed to be mainly retail (clothes, shoes, etc. Almost like a mini mall) in the very early renders but i would not be surprised to see some restaurants wind up there as well.

Remeber though, that the space below the via concourse was supposed to be the main food court.

Considering the state of retail now vs 10 years ago when this was conceived, I would be shocked if less than half of the bay retail level was food related.
 
I went to a seminar in university which had a presentation by a fast food chain that was based locally, and since every store in the area was corporate-owned vs franchised (which was the case elsewhere in Canada), they made all their executives work shifts at the local restaurants (I think it was at least once a month), so that they would understand the in-store experience. We really should impose something similar with politicians who want to have any control over transit. So many of them never use the system, and just see it as lines on a map and don't understand or care how it actually works for end users, or TTC employees for that matter.

Not sure what came of this, but #therewasanattempt
 
Considering the state of retail now vs 10 years ago when this was conceived, I would be shocked if less than half of the bay retail level was food related.
At the same time I won’t be surprised if there is gonna be a shoppers drug mart or a chocolate store in the Bay Street retail area
 
Any plans for a grocery store?

Why would we need a grocery store at Union? There's one just outside Union in Brookfield Place (Longos City Market) and there's another one just south of Union in Maple Leaf Square. They're both 5-10 min from Union (indoors, not as crow flies)

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Why would we need a grocery store at Union? There's one just outside Union in Brookfield Place (Longos City Market) and there's another one just south of Union in Maple Leaf Square. They're both 5-10 min from Union (indoors, not as crow flies)

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To be honest, Union Station is the last place you would want one, I can see something akin to Marks and Spencer in the UK working here. Something that sells beverages, sandwiches, etc is good but not something that sells cookable items.

Richtree or Marche Grand would work nicely here though. They have one in Brookfield Place that would fit the bill at Union nicely.
 
To be honest, Union Station is the last place you would want one, I can see something akin to Marks and Spencer in the UK working here. Something that sells beverages, sandwiches, etc is good but not something that sells cookable items.

Richtree or Marche Grand would work nicely here though. They have one in Brookfield Place that would fit the bill at Union nicely.
There's a Longos in Brookfield Place about 2 minutes (indoor) walk from Union and it does not even find it worth opening evenings or weekends. Really not sure a real grocery store in Union would be viable - though the idea of a Marks & Spencer type 'food store' might work for commuters picking up a heat and eat for supper.
 
There's a Longos in Brookfield Place about 2 minutes (indoor) walk from Union and it does not even find it worth opening evenings or weekends. Really not sure a real grocery store in Union would be viable - though the idea of a Marks & Spencer type 'food store' might work for commuters picking up a heat and eat for supper.

When I was in London in 2017 Victoria, Paddington and Kings Cross - St Pancras all had them in the station. They were never empty.
 
A Farm Boy like the one they have in the Rideau Centre in Ottawa wouldn't be the worst idea.
There's a Longos in Brookfield Place about 2 minutes (indoor) walk from Union and it does not even find it worth opening evenings or weekends. Really not sure a real grocery store in Union would be viable - though the idea of a Marks & Spencer type 'food store' might work for commuters picking up a heat and eat for supper.
God I wish we had M&S Simply Food here. Or at least an actual equivalent, in terms of the sheer variety and quality of premade food they offer.
 
We'll be getting a lot more food in Union Station, but no major grocery store.

The area under the VIA Concourse (which will be connected to the Food Court, just east of it) will be food market focused, aimed at things to take home for dinner, or to take to the office to eat. The Great Hall will get a two-storey, sit-down restaurant across its north end, with most of the tables up on the second floor overlooking the hall. The area east of the Great Hall on that level is also meant for a sit-down restaurant. The Front Street Promenade just below the Great Hall could have more fast-food purveyors.

The Bay Concourse is meant for mall-type shops, which could have grab-and-go food, but it's not planned as another food court area. It will connect via a hallway directly to the Food Market under the VIA Concourse, and through that to the Food Court under the York Concourse.

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Considering the state of retail now vs 10 years ago when this was conceived, I would be shocked if less than half of the bay retail level was food related.
But reflecting the change there should be a huge Smart Pickup, Penguin Pickup, Amazon Pickup, Metro Pickup, Longo’s Pickup, Sobey’s Pickup, Loblaws Pickup station.
 
But reflecting the change there should be a huge Smart Pickup, Penguin Pickup, Amazon Pickup, Metro Pickup, Longo’s Pickup, Sobey’s Pickup, Loblaws Pickup station.

Penguin pick-up is the best idea. Grocery Pick-up requires more infrastructure and not exactly suitable for a railway station.
 

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