GO Transit: Union Station Shed Replacement & Track Upgrades (Zeidler)

[DonValleyRainbow]

To give credit where due - now that the work under the trainshed is actually wrapping up, and all the construction equipment is being removed and the stairwells all have their new intended and consistent decor, it’s an improvement over the bad old days. All that is needed is one twelve foot stripe of moat-like clear glass towards each end of the trainshed. That would neither offend the heritage preservation thrust nor would it reduce the green roof square footage unreasonably.

- Paul
View attachment 135116 View attachment 135117

While I prefer the open air, how is the heritage shed a) going to work, and b) going to look with OCS?

I hate to beat this dead horse.

 

[Student99]

To give credit where due - now that the work under the trainshed is actually wrapping up,

... what trainshed are you looking at? There is still a LOT to be done. Many of the platforms have plywood sections still where concrete has been cut out. Most of them are still missing proper lighting too, and I imagine they're going to install digital display screens saying where the trains stop like they have on platforms 24-27. Old stairwells are still there too. The "yellow lines" on the edges are still largely painted instead of texturized. The actual trainshed structure still has sections to be removed underneath the new glass canopy too- it looks like it's there to support electrical cables and lighting and such... wonder how they are going to be handling that.

and all the construction equipment is being removed

They just set up some strange white steel support thing on platform 4/5. And I imagine they'll be bringing in more equipment for all the other stuff yet to be finished.

and the stairwells all have their new intended and consistent decor

??? I don't think even half of them do yet. Only York stairwells are complete... All the old Bay ones are still there, along with most of the VIA ones too.

it’s an improvement over the bad old days.

Okay I won't argue you on this one. But it's still got A LOT of room for improvement.

 

[Allandale25]

While I prefer the open air, how is the heritage shed a) going to work, and b) going to look with OCS?

I hate to beat this dead horse.

I think the response was posted in the Union Station train shed thread. Can't find it at the moment. There was a report released in later 2017 or early 2018 with a diagram showing how it would be done. From what I remember they'll utilize the space inside the exhaust spaces.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

To give credit where due - now that the work under the trainshed is actually wrapping up, and all the construction equipment is being removed and the stairwells all have their new intended and consistent decor, it’s an improvement over the bad old days. All that is needed is one twelve foot stripe of moat-like clear glass towards each end of the trainshed. That would neither offend the heritage preservation thrust nor would it reduce the green roof square footage unreasonably.

- Paul

Okay I won't argue you on this one. But it's still got A LOT of room for improvement.

It's amazing how "good" things look in a photo when there is no one on the platforms - and *this* is what we spent 5 years waiting for?

AoD

 

[Miscreant]

To give credit where due - now that the work under the trainshed is actually wrapping up, and all the construction equipment is being removed and the stairwells all have their new intended and consistent decor, it’s an improvement over the bad old days. All that is needed is one twelve foot stripe of moat-like clear glass towards each end of the trainshed. That would neither offend the heritage preservation thrust nor would it reduce the green roof square footage unreasonably.

- Paul
View attachment 135116 View attachment 135117

That's grim. Go virtually anywhere in Europe, especially the west, and feel the pain.

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

The only shot of the shed that I would say looks good and deserves credit is this:

This has a sort of European/Hauptbahnhof-esque "feel."
My personal opinion still stands about tearing it all down or moving it out to some museum so we can start afresh. I can't find it right now but there was a nice comment on an old post on Steve Munro about the train shed and the USRC in general and the commentary from a few visiting German rail engineers. The comment went along the lines of "is this a railway museum?"

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

The only shot of the shed that I would say looks good and deserves credit is this:

This has a sort of European/Hauptbahnhof-esque "feel."
My personal opinion still stands about tearing it all down or moving it out to some museum so we can start afresh. I can't find it right now but there was a nice comment on an old post on Steve Munro about the train shed and the USRC in general and the commentary from a few visiting German rail engineers. The comment went along the lines of "is this a railway museum?"

Cough the toronto railway museam is down the street. Move the shed there. Cough

 

[mdrejhon]

The only shot of the shed that I would say looks good and deserves credit is this:

This has a sort of European/Hauptbahnhof-esque "feel."
My personal opinion still stands about tearing it all down or moving it out to some museum so we can start afresh. I can't find it right now but there was a nice comment on an old post on Steve Munro about the train shed and the USRC in general and the commentary from a few visiting German rail engineers. The comment went along the lines of "is this a railway museum?"

They're going to actually rip that platform up and replace that one with a high-floor level-boarding triple-width platform:

This is the older clipart -- it's actually going to be their new subway-style level boarding platform with the platform raised to be flush with bottom floor of Bombardier BiLevels, Utah FrontRunner style.


View attachment 133982
Credit: Nightowlcity on flickr

(Image posted earlier in this thread)

So, reportedly, they're going to modify Platform 26/27 to replace it with the triple-width Platform 26/27/28/29 while raising it, according to the Verster interview in the UrbanToronto article.

 

[Allandale25]

DonValleyRainbow said:
While I prefer the open air, how is the heritage shed a) going to work, and b) going to look with OCS?

I hate to beat this dead horse.

I think the response was posted in the Union Station train shed thread. Can't find it at the moment. There was a report released in later 2017 or early 2018 with a diagram showing how it would be done. From what I remember they'll utilize the space inside the exhaust spaces.

I found the thread for the shed discussion: "GO Transit: Union Station Shed Replacement & Track Upgrades (Zeidler)"

Here is the post with the link I did back in the fall of 2017 of how they'll make it work.

 

[ninetykman]

Shocking....Still dark and grim...how much was spent on this improvement..I guess it went to the pension funds of Metrolinx bosses, who are busy dishing out parking lots contracts to their fav. contractors.

 

[Megaton327]

So, reportedly, they're going to modify Platform 26/27 to replace it with the triple-width Platform 26/27/28/29 while raising it, according to the Verster interview in the UrbanToronto article.

Did he say that? I was under the impression 28/29 would be raised and somewhat wider, but 26/27 was not being modified:

These new approaches will first be tried on a new southern platform at Union, which will be followed by gradual widening and improvement of all the other platforms at the station between now and 2025.

From http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2018/02/union-station-and-go-rer-metrolinxs-phil-verster-future

 

[mdrejhon]

Did he say that? I was under the impression 28/29 would be raised and somewhat wider, but 26/27 was not being modified:

Originally, that is what I thought.
A new platform in the middle track between theee extra tracks to the north.

But to get a triple width platform, they need to eliminate the 2 bypass tracks to the north.

I have heard that, so naturally, they want to trial level boarding with a massively enlarged platform.
And, there seems no way to achieve this without modifying 26/27, as the buildings to the north are in the way, and bridges are not wide enough.

They will begin doing this once all other tracks are open, I think.

 

[Isotack]

The only shot of the shed that I would say looks good and deserves credit is this:

This has a sort of European/Hauptbahnhof-esque "feel."
My personal opinion still stands about tearing it all down or moving it out to some museum so we can start afresh. I can't find it right now but there was a nice comment on an old post on Steve Munro about the train shed and the USRC in general and the commentary from a few visiting German rail engineers. The comment went along the lines of "is this a railway museum?"

Hauptahnhof? Not even in their league

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

They're going to actually rip that platform up and replace that one with a high-floor level-boarding triple-width platform:

This is the older clipart -- it's actually going to be their new subway-style level boarding platform with the platform raised to be flush with bottom floor of Bombardier BiLevels, Utah FrontRunner style.


View attachment 133982
Credit: Nightowlcity on flickr

(Image posted earlier in this thread)

So, reportedly, they're going to modify Platform 26/27 to replace it with the triple-width Platform 26/27/28/29 while raising it, according to the Verster interview in the UrbanToronto article.

Looking at this again. I know the talk of triple-width platforms is raising doubts as it will remove tracks, but in essence for 26/27 (why are we going to 29?), they are taking out the existing track for platform 27 and the north CN freight passing track, and using the existing south CN track for the new platform 27. Right? This means no tracks lost or platforms gained, even though they're expanding the shed area south.

 

[steveintoronto]

Looking at this again. I know the talk of triple-width platforms is raising doubts as it will remove tracks, but in essence for 26/27 (why are we going to 29?), they are taking out the existing track for platform 27 and the north CN freight passing track, and using the existing south CN track for the new platform 27. Right? This means no tracks lost or platforms gained, even though they're expanding the shed area south.

*Even if this is an experiment* it is worth doing many times over. Verster and GO have done their homework on this though. My only concern will be their getting short funded to do it properly. By world standards, Toronto Union Station could do a lot more with a lot less tracks and platforms. It will require a "world class" funding commitment, however. How "world class" is Toronto? Groannn....