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

[MetroMan]

I went there today. The Booster Juice had long lineups for the entire time that I was there. Given how little choice of food there is at Union Station right now, this isn't all that surprising. There were about 10 employees crushed into the tiny space. I wonder if it'll continue to be this popular once other food options are available.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

I went there today. The Booster Juice had long lineups for the entire time that I was there. Given how little choice of food there is at Union Station right now, this isn't all that surprising. There were about 10 employees crushed into the tiny space. I wonder if it'll continue to be this popular once other food options are available.

Jugo Juice (a competitor and similar product) was pretty popular when it was in the Bay concourse, even when surrounded on 3 sides by Cinn-a-bun, Mr. Sub, and McDonalds, so I imagine Booster Juice will do well.

 

[muller877]

No kidding. The visual queues indicate you can just walk around the kitchen and stop by the counter when you are done. Foolish design.

Like many of similar small food locations in the PATH there is normally a moveable counter in this location. To maximize counter space and allow an egress for the employees.

Just probably hasn't arrived yet

 

[DavidH]

Just posted on Twitter by @femwriter, a pic of the Bay Concourse dig-down apparently well underway.

https://twitter.com/femwriter/status/710154657625202688

 

[gweed123]

How much more of a "dig" is the Bay side, compared to the York side? I don't know for sure, but I feel like the Bay side had more of it already "dug out", because of the former concourse. Looks like it was about 50% demolition of the former concourse, 50% excavation. I feel like York was probably 30% demolition, 70% excavation, or something like that. Maybe it's just perception, but I feel like Bay has progressed faster than York had to reach that point, possibly due to the smaller excavation required.

 

[DavidH]

More, this time from @metrolinx:

https://twitter.com/Metrolinx/status/710166078610141184

And yeah, gweed123 - I agree, it certainly looks like it's going faster than York did.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

I don't think it is as much of a dig down because the Bay Concourse was already at a bit lower elevation than York. If I remember correctly the retail level will be at the same level as the Union subway station concourse level (i.e. lowered 6 or so feet to remove the stairs that are currently in the moat), while the concourse level will be above that at the same level as the York concourse (note there were a number of mini 2 or 3 step elevation changes between the York side and the Bay side). I could be wrong though as I find it difficult to visualize how everything is fitting together, but that is how I see it in my minds eye:

- dig down to remove the stairs between union subway station concourse and union station (I assume the retail level)
- "new" Bay concourse goes in above the dig down.

 

[gweed123]

I don't think it is as much of a dig down because the Bay Concourse was already at a bit lower elevation than York. If I remember correctly the retail level will be at the same level as the Union subway station concourse level (i.e. lowered 6 or so feet to remove the stairs that are currently in the moat), while the concourse level will be above that at the same level as the York concourse (note there were a number of mini 2 or 3 step elevation changes between the York side and the Bay side). I could be wrong though as I find it difficult to visualize how everything is fitting together, but that is how I see it in my minds eye:

- dig down to remove the stairs between union subway station concourse and union station (I assume the retail level)
- "new" Bay concourse goes in above the dig down.

That's a good point. I forgot that the Union Subway concourse was going to connect to the retail level of Bay, not the concourse level. It would require less of a dig-down then, about a standard office floor I would guess.

 

[Richard White]

How much more of a "dig" is the Bay side, compared to the York side? I don't know for sure, but I feel like the Bay side had more of it already "dug out", because of the former concourse. Looks like it was about 50% demolition of the former concourse, 50% excavation. I feel like York was probably 30% demolition, 70% excavation, or something like that. Maybe it's just perception, but I feel like Bay has progressed faster than York had to reach that point, possibly due to the smaller excavation required.

Keep in mind that the Bay Concourse is only being dug down about 10 feet or so and it already had a few sub levels in it when construction started. The York Concourse was an area reserved for train passengers when it was built whereas the Bay Concourse was designed to host Canada Post, CP/CN and later Via Rail.

At one point the Bay Concourse was once utilized for the processing of mail while at the same time massive kitchens and baggage areas for CP and CN were underneath and in full use. The stations electrical and other facilities were also under the Bay Concourse. When Derek Boles did his tours of Union Station, he took people in the uppermost basement level to view the baggage carts. My understanding is that there were at least 2 or 3 basement levels. The area under the York Concourse did not have any of this sort of stuff so it all had to be excavated.

This is why things are going so quickly in the Bay Concourse. Everything is already excavated, it is just a matter of reorganizing and shoring up the space.

 

[interchange42]

Sorry, you guys are just kinda making things up. Y'are.

The difference in the depth that's being excavated for the Bay Concourse compared to what has already been excavated in negligible. Where the difference is substantial is in the size of the area being excavated.

What was excavated in the first phase was the Food Court area, the Market area, and the area (approximately) where units 400 and 401 are shown below.

What was not excavated was the York St. Promenade nor the Front St. Promenade area, as those aren't going any deeper than before, just being reconfigured.

That leaves only the Bay St. Promenade area to excavate in this phase, and that's about a third the size of what was done in phase one.

Note that the word excavate is being used because that's what they've been doing - not demolishing existing other rumoured lower floors. There were a lot of walls to demolish in the old back-of-house area (what the old lower floor used to look like is below), but that was it for how low it went.

So, everything below was at the same approximate level, within a couple of feet. In the new basement level, everything other than the York and Front Street Promenade areas are now close to three metres deeper.

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[Richard White]

Sorry, you guys are just kinda making things up. Y'are.

The difference in the depth that's being excavated for the Bay Concourse compared to what has already been excavated in negligible. Where the difference is substantial is in the size of the area being excavated.

What was excavated in the first phase was the Food Court area, the Market area, and the area (approximately) where units 400 and 401 are shown below.

What was not excavated was the York St. Promenade nor the Front St. Promenade area, as those aren't going any deeper than before, just being reconfigured.

That leaves only the Bay St. Promenade area to excavate in this phase, and that's about a third the size of what was done in phase one.

View attachment 70172

Note that the word excavate is being used because that's what they've been doing - not demolishing existing other rumoured lower floors. There were a lot of walls to demolish in the old back-of-house area (what the old lower floor used to look like is below), but that was it for how low it went.

So, everything below was at the same approximate level, within a couple of feet. In the new basement level, everything other than the York and Front Street Promenade areas are now close to three metres deeper.

View attachment 70173

42

The lower levels are not rumoured I've been there. They were accessed via double doors in a corridor adajcent to the washrooms leading from the GO concourse to the Via Concourse.

 

[interchange42]

Here's another way to look at it; a 3D plan with southeast at the top instead of north. The light gray floor was not excavated, the dark gray was or is (other than the York and Bay Street tramway areas).

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[interchange42]

The lower levels are not rumoured I've been there. They were accessed via double doors in a corridor adajcent to the washrooms leading from the GO concourse to the Via Concourse.

You may have walked down a couple of stairs into some small space under the VIA Concourse, but there were no multiple full levels down below there.

42

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Either way you look at it the York work was larger (in size) and deeper than the Bay work.

Can't believe we are coming up on 1 year since the York concourse opened up.

 

[kotsy]

Crazy to think about! When did Bay close again?