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

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Richard White said:
The station is coming along well but only now has the real intrusive work begun. Digging the York Concourse and working on the West Wing was easy but renovating the Great Hall, Departures Concourse and the Moat are going to be funnnnnnnnnn. I dread to think how intrusive things will get when they finally begin work on the ceiling of the Great Hall.
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Not sure I really foresee too many problems. I assume they will finish all 4 walls first and then put up an overhead platform with a few supports. Doing the floor is more likely to cause problems as pinch-points are inevitable.
 
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DSC said:
Not sure I really foreseeable problems. I assume they will finish all 4 walls first and then put up an overhead platform with a few supports. Doing the floor is more likely to cause problems as pinch-points are inevitable.
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Yes but the scaffolding has to sit on something. It is not as though it can be suspended from the ceiling. All the standing supports for the scaffolding will make everyones life that much better. If you have posts and pillars everywhere holding up the scaffolding you are going to have pinch-points when people try and get around them.

As for the floor I can see them cutting the hall into quadrants or closing it all together. There are enough staircases that they could close it off and redirect people via the ramp or York Street.
 
Why do the washrooms always smell so gross? Is there something wrong with building ventilation?

I was so happy when the new ones opened, but now they're starting to smell as gross as the old Bay concourse ones. Puke.
 
Student99 said:
Why do the washrooms always smell so gross? Is there something wrong with building ventilation?

I was so happy when the new ones opened, but now they're starting to smell as gross as the old Bay concourse ones. Puke.
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AlvinofDiaspar said:
Tragedy of the commons?

AoD
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There are many washrooms in Union, this should likely vary between them based on which are more heavily used, ventilation differences, etc. I generally try to find the less crowded ones, anyways.

For instance, I strongly doubt the small UPX bathrooms, and especially the single-person ones in the lounge/restaurant upstairs, will have this issue--the UPX ones are really nice.

Also, there is a very little-used one up in the Front St Promenade, on the south side of the corridor, just when you cross west from the centre/VIA wing to the west/York Concourse wing.

The renovated VIA departures concourse ones are also really nice, though not necessarily much less busy than the York ones.
 
Megaton327 said:
There are many washrooms in Union, this should likely vary between them based on which are more heavily used, ventilation differences, etc. I generally try to find the less crowded ones, anyways.

For instance, I strongly doubt the small UPX bathrooms, and especially the single-person ones in the lounge/restaurant upstairs, will have this issue--the UPX ones are really nice.

Also, there is a very little-used one up in the Front St Promenade, on the south side of the corridor, just when you cross west from the centre/VIA wing to the west/York Concourse wing.

The renovated VIA departures concourse ones are also really nice, though not necessarily much less busy than the York ones.
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Guess some people don't know that the what to do with the chamber pot. Get a chambermaid.

chamber-pot-railway.jpg
 
Momin said:
Update: http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2016/11/tracking-continued-progress-union-stations-revitalization
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To maintain access between the two stations during construction, work is being conducted in stages. The remaining staircase between the subway and train station will remain open until a new concrete staircase at the far end of the image below opens. Once pedestrian traffic can be shifted to it, work will shift again, allowing further demolition and rebuilding of the old GO Bay Concourse.
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Whoa, wait a minute. So there won't be flush access between the east and west moats?
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Nope - staircase to the Centre moat if exiting from PATH/TTC:

urbantoronto-1230-3711.jpg


http://urbantoronto.ca/database/projects/union-station-revitalization

AoD
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Okay, the centre and west Front Street moats do appear to be flush with a walkway suspended above the east Front Street moat, which will be level with the upper level of the Bay Concourse. And the west moat and York Street moat are level with the upper level of the York concourse.

So I guess I'm confused as to how the York and Bay Pedestrian Retail (lower level concourses) areas tie into the Teamways? Or how the York Pedestrian Retail ties into the York Street Promenade?

Man, Union is confusing.
 
DonValleyRainbow said:
Okay, the centre and west Front Street moats do appear to be flush with a walkway suspended above the east Front Street moat, which will be level with the upper level of the Bay Concourse. And the west moat and York Street moat are level with the upper level of the York concourse.

So I guess I'm confused as to how the York and Bay Pedestrian Retail (lower level concourses) areas tie into the Teamways? Or how the York Pedestrian Retail ties into the York Street Promenade?

Man, Union is confusing.
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Yes, there will be a sort of mezzanine at the East Moat that is level with the rest, but above the TTC and PATH exit. You will find the same grade-change between the East Promenade and Centre/West Promenadte as well - and there will be a set of stairs from East Promenade to Bay Teamway.

AoD
 
Richard White said:
I notice that diagram indicates a tunnel to the Royal York under Front Street. At last check that tunnel had been walled off and pretty much abandoned. Is it still going to be in existance when all is said and done or is it one of those things that has become redundant due to the plaza?
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From what I remember of the street work, this tunnel (near east end of the hotel) was opened up (from above) and then fixed so I THINK it is still there and I guess (theoretically) available. Whether the Royal York wants people coming directly to the hotel is another question. The tunnel was, presumably, to allow arriving rail passengers to get to hotel easily but I doubt many GO passengers stay at the hotel these days!
 
DSC said:
From what I remember of the street work, this tunnel (near east end of the hotel) was opened up (from above) and then fixed so I THINK it is still there and I guess (theoretically) available. Whether the Royal York wants people coming directly to the hotel is another question. The tunnel was, presumably, to allow arriving rail passengers to get to hotel easily but I doubt many GO passengers stay at the hotel these days!
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Not to mention AODA regulations likely indirectly preclude its usage. To get from the lower level of the Royal York to the Lobby there is really only a staircase. I believe there might be an elevator somewhere but you get the idea. It is far easier to enter via Front St than it is to go under it and arrive on the lower level. While it would be nice to have, the tunnel was built at a time when rail travel was the primary means of getting around. Now people fly into Pearson or the Island Airport and drive to the hotel with no need for the tunnel. Even now there is nothing on the lower level and given the scarcity of people down there I highly doubt the hotel wants people entering down there.

If anything it will likely be preserved for heritage value.
 
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