mburrrrr
Senior Member
I have not heard or seen a freight train below me in years. They would rumble through before midnight and before 6:00am. Maybe my hearing is going and I’m sleeping sounder?
Maybe smaller trains.
Toronto Union Station Revitalization | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | NORR
Maybe smaller trains.
Willybru21
Active Member
Oh my bad, I thought they were all under the USEP.
Willybru21
Active Member
What time of night would they be at? I thought freight trains stopped years ago.
nfitz
Superstar
I used to see something occasionally, but I can't recall seeing or hearing one in a decade - and I've been not sleeping well lately.
smallspy
Senior Member
It's fairly variable as it is dependent on that industries they are serving on any particular night, but anytime between about 10pm and 6am they are allowed through.
Dan
superelevation
Active Member
I like wider platforms, but if the stairs are still so close to the edge thats going to be very annoying.
luk3yd
New Member
With wider platforms, hopefully they can start putting in escalators as well 
Richard White
Senior Member
With wider platforms, hopefully they can start putting in escalators as well
Not a chance. They were eliminated at Union Station for good reason.
The station has too high of passenger volume to keep them in operation safely.
Northern Light
Superstar
Probably correct. (as in very unlikely that they will be installed/re-installed in the near term)
Disagree
Definitely not correct, far busier stations around the world have escalators w/o issues.
Metrolinx/GO developed a cultural allergy to them as an organization, that I think is misplaced.
Notwithstanding that, they've shown minimal, if any, openness to change thus far. (though their concourses certainly have lots of escalators, suggesting it's merely platforms/outdoor environs that give them pause)
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daptive
Active Member
This entire city doesn't cope well with outdoor escalators, I've always assumed it was because of snow and salt but I'm sure there's some Northern European or Chinese city that handles it no problem.
Northern Light
Superstar
Agreed. Though the bulk of Union Platforms do have a roof over most or all of the platform, and there is no need to deploy salt (Mx/GO routinely uses snowmelt systems in its platforms)
Richard White
Senior Member
The reason they were eliminated was because of an accident in the station during rush hour.
Too many trains let out at once leading to a pileup at the bottom of an escalator due to overcrowding.
There was one that remained on Platform 25 but only went up and not down.
Northern Light
Superstar
Escalators were removed throughout the GO system, several other stations had them as well.
I don't recall the incident you describe, but I don't doubt it occurred.
I doubt however that was the motive for systemic removal of escalators; and in any event, today's concourses are far larger.
Edit to add, I have found a report which I assume is of the incident in question:
Richard White
Senior Member
That was what I was referring to.
DSC
Superstar
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If that 2006 incident resulted in the elimination of all escalators at Union it looks like the typical Toronto/Ontario over-reaction (often with a less than satisfactory replacement). The Yonge Street van attack resulted in Jersey barriers @ Union; MAYBE acceptable as a temporary solution but not one that should still be there. MANY places seem to manage to combine escalators and crowds (New York and London UK anyone?); the old Union escalators may have been too small, too few or too old; but after 16 years I think proper replacements could be found!