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

DSCToronto said:
The hoarding (and the Travellers' Aide information desk) will probably need to go when they fix the floor!

Here is more info from the Report

Background

Union Station opened to the public in 1927. As a National Historic Site, it is one of the finest examples of Beaux-Art architecture in Canada. As part of its sale in 2000 from the Toronto Terminals Railway Company Limited to the City, the City was required to enter into a heritage easement agreement with Parks Canada which governs all restoration work at the station. In July 2006, City Council approved the Master Plan for the USRP as Council's vision to invest in the restoration and revitalization of this historic site and to expand the life of this vital transportation hub for the next 50 to 100 years. To put the City's investment in the station into context, Union Station had seen no significant capital investment by its previous owners for nearly 90 years prior to its acquisition by the City. The USRP represents a "once in a century" investment in a city building. Council's vision for the station centered on three main objectives, all of which have been enabled through the USRP:• Promote Union Station as a multi-modal transportation hub first and foremost, achieved by expanding and enhancing its transportation purpose, primarily through improved pedestrian flows;• Preserve it as a heritage building, which has been achieved through the restoration of this National Historic Site; and• Revitalize Union Station as a destination in order to promote financial sustainability, achieved through the creation of a destination and commercial retail hub as important in Toronto as Grand Central Station is in New York and others in similar world-class cities. Although the USRP was completed in 2021, only two-thirds of the restoration of the Great Hall floor was completed as part of the project; the remaining one-third was descoped due to budget constraints at the time. This work is now being resumed to address worsening tripping hazards and other safety concerns caused by the unfinished floor, and to ensure its completion in time for Union Station’s 100th Year Anniversary Celebration in 2027. The east and west sections of the Great Hall floor were restored with marble from the TMC quarry with only the central portion remaining.
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Well, that explains why the VIA concourse wall can’t come down and probably why there’ll never be a connection to the Bay and York concourses in the obvious locations they should be in.

I wonder if an exception could be made to improve circulation and safety in the station as long as new openings are built according to historical standards.

DSCToronto said:
You mean this one, from 1930ish

View attachment 699987
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Oh man, that would be a beautiful centrepiece. I would love a good split flap departures board. A train station experience isn’t complete without board flapping sounds.
 
nightstreak said:
Oh man, that would be a beautiful centrepiece. I would love a good split flap departures board. A train station experience isn’t complete without board flapping sounds.
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My understanding from talking to the late Derek Boles was that it was removed during a modernization/renovation throughout the years. There was hope during the USRPAG era that it would be returned in its original form.
 
Richard White said:
As someone who once had urgent and explosive diarrhea while out shopping at a market I can assure you it is not.

If the attendant isn't there, the washroom is closed.

A nice idea in theory but even the UK is abandoning the idea. Last time I was there, Paddington and Victoria abandoned the idea.



In my case, I came within seconds of a code brown.
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On further inspection, Network Rail-operated stations, which includes many of London's largest are now free. I'll have to check next trip if the conditions are being maintained as well as they were.
 
Every time I encounter a bad or lacking bathroom experience, my mind tries to figure out a possible solution- but no matter what we do to provide, clean and accommodate public bathrooms- there’s no helping the uh…user error/skill issue of far too many humans. Which confuses and frustrates.

Two stupid things I think deserve a life sentence in the arctic are bike theft, and rendering a public bathroom unusable.

Also, people who line toilet seats with tissue, who don’t discard said tissue before leaving- should be made to wear all that tissue around their necks for a week.
 
My City contacts tell me...

"The Great Hall projects (lighting and marble floors) are advancing and on track for project work to commence next year.

The Flux art installation remains on scheduled to be installed and completed in February 2026, following the wrap-up of the Roller Express event in the same space."
 
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DSCToronto said:
My City contacts tell me...

The Great Hall projects (lighting and marble floors) are advancing and on track for project work to commence next year.

The Flux art installation remains on scheduled to be installed and completed in February 2026, following the wrap-up of the Roller Express event in the same space.
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I hope the city has learned something (hahahah) and will piggyback on the lighting project to repair the ceiling while the Great Hall is full of scaffolding. Otherwise, they’re going to have to do this all again in a couple of years when the ceiling really starts to leak after a major downpour.
 
nightstreak said:
I hope the city has learned something (hahahah) and will piggyback on the lighting project to repair the ceiling while the Great Hall is full of scaffolding. Otherwise, they’re going to have to do this all again in a couple of years when the ceiling really starts to leak after a major downpour.
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laughing-homer.gif
 
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