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

Years ago, I used the centre ramp from the VIA Concourse to exit Union Station every morning. One day, signs went up on both sides of the ramp warning that the washrooms on that level were going to close for construction. It was exciting because I think it was the first real indication that the long wait was over, and the renovation of Union Station was finally beginning.

The closure date on those signs was January 10, 2010. I remember it because the date was 01-10-10. Overall construction was to take 3-5 years and we thought wow, that’s a long time! Adorable, right? The Bay concourse closed right after the Pan Am games in July 2015 and was to take two years to finish. Again, adorable. So far, this project is more than five years behind schedule.

Yes, I know, completing such a huge project without closing the station was a giant undertaking and surprises arise as you dig down. Yes, I know, the completed sections of the station are wonderful. Judging by what’s already finished, they’re doing a great job. Yes, it’s going to be amazing when they’re done, and we will have a future-ready station to make the city proud.

It’s just that, today, 01-10-20, is exactly ten years after those washrooms closed and I didn’t want the day to go by unnoticed. I have a nephew in grade 4 who is younger than the Union Station renovation. Maybe they should roll a big birthday cake out into the Great Hall and invite the project management group to come down and blow out the ten candles.

As we enter the second decade of this project let's remind ourselves that good t
 
As we enter the second decade of this project let's try to remember that good things come to those that ......................wait.

(Ironically I must have maxed out the post size and had to ... wait to finish the post! - I'm clearly a noob at this)
 
I hope they are actually able to keep this place clean once it's all said and done. That new tunnel that opened a couple of months ago was absolutely filthy within the week of opening.
 
Last night:

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There will no doubt be a massive group hug ribbon-cutting ceremony when this is *functionally* complete (I'm not sure it'll ever be fully complete), with the usual quips on the magnitude of construction being alongside the busiest commuter hub in the country and having to retain the historical blah blah, ignoring the countless avoidable failures and general incompetency that has occurred over the past decade. I will personally write to my MP if I ever see Bondfail compete for a public project that I care about.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
They don't have to be users - they just have to observe and think and anticipate like users. I mean, that's what they are paid the big bucks for, no?

AoD
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I think they should be users. You can have the relevant degrees and a high IQ. But if you don't have the experience using the infrastructure every day and the emotional investment in it, the work produced is unlikely to be as good as that of someone who does. Everyone is self-focused, and the person who is frustrated by an operational issue every single day or offended by poor design and/or maintenance every day will feel more compelled to do something about it if they have some power and authority over it or if they know someone who can address the issue.

I think the worst outcome is having people like Jim Karygiannis in positions of authority over transit, who have so little experience with using the system that they don't even know the fare.
 
Hieberrr said:
I hope they are actually able to keep this place clean once it's all said and done. That new tunnel that opened a couple of months ago was absolutely filthy within the week of opening.
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Agreed. The dust in that hallway, as well as the leather shop bypass when it was open, is so much that it clumps into large tumbleweeds of hairs and dirt.
 
Hieberrr said:
I hope they are actually able to keep this place clean once it's all said and done. That new tunnel that opened a couple of months ago was absolutely filthy within the week of opening.
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Partly because it is adjacent to an active construction site but I agree it will be important to deal with maintenance issues properly.
 
junctionist said:
I think they should be users. You can have the relevant degrees and a high IQ. But if you don't have the experience using the infrastructure every day and the emotional investment in it, the work produced is unlikely to be as good as that of someone who does. Everyone is self-focused, and the person who is frustrated by an operational issue every single day or offended by poor design and/or maintenance every day will feel more compelled to do something about it if they have some power and authority over it or if they know someone who can address the issue.

I think the worst outcome is having people like Jim Karygiannis in positions of authority over transit, who have so little experience with using the system that they don't even know the fare.
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I went to a seminar in university which had a presentation by a fast food chain that was based locally, and since every store in the area was corporate-owned vs franchised (which was the case elsewhere in Canada), they made all their executives work shifts at the local restaurants (I think it was at least once a month), so that they would understand the in-store experience. We really should impose something similar with politicians who want to have any control over transit. So many of them never use the system, and just see it as lines on a map and don't understand or care how it actually works for end users, or TTC employees for that matter.
 
junctionist said:
I think they should be users. You can have the relevant degrees and a high IQ. But if you don't have the experience using the infrastructure every day and the emotional investment in it, the work produced is unlikely to be as good as that of someone who does. Everyone is self-focused, and the person who is frustrated by an operational issue every single day or offended by poor design and/or maintenance every day will feel more compelled to do something about it if they have some power and authority over it or if they know someone who can address the issue.

I think the worst outcome is having people like Jim Karygiannis in positions of authority over transit, who have so little experience with using the system that they don't even know the fare.
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No fan of Karygiannis, but TBH I don't know the fare, and I ride transit every day. Just tap and go.
 
Does anyone know if the Bay St. retail level will also have a food court? I'd think it would have a larger one than at York St. side as the Bay Concourse should be busier.
 
Transportfan said:
Does anyone know if the Bay St. retail level will also have a food court? I'd think it would have a larger one than at York St. side as the Bay Concourse should be busier.
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Bay st retail was supposed to be mainly retail (clothes, shoes, etc. Almost like a mini mall) in the very early renders but i would not be surprised to see some restaurants wind up there as well.

Remeber though, that the space below the via concourse was supposed to be the main food court.
 
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