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

[Northern Light]

Coming from the airport, after being gone for 2-weeks, with 2 smallish kids, there's no doubt about the direness! I drove to a Shoppers when I got home.

6 pm?!?!? All the ones around here are 10 pm to midnight (or 24-hours).

It's in The Path.......nothing much is open past 7pm most nights.

****

Also, not all of our Shoppers are open that late (in our area); Main/Danforth closes at 9pm.

I do note, with interest, the one closest to you, beside the No Frills is open til 10pm. That's unusual for a fairly small store.

 

[DSC]

Coming from the airport, after being gone for 2-weeks, with 2 smallish kids, there's no doubt about the direness! I drove to a Shoppers when I got home.

6 pm?!?!? All the ones around here are 10 pm to midnight (or 24-hours).

Stores in the PATH tend to serve (only) office workers so usually close by 6 or 7 and many are closed all weekend.

 

[Jimvee]

I know a lot of money was spent on the station but could they have spent some on a proof reader…

 

[11th]

And yet I had 5 minutes to spare, when I got on the platform, after my search of the lower level. And then the (Lakeshore East) train didn't even arrive until 2-3 minutes after the scheduled departure time (not surprising with the CNE on).

With a Blue Jays game getting out, I'd have walked from the York concourse near where I entered, to the Bay Concourse anyway. Doing it on the lower level added only 2 escalator rides and maybe a minute walking.

That must be new. Though looking from the finishes - that doesn't actually look like Union.

I should've been more clear. That of course is not Union station. I was just using that as an exmaple of how those grab-and-go trips may be shortened considerably if a convenience kiosk is on a (wider) platform.

 

[Willybru21]

I’m not a fan of kiosks and stores on the expanded platforms, the whole reason they’re being expanded is so they can hold more people, kiosks like that would just impede the flow. Don’t forget the “historic” shed is staying, and the light boxes will be too, so there will still be pillars and other obstructions on the widened platforms, it won’t be a clean slate.

Switching gears, I think a Shoppers or other grocery store would be great inside Union, I can think of a few potential locations that a grocery store could fit:

The large plot inside The Market adjacent to Kibo:

The other large plot in The Market behind Patties Express:

Or the huge plot across from Blue Bovine:

 

[Jonny5]

I’m not a fan of kiosks and stores on the expanded platforms, the whole reason they’re being expanded is so they can hold more people, kiosks like that would just impede the flow of people. Don’t forget the “historic” shed is staying, and the light boxes will be too, so there will still be pillars and other obstructions on the widened platforms, it won’t be a clean slate.

Switching gears, I think a Shoppers or other grocery store would be great inside Union, I can think of a few potential locations that a grocery store could fit:

The large plot inside The Market adjacent to Kibo:
View attachment 589953

The other large plot in The Market behind Patties Express:View attachment 589954

Or the huge plot across from Blue Bovine:
View attachment 589955

There's some logistics issues there for a grocery store.
It would need to have multiple daily trucks arriving at the loading dock, and then they would need to move the goods all to the store.
I don't think anyone would be keen on opening a real grocery store where they have to traipse all the product through the public areas into the store all day.

Unless this isn't really a "grocery store" but more like the Longos in FCP that focuses mostly on prepared foods. But then there is a Longo's already across the street in Maple Leaf Square that has this.

 

[Natika33]

I should've been more clear. That of course is not Union station. I was just using that as an exmaple of how those grab-and-go trips may be shortened considerably if a convenience kiosk is on a (wider) platform.

Okay, but what you showed was an Obentoyasan - a kiosk for bento boxed lunches. You *might* have been able to get a small personal sized carton of milk there, but not a full 1L or more meant for a family.

I agree that stuff in Union closes early though. It would be nice if a few places, especially something like a convenience store, were open the entire time trains/buses are running.

 

[Natika33]

I second @APTA-2048 's nomination of Roywoods.

Good quality, good quantity. Nice level of spice too!



Have you tried the Puff Pastry snacks from Desi? They aren't world beating, but the pastry is pretty good, a bit more filling would be nice, at $3.99ea they're a very good snack value.

No, but I shall now! As you live near Banglatown, I trust you have some understanding of what proper "desi" food should taste like.

 

[rdaner]

Howdy! If this hi-speed proposal does materialize in some form would it require new platforms at Union? If so where would they go?
Also thinking that the way to make this financially viable is to give developer air rights along the entire stretch.

CEO of planned Toronto-Quebec City rail project welcomes airline interest as Air Canada joins bid

Federal officials are now reviewing three bids for the project between Toronto and Quebec City and cabinet is expected to select a winner before the end of the year

www.theglobeandmail.com

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Odd. I'd have thought that would be a common thing for a commuter to buy on the way home.

I'm surprised there's no Shoppers! Or something like that mini-Longos that is ... I think in Brookfield Place. I'd think there's an excellent Rabba franchise opportunity here!

Kibo? Sounds like a pet food store.

Definitely not running to Longo's in 10 minutes, coming back from the airport, with 3 suitcases and 2 kids in tow!

I don't know if I'd trust milk being unrefrigerated for that long. Considering that a GO train trip from Union to home is likely in the area of 1 hr, I'd probably be more likely to pick up the milk locally once I get off the train rather than at the beginning of the trip. And I'd assume that most people would do the same.

There's some logistics issues there for a grocery store.
It would need to have multiple daily trucks arriving at the loading dock, and then they would need to move the goods all to the store.
I don't think anyone would be keen on opening a real grocery store where they have to traipse all the product through the public areas into the store all day.

Unless this isn't really a "grocery store" but more like the Longos in FCP that focuses mostly on prepared foods. But then there is a Longo's already across the street in Maple Leaf Square that has this.

Pre renovation there were a few convenience stores that carried fresh fruit, though I'm not sure about milk. The one that comes to mind was across the hall from the Mr Sub place and (?) next door to McDonalds. So obviously they found a way, and there was a market for it.

 

[evandyk]

You can definitely have milk out of the fridge for well over an hour, especially if it's sealed.

 

[max]

I don't know if I'd trust milk being unrefrigerated for that long. Considering that a GO train trip from Union to home is likely in the area of 1 hr, I'd probably be more likely to pick up the milk locally once I get off the train rather than at the beginning of the trip. And I'd assume that most people would do the same.

It's pasteurized, just discount some days from the expiry date, it'll be fine. If someone can't go a day without it because of kids I expect they can demolish a 1L carton pretty quick.

In the pre-refrigeration days people just consumed it faster and while there were problems, they didn't have a lot of the food safety systems today. You obviously don't want to make too many compromises, but taking it home at night on a climate controlled go train isn't likely to be an issue.

 

[DSC]

I refuse to get my hopes up but this MAY signal the end of the Jersey Barriers @ Union Station!

 

[picard102]

Concrete Barriers doesn't sound like too much of an upgrade.

 

[DSC]

Concrete Barriers doesn't sound like too much of an upgrade.

There are acceptable ones - seen all over the world - and ones we have now so I think we need to be 'cautiously optimistic'. Their original plan was to have posts sunk in sidewalk but these ran into problem because there is LOTS of 'stuff' under the sidewalk on Front (including a subway tunnel) so a surface-mounted barrier may be the best solution.