Toronto Union Subway Station: Second Platform and Concourse Improvements | ?m | ?s | TTC | IBI Group

There's another rendering here:

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http://www.toronto.ca/ourtoronto/summer2011/infrastructure/article03.utf8.htm
 
I really hope they don't go with that signage. On the Sheppard line the whole length of the roof signage is black with the line stripe. Having small black signs on a white background makes it look less cohesive, like someone taped signs there after the station was designed.
 
EnviroTO said:
I really hope they don't go with that signage. On the Sheppard line the whole length of the roof signage is black with the line stripe. Having small black signs on a white background makes it look less cohesive, like someone taped signs there after the station was designed.
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Agreed. The signage at St. George is just as bad. You have the roof signage in a couple blocks, but that's it. Either do it the whole way along or don't do it at all. And I agree, make it all black.
 
I can't believe this is only being done now. I got to experience leaving a packed train while another packed train was on the other side of the platform unloading at the same time. It was chaos. I can only imagine how bad it would be if there were ever an emergency at the platform level.
 
Even worse is when there's been a subway delay and the platform is shoulder-to-shoulder with people. Unloading your own overflowing train is nearly impossible.
 
Tuscani01 said:
I can't believe this is only being done now. I got to experience leaving a packed train while another packed train was on the other side of the platform unloading at the same time. It was chaos. I can only imagine how bad it would be if there were ever an emergency at the platform level.
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Exactly. Now ask yourself why we're extending the subway to some fields in Vaughan, or to a shopping mall in Scarberia.

"Sure, let's use the subway as a tool to increase our population. Forget about alleviating capacity issues, we need to add MORE people to Yonge!":confused:
 
Finally...a station that will make this city look a little bit more world class. I mean compare to King Cross in London, Gare du Nore in Paris and even Bonaventure in Montreal, Union station is embarrassing to us
 
44 North said:
Exactly. Now ask yourself why we're extending the subway to some fields in Vaughan, or to a shopping mall in Scarberia.

"Sure, let's use the subway as a tool to increase our population. Forget about alleviating capacity issues, we need to add MORE people to Yonge!":confused:
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Precisely. I don't see the point of drawing an increasingly larger number of people from the suburbs as far as Vaughan and Richmond Hill to the Yonge Line at all. What need is to create some sort of a criss-cross network in downtown-midtown. Anything north of Lawrence Ave should be of lower priority. If one prefers to live in Vaughan, fine, stick with your two car 2000 sf detached house suburban life; The Yonge line is congested enough, and something alternative should be provided.

One other thing I observe is the ttc seems to be stuck with the idea of constructing complete straight lines on one particularly street, Eglington, Sheppard whatever. It doesn't have to be. If you look at London or Paris, it is not like that at all. We don't necessarily need to build a East-west line going to a particular Yonge station. You pick where the population is and link it to where they want to go. For example, to relieve Yonge line, we could build something directly going to King or St Andrew station, without passing by most of Yonge st. The specific routes need to be carefully studies, but I am sure it will work better than putting everyone on Yonge/Sheppard and then everyone is going south to Dundas/Queen/King.

Some areas that urgently need direct subway access I can think of is Front/Spadina, Queen/Spadina, Chinatown, King West, St Lawrence Market, Little Italy, further away, they can selectively build stations to attract business and residents and increase the density in midtown, which is semi-suburbian but are close to the core, as opposed to enourage large spawl in places like Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham. Toronto probably is the only major city where Little Italy and Chinatown is not accessible via subways. Those areas are super busy.
 
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44 North said:
Exactly. Now ask yourself why we're extending the subway to some fields in Vaughan, or to a shopping mall in Scarberia.

"Sure, let's use the subway as a tool to increase our population. Forget about alleviating capacity issues, we need to add MORE people to Yonge!":confused:
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This frustrates me too. Unfortunately, I've also come to recognize that rapid transit expansion is almost never about improving travel or capacity constraints, and almost always about opening up real estate development.

If you can stimulate real estate development without a rapid transit line, then a rapid transit line will go on the back burner (see DRL).
 
it's to support Toronto's downtown employment, office space market, and all the retail that comes with it you geniuses.

Offices will only come into Toronto's downtown if their employees can get to work. And not everybody can afford Toronto housing, or fit their family of husband wife 3 kids and 2 dogs into an 800 sqft condo.
 
Solid Snake:

Finally...a station that will make this city look a little bit more world class. I mean compare to King Cross in London, Gare du Nore in Paris and even Bonaventure in Montreal, Union station is embarrassing to us
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I hate to say it but the second platform project merely move the situtation from "death trap" to "acceptable". It will be a throughly uninspiring space in design terms and not forward looking in terms of future expansions and improvements. Not every station should be overbuilt - but if there is a case for it to be made, Union Station stop would be one of them.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
I hate to say it but the second platform project merely move the situtation from "death trap" to "acceptable". It will be a throughly uninspiring space in design terms and not forward looking in terms of future expansions and improvements.
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That's what we need to do though ... make the stations acceptable.

We're comparing to Kings Cross here ... quite frankly, is there anything inspiring about Kings Cross tube station? Or heck, ever the Gare du Nord RER station? I don't think the Metro station at Gare du Nord is anything special either ... though I've always taken the RER from there, so difficult to say. Bonaventure is certainly inspring ... but good grief, it's a long walk to Central Station ... even with that new tunnel that bypasses Place Bonaventure. And is the walkway along the parking garage on the north side of de la Gauchetière really that inspiring?
 
nfitz:

I am not saying that what is being done isn't important - what I am saying is that given the once in a lifetime opportunity AND the importance of that station as a gateway one should think a bit bigger and have a station that is par those on say, the Spadina extension in scale and execution. If we can justify spending hundreds of millions on stations that expect a rather low number of users, the case for a bit extra for this stop certainly can be made.

AoD
 
too bad we live in a democracy, where political decisions arn't decided upon logic.
 
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