Wikipedia

User:ShadowBallX/Sandbox

< User:ShadowBallX

This is the sandbox of ShadowBallX. If you want to use the sandbox, click here.

For: Union Station (Toronto)

This page is about the railway station. For the adjacent subway station of the same name, see Union station (TTC). For the adjacent bus station, see Union Station Bus Terminal.
Union Station
Eastward view along the Front Street facade
General information
Location65 Front Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°38′43″N 79°22′50″W / 43.64528°N 79.38056°W / 43.64528; -79.38056
Owned by
Operated by
Line(s)Union Station Rail Corridor
Platforms1 side platform, 11 island platforms
Tracks16
Connections
Construction
Structure typeElevated
ParkingNo
Bicycle facilities115 space parking station[1]
Disabled accessYes
ArchitectRoss and Macdonald
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts
Other information
StatusStaffed station
Station code
IATA codeYBZ
Fare zone02
Websitetorontounion.ca
History
OpenedAugust 6, 1927; 96 years ago (1927-08-06)
Rebuilt1970s, 2009–2021
Passengers
Passengers (2012)2.91 million Increase 0.5% (Via)
Passengers (2015)69.5 million Increase 1.9% (GO Transit)
Services
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Adjacent stations/Via Rail' not found.
Former services
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Adjacent stations/Ontario Northland Railway' not found.
Official nameUnion Station (Canadian Pacific and Grand Trunk) National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1975
Designated1989
Official nameUnion Station Heritage Conservation District
Designated2006
Location
Union Station is located in Toronto
Union Station
Union Station
Location in Toronto
Union Station is located in Southern Ontario
Union Station
Union Station
Location in Southern Ontario
Union Station is located in Ontario
Union Station
Union Station
Location in Ontario
Union Station is located in Canada
Union Station
Union Station
Location in Canada

Union Station is a railway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In 1975, the station was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. In 1999, it was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame.[2]


It is located on Front Street West in downtown Toronto. The municipal government of Toronto owns the station building while the provincial transit agency Metrolinx owns the train shed and trackage. Union Station has been a National Historic Site of Canada since 1975,[3][4] and a Heritage Railway Station since 1989.[5] It is operated by the Toronto Terminals Railway, a joint venture of the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway that directs and controls train movement along the Union Station Rail Corridor, the largest and busiest rail corridor in Canada.

Its central position in Canada's busiest inter-city rail service area, "The Corridor", as well as being the central hub of GO Transit's commuter rail service, makes Union Station Canada's busiest transportation facility and the third-busiest railway station in North America (behind New York Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal), serving over 72 million passengers each year. More than half of all Canadian inter-city passengers and 91 percent of Toronto commuter train passengers travel through Union Station.[6][7]

Via Rail and Amtrak provide inter-city train services while GO Transit operates regional rail services. The station is also connected to the subway and streetcar system of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) at its adjacent namesake subway station. GO Transit's Union Station Bus Terminal, located in CIBC Square, is connected to the Union station by a 40-metre (130 ft) enclosed walkway above Bay Street. The Union Pearson Express, which provides train service to Toronto Pearson International Airport, has a platform a short walk west of the main station building, accessible by the SkyWalk.[8]

Site location change

 
Union Station is located on Front Street between York and Bay Street.

The station is located at 61 Front Street West, between Bay Street and York Street in the business district of Toronto.

It is roughly at the city's east-west centre. It is also close to Lake Ontario, which marks Toronto's southern boundary. The southernmost part of the Gardiner Expressway, which lies between Union Station and Lake Ontario, provides easy core access to GO Transit buses. Union Station's columned façade and main entrance faces north, towards downtown Toronto. The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, a former railway hotel, is directly across Front Street from Union Station and can be accessed from the station both at street level and via an underground passageway called Path. The Dominion Public Building, another building from the same era, is just to the east of the station, at the corner of Front and Bay Streets.

Other major buildings near Union Station are Telus Tower and Brookfield Place. Brookfield Place is home to the Allen Lambert Galleria, a six story high pedestrian thoroughfare, as well as the Hockey Hall of Fame, which holds the Stanley Cup.

Scotiabank Arena, the Rogers Centre, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and the CN Tower are all close by, and are visible from some parts of the station. Like Union Station, these structures were built on former Railway Lands. All of them can be accessed directly from Union Station via the Skywalk. The land around the CN Tower has been converted to a public park. Union Station will soon be linked via a Path bridge on the east side to the Backstage Condominium building at the corner of Esplanade and Yonge Street.

Structure change

Toronto's Union Station is Canada's largest and most opulent railway station. The Montreal architecture firm of Ross and Macdonald designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style as a joint venture between the Grand Trunk Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway, with help from CPR architect Hugh Jones and Toronto architect John M. Lyle. In 1975, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada cited its design as being of "national architectural significance as one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts railway station design in Canada".[9]

The bilaterally symmetrical building comprises three connecting box masses facing Front Street West, with the main structure in the middle. Together, the three parts measure 752 feet (229 m) long and occupy the entire south side of the block between Bay Street in the east and York Street in the west.[10]

 
The facade of the Front Street entrance includes 22 colonnaded loggia constructed with limestone.

The exterior Front Street façade is laid out in an ashlar pattern, constructed with smooth beige Indiana and Queenston limestone. The colonnaded loggia which faces Front Street features 22 equally spaced Roman Tuscan columns made from Bedford limestone, each 40 feet (12 m) high and weighing 75 tons. Fourteen three-storey bays, each with severely delineated fenestration, form the façade on either side of the central colonnade for a total of 28 bays.[10] The structures at either end have an additional ten bays. Three rectangular windows fill each bay, lighting the interior hall with plenty of natural light. However, the building's external profile is hard and flat, with a line of huge columns, heavy ornamentation and strong symmetry.

The recessed main entrance is framed by two sets of four columns, with relief wreaths carved into the entablature above the columns. These columns are composed of three separate segments on top of an incongruous octagonal plinth, implying an Ionic order or Corinthian order; however, the capital is sculpted in a Doric order. Consequently, these columns appear to be unfinished. The original plan for the columns is not known.

A wraparound dentil cornice and a recessed peaked hipped roof creates the illusion of a flat roof, just like a palazzo. On either side of the main entrance, a blind arch with an ornamental keystone contains a set of three steel-framed doors, along with a large arched window. Decorative friezes separate the arched window from the doors. When these entryway elements are combined, they create a processional experience through the entryway into the grand interior space. The flat-roof illusion, together with the axial symmetry, classical detailing in both structural and decorative elements, heavy ornamentation, and formal setting is typical of the Beaux-Arts style.[11]

The station housed a gun range on the seventh floor from 1927 until 2008. The range was operated for "Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway police to practice their shooting skills. It eventually opened to members of the public". It was known as the Canadian National Recreation Association (CNRA) handgun club. The city closed the range in 2008 as a symbolic gesture to its effort to reduce gun violence.[12]

Great Hall and Via Concourse change

The front entranceway opens on to the expansive Ticket Lobby, informally known as the "Great Hall". This part of Union Station runs the entire length of the main section. It is 250 feet (76 m) long and 88 feet (27 m) high at its highest point. Like the outside facade, enduring materials such as bronze, limestone, marble, tiles, and translucent glass create a sense of enduring quality.[10]

 
Union Station's ticket lobby, or "Great Hall", is lit with diffused natural light from clerestory windows throughout the lobby.

The entire space is lit with diffused natural light from clerestory windows refracted throughout the lobby. Each end of the Great Hall also features four-storey tall arched windows, based on those of Roman baths.[10]

The two-storey-high vaulted ceiling, which is what makes it look from the front as though a second building were rising behind the colonnade, is made of coffered Guastavino tiles.[13] The walls are faced with Zumbro stone from Missouri, and the floors are constructed of Tennessee marble laid in a herringbone pattern. Below the cornice surrounding the "Great Hall" are carved the names of many Canadian destinations, from the east coast to Vancouver, accessible by the Grand Trunk Railway or Canadian Pacific Railway at the time of the station's construction. Many remain destinations on Via Rail routes.

While historically shared by many different services, the Great Hall is now occupied primarily by Via Rail, whose agents also provide services to Amtrak passengers. The hall is home to Via's ticket and baggage desks, business class lounge, and several small displays, as well as the station's grand clock, a Traveller's Aid desk, and Via's departure board.

GO Concourses and Teamways change

 
The Bay concourse in 2009 before renovation
 
Connections with GO Transit services can be accessed through the York Concourse.

Passengers can connect with GO Transit services through the 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m2) York Concourse, which opened on April 27, 2015, west of Union Station. This new concourse supplemented the York South Concourse that provided access to platforms 24 to 27.[14][15] The York and York South Concourses connect to the York East Teamway, as well as an entrance to a Path tunnel leading across Front Street, between York Street and University Avenue.[16] The York West Teamway is connected to Union Station via the Skywalk.[15]

Historically, the 3,700-square-metre (40,000 sq ft) Bay Street Concourse was the hub of GO Transit operations for almost 40 years.[14][17] The Bay Concourse was closed on August 16, 2015, for revitalization,[18][19] and reopened on July 27, 2021. The concourse features 72 departure screens, 30 Presto devices, seven ticket vending machines and six self-service Presto reload machines. Both the Bay and York concourses give access to GO train platforms.[20]

The Bay West Teamway provides access to platforms 4 to 13 and the Bay South Concourse.[19] The Bay East Teamway provides indoor access to platforms 4 to 13 directly from the Union Station Bus Terminal.[21]

Train shed change

 
A glass atrium forms the central portion of the train shed.

Trains arrive and depart from the train shed, which contains 23 platforms (11 island platforms and one side platform) south of the Great Hall.[22] On May 11, 2009, the last two platforms were opened, platforms 24/25 between tracks 12 and 13 and platforms 26/27 between tracks 13 and 14 on the south side of the train shed.[23] In July 2022, Metrolinx was having platforms 24 to 27 and their three tracks demolished on the south side of the station in order to replace them with two new tracks and two new wider platforms to increase safety and capacity.[24]

The train shed was designed by A. R. Ketterson and built between 1929 and 1930. It is a variation of the Bush train shed invented by Lincoln Bush.[25] A reconstruction of the train shed began in January 2010. The east and west sides of the shed, totalling approximately 30,000 square metres (320,000 square feet) were renovated and restored with input from Parks Canada to help preserve its heritage character. This renovation came with plans to have a green roof installed, reducing the urban heat island effect and stormwater runoff; however, with the project being almost eight years behind and multiple times over budget, along with the fact that plant-watering logistics would clash with the planned overhead wiring for electrification, the addition of a green roof was cancelled. The central portion of the original train shed, totalling 30,000 square metres (320,000 square feet), was removed and replaced with a glass atrium. The structure floats above the tracks and allows daylight to reach the platforms.[26]

Platform 3 is the northernmost platform at Union Station and is the only platform at the station serving just one track. It reopened for service on January 10, 2022, after a renovation of its heritage features. Allowing a lower, lighter shed roof in the age of steam, the smoke vents over tracks 1 and 2 are a preserved heritage feature of the platform 3 area; these were restored. The decorative, cast-iron columns along the platform were restored and reinstalled. Other structural renovations were done along the length of the platform. Once the north tower of the CIBC Square is completed, stair and elevator access will be reinstated between platform 3 and the Bay East Teamway.[22]

Metrolinx media
  Track and platform cross-section at Union station looking west

The 23 platforms are numbered from 3 to 27, but there is no platform 1, 2, 23 or 24. The platforms were renumbered in 2008 for the benefit of operational staff in order to provide a correlation between platform numbers and track numbers. (Prior to the renumbering, the platform numbers had an A or B suffix that proved to be confusing for both customers and operational staff.) Tracks and platforms are each numbered from north to south with track 1 being beside platform 3 on the north side of the train shed. There is an island platform between all pairs of tracks except between tracks 1 and 2 and tracks 11 and 12. Odd numbered platforms are on the north side of a track while even numbered platforms are on the south side of a track. There is a formula to compute the platform number given the track number, with an exception for track 1:[23]

  • The number for the platform on the south side of a track equals two times the track number.
  • The number for the platform on the north side of a track equals two times the track number minus one, except for track 1 where the platform number is set to 3 rather than 1.

Most Toronto-area railway freight does not enter downtown Toronto. Local freight movements are permitted on two dedicated tracks south of the train shed, allowing freight trains to go east towards Pickering and west towards Burlington.[source?]

West wing and SkyWalk change

Union Station's west wing is west of the Great Hall. Metrolinx is headquartered in the west wing at 97 Front Street.[15][27] Across from these offices is an official tourism information centre that provides maps, visitor guides, brochures and tourism specialists to provide help to city visitors.[28]

A pathway known as the SkyWalk continues west from the west wing, overtop of York Street. The SkyWalk is considered part of the Path network, and connects Union to the CN Tower and Rogers Centre. It is also the location of the Union Pearson Express station.

History change

Previous stations change

 
The second Union Station in 1878

The first Union Station was built in 1858, by the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR). The GTR shared this station with the Northern Railway and the Great Western Railway. The station was replaced by the second Union Station in 1873. In 1884, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began using the station. The station was rebuilt during the 1890s, with the station reopening in 1896. In 1904, a large fire in Toronto destroyed an area of land south of Front Street West, which was bought by the GTR, with plans to build a new terminal station. In 1905, both the GTR and the CPR agreed to build a new Union Station on the land owned by the GTR.

Construction change

See also: Union Station Rail Corridor

On July 13, 1906, the Toronto Terminals Railway (TTR) was created to "construct, provide, maintain and operate at the City of Toronto a union passenger station". The TTR was jointly owned by the GTR and the CPR, with both companies owning 50% of the TTR's shares. The TTR supervised construction of the new station, which began in 1914, and continued into 1920, having faced delays due to the First World War, alongside the GTR's worsening financial position due to the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway project.[29]

Although the new station's buildings were completed in 1920, it did not open to the public for another seven years. This was due to the system of approach tracks, which were designed and implemented by the TTR and its owners. In 1923, the GTR, which was now bankrupt, was fully nationalized by the Government of Canada, and merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR). The CNR would obtain the GTR's 50% stake of the TTR, which included the third Union Station.

Opening and further construction change

 
Prince George at the opening of Union Station by his brother, Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, on August 6, 1927

Although the station was incomplete, its building was complete and the station was opened by Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, on August 6, 1927,[30] in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, using a pair of gold scissors. In attendance were Prince George, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario William Donald Ross and his wife, Prime Minister of Canada William Lyon Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Stanley Baldwin and Mrs. Baldwin, Premier of Ontario George Howard Ferguson, and other members of the government of Ontario and government of Canada.[31] Prince Edward was the first person to step off of a train into Union Station; a mixed choir composed of soloists from the city's churches sang the royal anthem, "God Save the King", as the royal party walked through the concourse.[32] Once he was in the Great Hall, the Prince of Wales quipped, "you build your train stations like we build our cathedrals".[33] He was then escorted to a nearby Canadian National Railway wicket and was presented with the first ticket issued at the station: one "valid for all time" and "between all stations". He proceeded to the Canadian Pacific Railway's wicket, where he was given a first-class fare from Toronto to High River, Alberta, where his ranch was located.[32] Prince George was given similar tickets.[32]

Four days later, the track network was shifted from the second Union Station. To get to trains, passengers would walk from the south doors to the tracks located several hundred feet to the south while the new viaduct, concourse and train shed were under construction.[30] Demolition of the second Union Station began almost immediately and was completed in 1928. The third Union Station project was not fully completed until 1930 when the train shed was completed; its construction was supervised by the TTR from 1925 to 1930.[29]

The TTR also constructed a central heating plant at the corner of York and Fleet streets (now Lake Shore Boulevard West) to replace the original Toronto Hydro plant on Scott Street which had been expropriated by the TTR to build the approach track viaduct to the new station. It was fuelled by coal delivered by a CNR siding and was the largest such facility in Canada when it opened in 1929; it produced 150,000 kilograms (330,000 lb) of steam per hour and 270,000,000 kilograms (600,000,000 lb) annually to heat the station; the passenger cars in the train shed; CNR and CPR yard facilities in the area now occupied by the Gardiner Expressway, Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena; the CPR's Royal York Hotel; the Dominion Public Building; the federal post office building adjacent to the station; and the CN/CP Telecommunications building on Front Street.

Subway connection change

 
Excavation outside of Union Station on Front Street in 1950 for a subway line

The first major change to Union Station took place in 1954 when the Toronto Transit Commission opened its Union subway station adjacent to Union Station but buried beneath Front Street West. This subway station acted as the southern terminus of its new subway line. The subway station included a direct tunnel connection to the lower level passenger concourse. This passageway was closed and replaced by the direct connection between the railway station and the subway station in 1979 when the subway station mezzanine was renovated and enlarged. In 1990, the TTC's Harbourfront LRT project added an underground streetcar loop now used by the 509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina streetcar lines. TTC passengers using the Union subway and streetcar station may transfer between both modes without entering the Union Station proper.

Metro Centre redevelopment proposal change

Further information: Railway Lands

During the early 1970s, Canada's two major passenger railways, the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National, were reducing their services to the bare minimum mandated under the Canadian Transport Commission, largely as a result of unsustainable losses caused by increased competition from new, subsidized four-lane highways and airports.

 
Construction for the CN Tower in 1973. Plans to redevelop the Railway Lands surfaced with freight traffic being diverted outside the downtown core.

The third Union Station's future was looking bleak by 1972, when both railways sought to increase return on their underutilized waterfront rail classification yards which was being viewed as valuable real estate. Both CN and CP began to abandon their extensive waterfront rail classification yards south of the passenger station to make way for urban redevelopment. The Gardiner Expressway project was constructed over part of the railway property and CN had proposed constructing a telecommunication tower (what would become the CN Tower later that decade).

CN and CPR proposed a "Metro Centre" development on the south side of Front Street on the site of Union Station and proposed to demolish the structure (which was costing an increasing amount of property taxes but not bringing in revenue). The proposed Metro Centre development was strikingly similar to what occurred with New York City's Penn Station and would have consisted of an underground fourth Union Station (the terminal trackage would have been buried), a convention centre, a telecommunications tower, along with complementary office and retail developments. Local opposition to the proposal was successful in having the city council's decision to support the Metro Centre development overturned and Union Station was saved.

Although it was converted from coal to natural gas, the Central Heating Plant built in 1929 was decommissioned in the 1980s, and demolished in 1990.[29] It is now site of The Ice condo towers.

In 1978, CN and CP transferred responsibility for their passenger rail services to Via Rail, a new federal Crown corporation; however, CN and CP retained their 50% ownership shares of the TTR.

Growth and waterfront development change

 
The SkyWalk was constructed over the train tracks of Union Station to connect the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Rogers Centre with the rest of the Path pedestrian network.

The GO Transit commuter rail agency which was established on May 23, 1967, had been undergoing unprecedented expansion which was seeing Union Station see passenger levels that outstripped some of the busiest airports in the world. The consolidated TTR trackage included a flyover west of the station to permit freight trains to cross CN's Oakville subdivision without blocking GO Transit's commuter trains. The flyover was constructed in 1982–83 and also allowed GO trains destined for the CN Weston subdivision to cross over the tracks used by GO and Via trains using the CN Oakville subdivision. [source?]

The CN Tower had revamped the vision of Toronto's waterfront rail yards and proposals were made to construct what would later become SkyDome (1989) and Air Canada Centre (1999), resulting in further changes to the Union Station trackage. The Path pedestrian tunnel network was built to connect Union Station's passengers with many of the downtown office towers and the SkyWalk was constructed over the terminal trackage west of the station to connect the Path with the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Rogers Centre.

21st century revitalization change

See also: Union station (TTC) § Station expansion
 
Union Station's southern entrance was opened in 2010. Renovations of the station's train sheds may be seen in the background.

In 2000, the City of Toronto purchased the station building from the TTR, while GO Transit purchased the railway corridor and the Union Station train shed. On July 24, 2003, the City of Toronto agreed to lease Union Station to Union Pearson AirLink Group, a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin, for a term of 100 years.

A subsequent announcement on May 24, 2006, addressed several issues for commuters including: constructing a direct connection from the GO Concourse to the Path pedestrian tunnel system, a new eastbound platform for the Union TTC station, improved access to streetcars at Union TTC station, and improved capacity for inter-city railway passengers. These developments were part of a $100 million initiative announced by the city and its transit authorities, along with the Government of Ontario and Government of Canada.[34] On August 5, 2009, the Toronto City Council approved an update of this plan which was projected to cost $640 million, with construction lasting from 2010 to 2014.[35] Much of the work was undertaken by or managed by Carillion.[36]

 
Union Food Court, the first phase of the lower retail level, was opened in January 2019.

The work also involved a complete overhaul of the GO concourses, deepening them to create two storeys of space. The lower level (the food court section of which opened in January 2019)[37] will provide retail space and room for pedestrian traffic flow, and the upper storey will be dedicated to passenger traffic onto the platforms. This will expand not only the current GO concourse in the east of the building, but also open up the western end; GO Transit's presence in the building will nearly quadruple. Additional aesthetic points include glass roofs over the moat space around the north sides of the building, and a tall atrium over the central portions of the platforms. A new southern entrance, adjacent to the Air Canada Centre, opened in 2010.[38][39]

The 2009 Ontario and Canada government budgets included financing to assist GO, Via and the city in redeveloping and restoring the station. Track has been upgraded with better signals and snow cleaning devices to reduce winter delays to train movement.

In 2016, it was realized that the renovated train shed roof was too low to allow electrification. The train shed roof is considered a heritage feature and cannot be removed. Remedies considered were raising the roof, or lowering the track level.[40]

By early 2018, the cost had increased from $640 million to an estimated $823.5 million. Work that was to have been completed in 2015 was projected to be finished late 2018[41] and in late 2018 revised to 2019.[42] In 2019 it was announced that the city's portion of construction would be complete in 2019, but then Metrolinx would have to start its work, with a projected 2020 completion date.[43]

In February 2019, charges were laid by Toronto Fire Services against contactor Bondfield Construction and the city for an over-crowding issue where doors had been blocked.[44] In March 2019 it was reported that Vaughan-based contractor Bondfield Construction had applied for bankruptcy protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).[45]

Services change

 
Timetable for inter-city rail services in the Great Hall

Union Station is the busiest public transportation structure of any kind in Canada, including air travel. It handles 65 million passengers annually, with an average of 200,000 passengers each day. Approximately two-thirds of those passengers are GO train or GO bus commuters, while another 20 million take the subway. The remainder are intercity travelers between other cities in Canada and the United States.[6]

Via Rail change

Toronto is Canada's primary passenger train hub. Consequently, Union Station is by far Via Rail's busiest and most-used station. Each year, 2.4 million Via Rail passengers pass through Union Station, representing more than half of all Via Rail passengers carried systemwide.[6] This heavy usage is partly due to Union Station's position at the centre of Canada's busiest inter-city rail service area, the "Corridor", which stretches from Quebec City in the east to Windsor in the west.

 
Via Rail train waiting in Union Station. The station is Via Rail's most used facility.

Westbound Via Rail trains from Toronto connect directly to most major cities in Southwestern Ontario, including Kitchener, London, Sarnia, and Windsor. Additionally, westbound trains from Montreal pass through Toronto en route to Burlington. Northbound and eastbound Via Rail trains from Toronto primarily serve the heavily travelled Ottawa–Montreal-Toronto triangle. At Montreal, passengers can connect to trains heading to the Maritimes or north to the Laurentians.

Union Station is also the eastern terminus of The Canadian, Via Rail's transcontinental service westbound to Vancouver via Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton.

Amtrak change

 
The Maple Leaf departing from Union Station to New York City

Amtrak operates the Maple Leaf service, alongside Via Rail. The service runs between Toronto and New York City. The service uses Amtrak rolling stock, although it is operated by Via Rail crews north of Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Amtrak and Via Rail used to operate the International Limited service, between Toronto and Chicago (via. the Sarnia–Port Huron border crossing). This service was cancelled in 2004, and was replaced by Via Rail's Toronto-Sarnia service, and Amtrak's Blue Water route between Port Huron and Chicago.

GO Transit change

Union Station is the main terminus station for GO Transit services. This includes:

  • The Barrie line to North York, Vaughan, King City, Aurora, Newmarket, East Gwillimbury, Bradford, and Barrie
  • The Kitchener line to York, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Acton, Guelph and Kitchener
  • The Lakeshore East line to Scarborough, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa
  • The Lakeshore West line to Etobicoke, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls
  • The Milton line to Etobicoke, Mississauga and Milton
  • The Richmond Hill line to North York and Richmond Hill
  • The Stouffville line to Scarborough, Markham and Stouffville

GO Transit also operates a nearby bus terminal, which is located at CIBC Square, 81 Bay Street, on the south side of the terminal. The terminal currently serves GO Transit regional buses as well as Coach Canada, TOK Coachlines, and Ontario Northland long-distance bus services.

TTC change

 
Union Subway Station in 2016

Union Station is connected to the TTC's subway system by Union Subway Station on Line 1.

The station is also connected to the streetcar system in Toronto. The 509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina streetcar routes can be accessed from the subway station.

Toronto Transit Commission bus routes 19 Bay, 72 Pape, 97 Yonge, 121 Esplanade–River, and night route 320 Yonge, use curbside stops on the streets outside.

Airport link change

The Union Pearson Express (UPX) opened in 2015, which connects Union Station and Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UP Express also stops at Bloor and Weston GO stations.

UP Express services stop at a separate station, that is located west of the main station building. The UP Express station is a 5-minute walk from the Union subway station.[8]

Other services change

The Ontario Northland Railway used to operate the Northlander service, between Union Station and Cochrane. The service operated between 1976 and September 2012.

References change

  1. ↑ "Bicycle Parking Stations". City of Toronto. October 12, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Union Station". North America Railway Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2013. Inducted 1999
  3. ↑ Union Station. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  4. ↑ Union Station (Canadian Pacific and Grand Trunk) National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  5. ↑ Union Station. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "About Union Station". City of Toronto. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Info to GO" (PDF). GO Transit. April 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Union Station". Union Pearson Express. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  9. ↑ Toronto Terminals Railway (November 2007). "Union Station design and architecture". Archived from the original on September 25, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Union Station Revitalization — Get on Board!" (PDF). City of Toronto. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  11. ↑ "HistoricPlaces.ca". HistoricPlaces.ca. August 28, 1989. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  12. ↑ Daniel Kitts (September 24, 2015). "Battle over Union Station shooting range underlines urban gun divide". TVO. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  13. ↑ Vyhnak, Carola (August 7, 2006), "How Toronto almost lost Union Station", The Toronto Star, p. IN7
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "GO Concourse Improvements". Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Union Detailed Map". Go Transit. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  16. ↑ "PATH map" (PDF). City of Toronto. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Go Transit's Bay Concourse To Undergo Major Renovation".
  18. ↑ "Your GO Train Platform at Union Station is Changing" (PDF). GO Transit. April 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Bay Concourse Closing". GO Transit. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Brand new Bay Concourse opens to customers inside Union Station today". Metrolinx. July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Bay Street pedestrian walkway at Union Station reopens". Metrolinx. May 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Heritage platform at Toronto's Union Station reopens following restoration work". Metrolinx. January 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; January 11, 2022 suggested (help)
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Oh no, it's transit math – Solving the mystery of how Toronto's Union Station platform numbers work". Metrolinx. January 17, 2022. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Improvements continue at Toronto's iconic transit hub as part of the Union Station Enhancemen". Metrolinx. July 6, 2022. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; July 7, 2022 suggested (help)
  25. ↑ "Union Station Train Shed". eraarch.ca. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Train Shed Roof Revitalization". GO Transit. August 14, 2015. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Contact Us". Metrolinx. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Union Station Tourist Information Centre". City of Toronto. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Toronto Terminals Railway (November 2007). "Toronto Terminals Railway history". Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Riddell 1994, p. 14.
  31. ↑ Filey, Mike (August 2007). "Union Station turns 80". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Griffen, Frederick (August 6, 1927), "Entrance of Prince into Union Station marks great event", The Toronto Star, p. 1
  33. ↑ "The Royal Family in Toronto, Then and Now". Toronto Then and Now. November 20, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  34. ↑ James Cowan (December 20, 2006). "Failed projects To Get Second chance". National Post.
  35. ↑ Brodie Fenlon (August 5, 2009). "Toronto approves Union Station makeover". The Globe and Mail. p. A6.
  36. ↑ Robyn Doolittle (May 26, 2014). "Over budget and behind schedule, Toronto Union Station project may miss Pan Am games deadline". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  37. ↑ Renee Suen (January 7, 2019). "Union Station's new food court is now open. Here's what you can order". Toronto Life. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Union Station" (PDF). Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  39. ↑ "New South Platform – Platform 26/27". GO Transit. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  40. ↑ Gee, Marcus (January 28, 2016). "Raise the roof? Union Station reno runs into problem: New trains won't fit". www.theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  41. ↑ Spurr, Ben (January 19, 2018). "Union Station renovation delayed again, will cost $23M more". www.thestar.com.
  42. ↑ "Construction on Union Station pushed back until 2019". thestar.com. November 13, 2018.
  43. ↑ Morris, Siobhan (March 1, 2019). "UNION STATION RENOVATION COULD STRETCH INTO 2020". Newstalk 1010. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  44. ↑ Wilson, Codi (February 28, 2019). "Fire code violations laid after overcrowding situation at Union Station". CTV News Toronto. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  45. ↑ CNGRPsite (March 8, 2019). "As it files for creditor protection, Bondfield Construction wins right to defamation trial against Globe and Mail". Ontario Construction Report. Retrieved March 10, 2019.

Bibliography change

Other websites change

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Union Station (Toronto).

Category:Buildings and structures in Toronto Category:Railway stations Category:1927 establishments in North America

Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:ShadowBallX/Sandbox&oldid=8544734"