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

[ctf5650]

Once Union is mostly complete say in 2030 or so, how will it compare to major train stations of the world in size and capacity? It must be one of the largest in North America, think Penn, Grand Central etc

In regards to passenger flow, Union is already busier than Grand Central and is second in North America behind Penn (albeit according to 2018 numbers). The gap between it and Penn is around 20 million people/year but I could see it shrinking as Union continues to grow, while Penn continues to languish and rot

 

[christiesplits]

It's nice to have Steak Shack as another late night option. Hopefully there will be more additions to McDonald's and Tim Hortons. I think it's profitable for them.

The lines for the Union Station McDonald’s never cease to amaze me. I’ve witnessed lines that cut around the corner from the self-order kiosks during a Friday night evening rush hour crowd-meets-Leafs/Raps game crowd.

With advances in food prep and automation, I wonder if we’ll ever see the upstairs McCafe retrofitted into a full service McDonalds to meet demand?

 

[nightstreak]

The lines outside the Union Station McDonald’s never cease to amaze me. I’ve witnessed lines that cut around the corner from the self-check kiosks during a Friday night evening rush hour crowd-meets-Leafs/Raps game crowd.

With advances in food prep and automation, I wonder if we’ll ever see the upstairs McCafe retrofitted into a full service McDonalds to meet demand?

I'm guilty of contributing to those lines. I notice the McCafe kiosks always have people huffing that they can't find burgers on the menu only to be pointed downstairs but I'm not sure a full service McD's would make sense on 2 levels right above one another; the app already breaks because it thinks you're in one and not the other.

So maybe it's time for an expansion. The kitchen is quite fast, there just isn't enough room for service and for those waiting. They should eliminate some or all of the seating area and add more kiosks and a larger dedicated pickup counter, most people take it to go.

 

[Civdis]

Today

 

[DSCToronto]

Today

View attachment 732179

Thanks. They do seem to be taking a very long time with filling in this last section - it has looked ready to have the columns poured and the 'roof' added since last fall.

Here's a photo from April 8 LAST year (from @nightstreak

 

[nightstreak]

May as well post this too! Totally forgot to

Browsing around I rediscovered blueprints for USEP that happen to show the additional legacy platform entrances planned at the time. I added these entrances in the bottom diagram.

If the platform reconfiguration isn’t significantly changed before it happens (probably unlikely), the concourses will have:

23 new staircases
9 new elevators

To accommodate some of these entrances, the York & Bay Concourses will be expanded:

Metrolinx back of house space removed
Lost and Found office removed (already closed down)
Ticket booths removed (already closed down)

View attachment 727629

I just noticed in your After that there are substantial changes to the VIA concourse as well. Where are those larger escalators (stairs?) going in the concourse? They've just finished installing those seating alcoves with heritage framing. Are some of them being taken over by these stairs/escalators? There are a lot of walls missing in your second image, does that mean a new renovation to the VIA concourse? That also opens up the question: if heritage preservation prevented taking down walls in the VIA concourse to open it on either side to the York and Bay concourses and the south walls to the future Bremner Concourse, surely that rule is being broken to add escalators and they might as well make the station usable by taking down those other walls too.

 

[Northern Light]

So maybe it's time for an expansion. The kitchen is quite fast, there just isn't enough room for service and for those waiting. They should eliminate some or all of the seating area and add more kiosks and a larger dedicated pickup counter, most people take it to go.

Or maybe we could just non-renew the McDs lease and force people to search out edible food instead?

Yeah, I'm being a food snob, which I am, so it suits me.

I don't think everyone needs to eat caviar and blini (which isn't very good anyway, but I digress). But can people with a burger craving not get into one that tastes like beef? Or is served on a bun that will go moldy in under a year?

Just asking.

 

[torontowest91]

Or maybe we could just non-renew the McDs lease and force people to search out edible food instead?

Yeah, I'm being a food snob, which I am, so it suits me.

I don't think everyone needs to eat caviar and blini (which isn't very good anyway, but I digress). But can people with a burger craving not get into one that tastes like beef? Or is served on a bun that will go moldy in under a year?

Just asking.

lol what is your dislike towards McDonalds? it is food - quick/fast/easy...

 

[Northern Light]

lol what is your dislike towards McDonalds? it is food - quick/fast/easy...

I don't want to derail (pun intended) a Union Station thread with a McDs rant.

But to answer your question. It's unhealthy, it tastes bad, it has virtually nothing to recommend it, on top of which it isn't actually all that fast anymore. Average order time has increased from 2m 30s 15 years ago to 4m 40s today, with outlier waits much higher.

 

[mcbg1]

I'm guilty of contributing to those lines. I notice the McCafe kiosks always have people huffing that they can't find burgers on the menu only to be pointed downstairs but I'm not sure a full service McD's would make sense on 2 levels right above one another; the app already breaks because it thinks you're in one and not the other.

So maybe it's time for an expansion. The kitchen is quite fast, there just isn't enough room for service and for those waiting. They should eliminate some or all of the seating area and add more kiosks and a larger dedicated pickup counter, most people take it to go.

At the very least they should install more kiosks at that McCafe. So many times, I see long lines while people just browse the screens and ultimately walk away. Drives me mad.

 

[nightstreak]

Or maybe we could just non-renew the McDs lease and force people to search out edible food instead?

Yeah, I'm being a food snob, which I am, so it suits me.

I don't think everyone needs to eat caviar and blini (which isn't very good anyway, but I digress). But can people with a burger craving not get into one that tastes like beef? Or is served on a bun that will go moldy in under a year?

Just asking.

Oh, I don't disagree but people will find their junk food somewhere else — including me despite knowing better. The McD's is the most popular food joint in the entire station, closing is never going to happen in a capitalist system. It makes them money, they lean in.

If the City of Toronto gets any say, then I can see how a Mayor whose policies promote citizens' health to offset costs in healthcare under the city's budget and to improve the economic output of the city through a healthier workforce, then sure let's have that conversation and let's start with the shit on a bun they serve at Nathan Phillips Square's only food option. When does that Hero Burger's lease end? It started with Rob Ford and the guy has been dead — from gastric cancer, no relation — for over a decade.

Would be nice to have a fruit stand in Nathan Phillips Square like I've seen around Washington DC, and encourage that sort of vendor instead of hot dogs around the city. And yes, if the city has influence over tenants at Union Station, then do that too. Meanwhile the lines are currently forming outside McD's this early in the morning. Hey, Shake Shack is also pretty busy .

 

[PL1]

... and let's start with the shit on a bun they serve at Nathan Phillips Square's only food option. When does that Hero Burger's lease end? It started with Rob Ford and the guy has been dead — from gastric cancer, no relation — for over a decade.
.

Rob Ford had sarcoma (soft tissue cancer, which is not related to diet), not gastric cancer.

Agreed that better food options should be available

 

[polesingularity]

New (I think?) bollard reveal going right up to the entrance to the Bay West Teamway:

 

[WB62]

I really hate this area, it’s so dumpy and one of the truly embarrassing parts of the station

 

[nightstreak]

I really hate this area, it’s so dumpy and one of the truly embarrassing parts of the station

I hope this means improvements to come. The Bay West and York teamways are the last remaining untouched parts of the station, the Bremner Concourse underway notwithstanding. I hope they see the same improvements and styling as the Bay East Teamway.

And yikes, what even is this?