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Superstar
Nah, the initial concept was absolutely insane in the coolest way(s) possible, and while impossible to build [in Toronto], it at least had some bonkers ideas and and indefatigable joie-de-vivre:
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Toronto East Harbour Transit Hub | 14.35m | 1s | Metrolinx
- Thread starter interchange42
- Start date
Northern Light
Superstar
I don't recall having seen that version.............that said.........
I can't say I'm enamoured.....its rather preposterous on the one end (scale)......and yet......a bit clunky in the way of a grade 6 geometry test gone wrong......
Willybru21
Senior Member
Oh come on that’s awful and would’ve looked terrible against the skyline. Would’ve preferred a pyramid instead of that:
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
If you play some Pink Floyd with it though. it will make more sense...
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
I still have that proposal - it's part of the WT Gardiner Reinvisioning design competition I believe. Not a huge fan of it myself, but one can't fault it for their audacity.
AoD
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
...at the end of the day, it's the audacious bold visioning is what we need here, IMO. And not the squared off and uninspiring cheapened drivel they're planning to stick on us.
christiesplits
Senior Member
Even if the new entrance is temporary, I'd like to see at least some semblance of creativity.
Tiled chevrons?
A mural from a local artist?
Give us something.
Tiled chevrons?
A mural from a local artist?
Give us something.
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Superstar
Are you new???
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
...sorry, not sure what your issue is here. And I am not sure I stated anything unhinged outside of what has already been discussed here...could you please elaborate? Thank you.
ProjectEnd
Superstar
I'm kidding. Toronto doesn't have it in its soul to do "audacious bold visioning" - it goes against the City's core programming. We feed on the "squared off and uninspiring cheapened drivel they're planning to stick on us."
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
Oh okays, I thought I was inadvertently piddling in your corn flakes...as Northern Light-san can attest to, I am known for my odd and off the cuff remarks. So thank you for clarifying that! /bows
...that said, I would slightly disagree with that, as Ontario Place, CN Tower, The Ontario Science Centre and even our City Hall suggests there have been bright spots in our city's box and block history. As well as more recently, Aqualuna at Bayside. Yes, I get these are far and too few in between...but it does suggest it can be done when Toronto gets their fingers out. But you are probably right, very much unlikely here though. /sigh
Rogue2016
New Member
And the examples you cited (with the exception of Aqualuna) are public sector projects designed in the 60's and 70's when there seemed to be more risk-taking and adventurous design.
Sunnyside
Active Member
I was going to write a lot more, but personally I think these all just don’t really do enough to (re)define Toronto for the day-by-day user. They are grand and impressive, but nobody works at the CN tower- these are all for tourists. That’s fine, but Central Park is not a gimmick- it’s a real destination that shapes how New Yorkers see and live in Manhattan.
Union Station may be the closest we have to a public space that’s more grand than strictly necessary. Yet seeing how we aesthetically treat King, Queen, Yonge, even Bay and Bloor, speaks volumes. Toronto doesn’t know what it should accentuate, and so it doesn’t for anything. And so there’s no culture to desire it, and thus we go back to good ol’ functional…
Give something people to rally behind and they will. But that needs to come from within the City; nobody detached from it (like CF) can gift Toronto a worthy destiny. This basket case should make us look inward…
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
...to be clear, I am less focused on the reasons for my examples came into being and more so on the fact that they exist. I get that certain conditions and eras allowed these projects to take place...but even so, their presence is a reminder that we can think outside of the box as a city on the occasion. And we really should do that more, IMO.
416InTrouble
New Member
Love the nod to Best Buy in this design. Also love the 3 trees that replace the thousands upon thousands that were cut down to build this heaping pile of junk. Gotta love Doug Fords Ontario and utter hatred for any wards that don’t vote Conservative. The garbage that’s being built all along riverside and Leslieville is their way of not taking care of our NDP / Liberal community while spending billions to bury the crosstown line in barren EtobicokeOntario Awards Construction Contract for East Harbour Transit Hub
Historic project will serve approximately 100,000 transit users every day once completeOntario Newsroom
news.ontario.ca
March 07, 2025
Transportation
Table of Contents
TORONTO — The Ontario government has awarded the construction contract for the East Harbour Transit Hub, which will improve access to transit for thousands of residents and support more than 50,000 jobs in the area. This all-new transit hub is part of the government’s plan to deliver faster and more convenient transit for people across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and will connect transit users to both GO Transit and the Ontario Line.
“The investments we are making in transit and infrastructure are helping fight gridlock and speed up commutes for millions of people across Ontario, including the 100,000 transit users who are expected to use the East Harbour Transit Hub every day,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “By making these investments, we are also supporting thousands of good-paying jobs in Ontario’s construction sector at a time when, in the face of U.S. tariffs that are taking direct aim at Canada’s economy, it’s never been more important to help keep our workers on the job.”
Once complete, the hub is expected to serve approximately 100,000 daily riders, split between the Ontario Line and GO Transit. The hub is part of the government’s plan to make public transit in the GTHA more convenient, helping divert as many as 14,000 people from Union Station during rush hour peaks and reducing congestion at the station by up to 14 per cent.
“We need to build more homes near transit,” said the Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. “And with this investment, the community surrounding East Harbour Transit Hub will see the addition of approximately 4,000 residential units.”
The East Harbour Transit Hub, located immediately east of the Don Valley Parkway and south of Eastern Avenue, will serve the Riverdale, Riverside and Leslieville communities.
“People depend on public transit to be fast, reliable and get them where they need to go. Riders will now enjoy a better public transit experience,” said Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto. “The East Harbour Transit Hub will serve 100,000 people per day on the Ontario Line and GO Transit, resulting in less crowding at Union Station. We are working together to build a better transit system for Torontonians.”
Quick Facts
- The project construction is being delivered through a joint venture of AtkinsRéalis and Bird Construction, leading alongside Hatch Ltd.
- The East Harbour Transit Hub is a joint initiative of the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto to improve transit for Toronto residents.
Quotes
Additional Resources
- East Harbour Transit Hub
- Lakeshore East Line GO Expansion
- Transit-Oriented Communities
- GO Expansion
- Ontario Line
Media Assets
A first look at the future East Harbour Transit Hub—connecting GO Transit, the Ontario Line and beyond (artist’s renderings subject to change).
