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

mdrejhon said:
What catches my attention is the York Pioneer restaurant, seen at the leftmost edge of this photo. I didn't know there was a sitdown restaurant on the main level of Union at one time in the past. I presume that got removed during the late 1970's renovation of the concourses for GO service?

Ironically, we're now getting sitdown restaurants back into Union with the new basement, as part of the revitalization.
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I'm not sure that was on the main level, just because of how the sign has an arrow pointing downwards, so maybe it was in the basement, perhaps what later became "The Commuters Lounge"? Also there was a sit-down Harvey's on the main floor for a long time, I think until 2010. Not exactly the same as a restaurant, but I had a snack from there on a rare occasion train service was badly delayed.
 
Jonny5 said:
I'm not sure that was on the main level, just because of how the sign has an arrow pointing downwards, so maybe it was in the basement, perhaps what later became "The Commuters Lounge"? Also there was a sit-down Harvey's on the main floor for a long time, I think until 2010. Not exactly the same as a restaurant, but I had a snack from there on a rare occasion train service was badly delayed.
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The space where the VIA Panorama Lounge is now was a bar/restaurant for as long as I can remember.

When I was much younger it was a 'Steak and Burger' which was a sit-down, resto that served steak on the cheap, it was part of the Cara (Harvey's/Swiss Chalet) empire, as I recall.
 
Jonny5 said:
I'm not sure that was on the main level, just because of how the sign has an arrow pointing downwards, so maybe it was in the basement, perhaps what later became "The Commuters Lounge"? Also there was a sit-down Harvey's on the main floor for a long time, I think until 2010. Not exactly the same as a restaurant, but I had a snack from there on a rare occasion train service was badly delayed.
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I miss the Harvey's. The Union Station location was one of the best-run fast food joints in the city.
 
A few more pictures:

I couldn't get a sweep of the concourse with my camera as there was too much hoarding and fencing and my camera sucks.

Entrance from the VIA Concourse near Platforms 26-27.


Lower Retail looking North.


Lower Retail looking South


Concourse looking South. All the way to the end is the GO Customer Service.


To Platform 27.
 
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Yes, it certainly looks good - and compared to the current GO stuff on east side AMAZING. I have heard a mid-April opening is planned so Kristopher's guess may be spot-on.
 
Same, I guess I don't go through Union enough. The only indoor area I know of is where the Cinnabon is/where I wait to get to the GO trains tracks. Lol.
 
Duck said:
I can't picture at all where all of this new stuff is hiding!
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Hamiltonian said:
Same, I guess I don't go through Union enough. The only indoor area I know of is where the Cinnabon is/where I wait to get to the GO trains tracks. Lol.
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It is the new stuff being built in the west end (York St. side) that will become the GO concourse soon to allow the rehab of the east side (Bay St) to similar quality
 
The magic is in that the York Concourse is largely being converted from storage and office areas. They didn't need to close much of the operational station.
 
Hamiltonian said:
Same, I guess I don't go through Union enough. The only indoor area I know of is where the Cinnabon is/where I wait to get to the GO trains tracks. Lol.
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Part of this space was where the car rentals used to be, if you ever used those.
 
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