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

[Student99]

Yeah, I was on a really late VIA train from Montreal in July - a freight train hit a truck near Trenton, backing up several trains in both directions. We were scheduled to arrive at Union around 11:30PM, but got in around 3AM. We were delayed further because all VIA trains were unloading on Track 1, with two other trains ahead of us, and we were basically marched out of the station through the west wing with a dozen security guards glaring at us.

I seem to recall something similar at one point before, several years ago, I recall getting sort of escorted through union with unusually stern glares from security considering I was allowed to be there. Forget the exact reason.

There is enough of an overlap between behavioural issues and security issues in the homeless that as a passenger I would feel more secure if homeless people were not encouraged to be there while I was sleeping on a bench waiting for my next train. I can understand why parts of Union Station might be closed in the off hours but if trains are arriving at 3 AM one would think there would be a waiting room made available for people who have to wait til the morning for connections.

I have been in Union Station often enough to have gained a fair bit of respect for the security people there. They do have to walk a fine line between accepting the range of behaviours that a public place attracts, and not allowing the facility to degenerate into a hangout for those with nowhere else to go. Overall, they are generally unobtrusive (but always present) and I have never experienced the kinds of power-tripping excesses that one hears about elsewhere (quite in contrast to the bank properties to the north, I might add). If they look grumpy at 3 AM, maybe it's because some of them were held on duty after normal quitting time to augment the reduced off-hours security presence. They probably just wanted to lock up and go home themselves.

- Paul

Still, that is not how one should be welcomed to Toronto, let alone after a long, delayed train ride. Security guards also perform customer service in a way and should be expected to be warm and welcoming towards those who are behaving properly.

If it was bad enough that you felt glared at, I think it would warrant mention to manager of security.

 

[mdrejhon]

So... How was the actual food?! Worth a repeat visit?

Yes, it was. While the portions are only average sized, it totally filled me (no doggy bag) and it was the best pasta I've had in a long while. The bigger draw for me was the very different ambience of Union -- if you needed to do a business meeting or rendezvous, this is a great place that's a lot less noisy than many other parts of Union. (To be fair, I haven't visited Little Italy in over a year...)

The problem is that come 2019, there'll be so much choice, that I'll need to round-robin all of them if there are many quality establishments all over the station.

 

[Richard White]

Security guards also perform customer service in a way and should be expected to be warm and welcoming towards those who are behaving properly.

That is actually my profession albeit not by choice. With that being said in high security buildings like Union Station they require guards who are less focused on customer service and more focused on knocking someone on their ass and handcuffing them if they are up to no good. They usually have batons on them along with handcuffs at the most.

With that being said, at 3 am when the station is otherwise closed they do not want people wandering off. Their job is to escort people out of the building not answer questions about where the washrooms are or how they get to their hotel. The client probably wants them bordering on law enforcement as opposed to focusing on customer service. There is a reason they have an information desk and it is not because they want to make the station look nice.

When I helped Derek Boles do his tours of Union Station pre-renovation we had to have a security guard escort us along with a shepherd (me) to ensure people did not wander off the tour in the upper corridors of the Great Hall and West Wing. People were not allowed to take any photographs on the tour either for security reasons. This was when the Great Hall balconies and West Wing were in disrepair and unoccupied so you can only imagine the level of security they have now that Metrolinx is based there.

 

[DSC]

Here is an updated statement from the City (in the 2018 Budget analyses) on where the Union Station project is at.
From: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2017/bu/bgrd/backgroundfile-109638.pdf

"Project Overview and Deliverables

Union Station is the largest transportation hub in the country, handling 65 million passengers annually and expected to double by 2031. It is currently undergoing redevelopment and revitalization in order to accommodate the increasing commuter volumes and turn the landmark facility into a transportation, community hub and destination.
This includes excavation for a new retail concourse level, construction of two new concourses for GO Transit, restoration of the VIA concourse and renovations to the West Wing and Centre Block and exterior restoration of the building.

Project Status
 Stage 1 -

Stage 1 is fundamentally complete except for minor deficiencies being rectified and closeout documentation. Key milestones reached and components completed on Stage 1 and the North West PATH include: 

VIA Elements – Panorama Lounge, York West Teamway Catering space, East Concourse offices, baggage handling system, heritage washrooms, office space and Great Hall ticket offices.
York West Concourse – base building fit-up work including stairs / elevators to platforms, life safety systems, loading docks and access/egress through Air Canada Centre, Maple Leaf Square and Telus building tunnels with York Concourse strata sold to and occupied by Metrolinx. 
West Wing - Floors 2 through 4 complete, strata sold to and occupied by Metrolinx.  Structural Support Column Replacement (Stage 1) is complete.  Electrical systems completed including installation, commissioning and operation of main and emergency power, lighting and lighting control, safety/security and communications systems.  Mechanical systems completed including installation, commissioning and operation of HVAC, fire protection, plumbing, building automation and mechanical equipment systems.  Exterior heritage façade restoration including roof of West, East Wings and Centre Block. 
NW Path Phase 1 complete and open to the public in April 2015. This connects the northwest corner of Union Station across Front Street to the northwest corner of Front and York Street.  Stage 1 base building Retail Concourse beneath York and VIA Concourses is complete. Retail areas are released to the Head Lessee for installation of fixtures and occupancy by tenants. Some retail operations are expected to open by Q4 2017.

Stage 2/3 

Exterior restoration of the East Wing is 99% complete. 
Great Hall Restoration: East and West arches, including windows, north wall and ceiling cleaning complete, south wall 90% complete. 
VIA Concourse restoration is 75% complete. 
Front Street West Moat: Moat Installation is 80% complete. 
Front Street East Moat: Moat Installation is 40% complete. 
East Wing ground floor over 80% complete. 
Bay Concourse/Retail: Excavation 100% complete; Structural column replacements completed; 100% of new Bay Concourse suspended slab completed; 80% of slab on grade completed. 

Remainder of Stage 2/3 which includes the Bay Concourse is expected to be completed by mid-late 2018. This will trigger the turnover of the Bay Concourse to Metrolinx to facilitate the fit out and completion of the concourse for future public access.


Project Challenges

The project has experienced challenges due to a number of factors, including found site conditions such as heritage, environmental elements including designated substances, and performance issues with the General Contractor/Construction Manager on Stage 1, the prime consultant, and certain subcontractors.
In addition, development of the stage 2/3 schedule, with the inclusion of transfers of work from Stage 1, has created further challenges.
To mitigate risks, project teams have responded with value engineering, constructability changes, challenging of tender results, retendering, minor scope adjustments, and consideration of different construction methodologies.

The project has encountered pressures, to both budget and schedule, due to coordination of capital projects at Union Station with other stakeholders.

The Union Station Revitalization project involves concurrent projects managed by Metrolinx and the City of Toronto respectively. Completion of the City's base building work in the Bay Concourse is dependent on Metrolinx's completion of the vertical access work in the area. Because Metrolinx is managing additional project requirements for its own Union station platform project, this is resulting in delays for the City's work. Based on information to date and the resequencing of the Metrolinx work that is required, a project delay of approximately six months is anticipated, taking substantial completion of the City's Union Station Revitalization project to the end of 2018. There will be corresponding budget impacts as a result of this delay and other inherent project risks. Both organizations are committed to working together to mitigate both schedule and budget impacts. City staff will report to Council with a comprehensive update once Metrolinx confirms its adjusted work schedule and sequencing.

 

[interchange42]

Thanks for posting that @DSC!

So,

• "end of 2018" likely means 2019 opening of the Bay Concourse.
• "minor deficiencies being rectified" in Stage 1 would include the ceiling painting in the Front Street Promenade area that were caught up in"performance issues with the General Contractor/Construction Manager on Stage 1, the prime consultant, and certain subcontractors"

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[innsertnamehere]

And the never ending construction continues. I feel like that every month we get closer to completion, the project gets delayed by another month. This means it likely will not open after Metrolinx handover until 2019.. which is going to be (I believe) the 10th anniversary of construction start.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

And the never ending construction continues. I feel like that every month we get closer to completion, the project gets delayed by another month. This means it likely will not open after Metrolinx handover until 2019.. which is going to be (I believe) the 10th anniversary of construction start.

And the shed still isn't done, and that's even before modifications for the RER plan and potential platform changes.

AoD

 

[union2pearson]

 

[mdrejhon]

Bay moat cover progress.

Looks real tricky trying to get it done, due to pedestrian detours.

They must be putting in some offpeak/wee-hours work to pull up a canopy overhead.

 

[drum118]

The east end can be done during the day, but will be block from time to time to place item, but can be closed off since you can use the east entrance. You can do it after the station close as well.

The west end can't be done until you remove the steel stairs since they are blocking the area where the columns have to go in the first place. They were installing more small framing next to the building on Thursday Dec 7. They were also setting up scaffolding at the west end to work on the wall there.

 

[mdrejhon]

Can they glass it over partially, even without putting up the west end first?

And then, next, detour passengers straight through north-south, then inside north edge of the unfinished-but-now-relevelled Bay Concourse? Fully sheltered from winter precipitation. While they finish-off the west end of the Bay moat.

Then the fully indoor moat walk to York concourse (TD Carriageway) opens shortly this winter after they glass over the west edge.

That will then be a massive pedestrian flow relief - no more relying exclusively on Leather Shop Bypass.

 

[mdrejhon]

The east end can be done during the day, but will be block from time to time to place item, but can be closed off since you can use the east entrance.

You're right, they just closed the east end of Bay Moat to install the remainder of the canopy skeleton.

 

[drum118]

Can they glass it over partially, even without putting up the west end first?

And then, next, detour passengers straight through north-south, then inside north edge of the unfinished-but-now-relevelled Bay Concourse? Fully sheltered from winter precipitation. While they finish-off the west end of the Bay moat.

Then the fully indoor moat walk to York concourse (TD Carriageway) opens shortly this winter after they glass over the west edge.

That will then be a massive pedestrian flow relief - no more relying exclusively on Leather Shop Bypass.

There is a lot of work to be done before they get close to thinking on installing the glazing. Got to add cross bracing electric wiring for the lights, the sprinkler system, drainage system and the list goes on. Then the steel work itself.

I expect the whole thing will have to be in place before the glazing is install and that will be spring, depending on all the other work that needs to be done first.

 

[JasonParis]

1) Not a big fan of fonts that are close enough to Helvetica that they look like they're trying to be Helvetica but without paying the royalty (and therefore not getting the real, disciplined geometry). This lettering just looks like a cheap, knock-off not-a-real-font. They should have picked something non-fake-Helvetica, something real, something with style. Plus,
2) it's all (a bit) too big anyway.
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My thoughts exactly. The uniformity is great in this sort of environment, but they really went a bit wrong with that font.

 

[DSC]

There is a lot of work to be done before they get close to thinking on installing the glazing. .

Based on the west (York) moat they actually move quite fast (though that was in summer weather). On Bay (east) moat they have already installed at least 75% of the glazing bars and the black rubber 'weather-stripping' so I will not be surprised to see them installing glazing on this moat in February. Of course, they are still working (VERY SLOWLY) at finishing off the wall at the east end of the YORK moat and thus finishing off covering that side and, as noted above, they have just started to fix the equivalent wall (at its west end) of the Bay moat and cannot finish off either one until these walls are done..