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

trtcttc said:
It looks like a half finished basement and not aligned at all in design with the other two concourses. At least they have escalators going up to the platform unlike GO.
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GO doesn't have escalators anymore due to an unfortunate incident at Union Station. An escalator malfunctioned during the evening rush in the early 2000s which lead to a few serious injuries.

That said, VIA rail has more manageable traffic compared to GO.
 
Woodbridge_Heights said:
If I recall correctly it wasn't just one accident but a number of close calls and complaints from riders.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...ures-people-at-toronto-train-station-1.594778 - This is the incident in question

The issue was and still is that Union Station is at capacity during the rush hour (pandemic not withstanding). When a fully loaded train arrives into the station, escalators cannot disperse the crowds of people quickly enough to prevent trampling. Most GO stations have alot of people and very narrow escalators which can lead to a bad situation if someone has a mobility issue.

If people cannot get off the escalator quickly enough, it will lead to a backup and people trampling onto each other.

To avoid potential liability and legal issues, they removed escalators from all their stations.

VIA Rail is more organized and people are not as in as much of a rush as they are when they are heading to work.
 
Transportfan said:
Stupid to get rid of escalators just because of one accident.
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The accident was the final straw.

There had been a couple of minor issues previously, but the largest one from GO's standpoint was one of cost - as most of their escalators were located in unheated facilities, they frequently had maintenance issues in the winter. Salt in particular was commented on as a particular nuisance for their operation.

Why this was an issue with GO when no one else seemed to have an issue with it (TTC, private property managers, etc.) is unknown.

Dan
 
smallspy said:
The accident was the final straw.

There had been a couple of minor issues previously, but the largest one from GO's standpoint was one of cost - as most of their escalators were located in unheated facilities, they frequently had maintenance issues in the winter. Salt in particular was commented on as a particular nuisance for their operation.

Why this was an issue with GO when no one else seemed to have an issue with it (TTC, private property managers, etc.) is unknown.

Dan
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Well maybe they should have enclosed the entire platform in a dome to remove the weather elements. For example, Paddington Station in London, UK.
 

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Mercenary said:
Well maybe they should have enclosed the entire platform in a dome to remove the weather elements. For example, Paddington Station in London, UK.
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What about the stations in Barrie, Aurora, Hamilton, Etc?

They get a butt ton of snow. You would have cover literally every station.
 
smallspy said:
The accident was the final straw.

There had been a couple of minor issues previously, but the largest one from GO's standpoint was one of cost - as most of their escalators were located in unheated facilities, they frequently had maintenance issues in the winter. Salt in particular was commented on as a particular nuisance for their operation.

Why this was an issue with GO when no one else seemed to have an issue with it (TTC, private property managers, etc.) is unknown.

Dan
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Metrolinx recently removed the escalators at the Yorkdale Terminal as well - a heated building.

The new concourse designs at Union Station at least reduce the amount of stairs one needs to climb to platform level compared with the old Bay Concourse.
 
smallspy said:
The accident was the final straw.

There had been a couple of minor issues previously, but the largest one from GO's standpoint was one of cost - as most of their escalators were located in unheated facilities, they frequently had maintenance issues in the winter. Salt in particular was commented on as a particular nuisance for their operation.

Why this was an issue with GO when no one else seemed to have an issue with it (TTC, private property managers, etc.) is unknown.

Dan
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I can't think of any other outdoor escalators in Toronto other than Union. I believe there may be some outdoor escalators getting installed at The Well, but I could be wrong there.

Otherwise all other escalators are indoors away from the elements.
 
innsertnamehere said:
I can't think of any other outdoor escalators in Toronto other than Union. I believe there may be some outdoor escalators getting installed at The Well, but I could be wrong there.

Otherwise all other escalators are indoors away from the elements.
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There used to be one at Manulife Centre from Bay Street, though they did put a glass shelter over top.

****

There are outdoor escalators all over the world, even w/o canopy......... seems odd we have such an issue here.'

Paris:

26575453992_0f5bb0a79c_z.jpg

From: https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1639/26575453992_0f5bb0a79c_z.jpg

Hong Kong:

1639411208214.png

from: https://matadornetwork.com/read/escalators-hong-kong/
 
Northern Light said:
There used to be one at Manulife Centre from Bay Street, though they did put a glass shelter over top.

****

There are outdoor escalators all over the world, even w/o canopy......... seems odd we have such an issue here.'

Paris:

26575453992_0f5bb0a79c_z.jpg

From: https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1639/26575453992_0f5bb0a79c_z.jpg

Hong Kong:

View attachment 368695
from: https://matadornetwork.com/read/escalators-hong-kong/
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Little to no ice and salt - it would be interesting to see if there are any significant examples at cities with similar climates. In any event, is the situation at Union that hostile - or is it because they just don't want to deal with maintenance?

AoD
 
innsertnamehere said:
I can't think of any other outdoor escalators in Toronto other than Union. I believe there may be some outdoor escalators getting installed at The Well, but I could be wrong there.

Otherwise all other escalators are indoors away from the elements.
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Yes, outdoor (though covered/protected escalators at The Well (corner of Front & Spadina) and the Washington DC Metro has lots of 'outdoor but covered' escalators and they get lots of snow.
 
DSC said:
Yes, outdoor (though covered/protected escalators at The Well (corner of Front & Spadina) and the Washington DC Metro has lots of 'outdoor but covered' escalators and they get lots of snow.
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I'm not sure I'd say that Washington gets "lots of snow". They average about 1/4 the annual snowfall of Toronto. They do *get* snow, but not much.

And yea, there are plenty of examples globally of outdoor escalators but from my experience they have almost always been in warm climates that don't really get consistent snow or below-freezing temps.
 
I guess it would’ve added to the cost, because there is a turn in the stairs currently, but the stairs going from the concourses to the platform are usually enclosed, are they not? Was in NY recently and their new Moynihan Train Station is all escalators only (and much longer) to the platforms and they seem to have no issues. I imagine they have similar levels of salting there too. And as others have mentioned, private businesses seem to have no issue with salt breaking down escalators. There are much busier train stations around the world that have escalators and no issue with accidents, feel like a problem where instead of finding a solution they just decided to get rid of it.
 
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