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

Also, one of the flow patterns I'd like to see is one platform used exclusively for boarding while another is used exclusively for alighting. In this setup, the existing Platform 3 would be for boarding WB, while a new Platform 4 would be used exclusively for EB and WB alighting. A new Platform 5 would be used exclusively for EB boardings.

If GO wants to reduce dwell times at Union, having non-conflicting passenger flows would speed things up immensely.
(For anyone else not familiar with "alighting", it means "to descend from a train, bus, or other form of transportation")

It used to be like this actually not that long ago. Maybe as short as two years ago? They would only display ONE platform on the screens for people to board. Then, when trains arrived, train doors would open first on the opposite platform and people could get off the train. After a delay for people to de-train, the posted platform doors would open and people could board.

I believe two-platform boarding was instituted at Union to cut down on platform crowding. There was a death after someone's backpack got hooked by a train and he got pulled under; I think crowding may have contributed.

In any case, the way it is now actually doesn't seem to have affected flow all that much, from my experience. When de-training, the crowds on the platforms make way pretty quickly and it's generally not too difficult to make your way.

The only problems tend to be where there are double tracks beside each other, and so only one platform for both boarding and disembarking. Crowding there is still quite intense. I think platforms 3 (though 3 is not too problematic- it's wide), 4, and one of the 20-odd ones fall into this category.
 
The limiting factor with the bilevels is not the doors, it’s the time required for alighting passengers to make their way down the interior steps from the upper levels. Just when you think everyone is off, and you step on board, ..... here come more people down the stairs. Opening both sides doesn’t change that. Rounded mirrors, maybe?

- Paul
 
Here is the reconfigured entrance from Union Plaza, with a new ramp and stairs going down to the retail level instead of the concourse. Not sure if they’ll do the same to the other half of the ramp.

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I believe they will. I also believe that at some point access to the via concousre from the south will be cut off or severely limited.
Passenger flows from the subway will be through the lower level retail areas. GO passengers will, ideally, flow through the york and bay concourses. This would then leave the via concourse to serve its intended purpose as a passenger raìl station/concourse
 
East moat is opening up

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Just found these knockout panels next to Amano and the Tims kiosk in the York Concourse.

I'm guessing they will be access to the moat?

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Just found these knockout panels next to Amano and the Tims kiosk in the York Concourse.

I'm guessing they will be access to the moat?

View attachment 140595

Hard to tell where that is. If this is the north wall of the area where the Time kiosk is on the east side, and Amano is on the west side, then yes, these are the moat doors.

They actually used to be open to the public back when the York concourse first opened. For a good few months, the west doors to the York St moat (by the bicycle station) were closed, and these opened to the western bit of the Front St moat, providing access to the Northwest PATH. When they opened the west doors, these were closed for the moat construction.
 
Hard to tell where that is. If this is the north wall of the area where the Time kiosk is on the east side, and Amano is on the west side, then yes, these are the moat doors.

They actually used to be open to the public back when the York concourse first opened. For a good few months, the west doors to the York St moat (by the bicycle station) were closed, and these opened to the western bit of the Front St moat, providing access to the Northwest PATH. When they opened the west doors, these were closed for the moat construction.

This is on the north wall between Amano and the Tims kiosk. I wonder if they will be putting the doors back in?
 
This is on the north wall between Amano and the Tims kiosk. I wonder if they will be putting the doors back in?
If the rumour'd information in this thread is true, and both Front Street moats will be sealed and heated, then it wouldn't be necessary to have doors from Union Station to the moat nor from TTC to the moat. Though, it wouldn't hurt have have them in case of emergency (fire).
 
If the rumour'd information in this thread is true, and both Front Street moats will be sealed and heated, then it wouldn't be necessary to have doors from Union Station to the moat nor from TTC to the moat. Though, it wouldn't hurt have have them in case of emergency (fire).

If anything they will be there for access control reasons. If there is an another hostage taking for example you don't want people wandering out there trying to be a hero.
 
For many months you could see the OUTSIDE of these doors (in moat). They may be planning to simply refurbish the old doors as they appear to be original.

If they are the doors I am thinking of they might be original. If I recall correctly Amano was where the storage lockers were pre-9/11. If that is the case the doors are original.
 

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