Union Station
Quick facts
- Union Station is owned by the City of Toronto. The train shed (including the tracks and platforms) is owned by GO Transit.
- Union Station is a designated National Historic Site and protected under a Heritage Easement Agreement.
- Union Station is generally divided into four distinct areas:
- Centre Block, which contains the Great Hall, VIA concourse and Centre Block offices (144,000 square feet);
- West Wing, which contains offices occupied in part by VIA Rail Canada, TTR, and the City of Toronto; most of the space in this area (approximately 135,000 square feet) is vacant;
- East Wing, currently occupied by the Bank of Nova Scotia and the City of Toronto (135,000 square feet);
- Lower concourse (345,000 square feet), the area beneath the tracks and the above noted areas, used by GO Transit commuters and Union Station tenants.
- Union Station functions as Toronto's transportation hub for VIA Rail, GO Transit commuter trains and bus services and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway and Harbourfront light rapid transit services. The station is also used by Amtrack, and Ontario Northland Railways.
By the numbers
200,000 – passengers pass through Union Station on most business days – more passengers than Pearson International, Canada's busiest airport.
1913 – the year construction began on Union Station, which was amidst a materials shortage during World War I.
1927 – the year Union Station officially. It has since welcomed waves of immigrants to the city, survived one major fire, and endured more than 80 years of wear and tear.
760,000 – square feet is the total floor space of Union Station. The space is generally divided within four distinct areas: Centre Block, West Wing, East Wing and lower concourse.
155,000 - GO train passengers and 10,000 bus passengers use Union Station every business day. This number is expected to significantly increase over the next 20 years (by 2030) as GO Transit's expansion plans are realized.
1.5 billion - kilometres of automobile travel per year is deferred by using the GO system rather than driving, according to GO Transit. If these same commuters were to drive, 48 lanes of highways would need to be added to accommodate the increase in traffic volume.
50% – of VIA passengers use Union Station, VIA Rail's busiest station. On average, 44 VIA Rail trains use Union Station daily.
43 million – total number of GO train and bus passengers a year
20 million – total number of TTC subway passengers annually
2.4 million – total number of VIA passengers per year
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