Today, Mayor John Tory, along with James Maloney, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Government of Canada; The Honourable Stan Cho, Associate Ontario Minister of Transportation (Transit-Oriented Communities); and Phil Verster, President & Chief Executive Officer of Metrolinx, reopened the revitalized Bay Concourse at Union Station, marking the completion of the Union Station Revitalization Project (USRP).
Union Station is now enhanced as a landmark destination of the highest design quality. Not only is the station the Greater Toronto Area’s (GTA) transit nucleus, it is also a cherished community space and a budding retail hub featuring a diverse mix of vendors. It is a place where commuters and tourists can choose to hang out, admire grand architecture, shop at best-in-class retail and dine at a wide selection of food establishments. Visitors can also enjoy unique programming throughout the year, including an annual summer market, and many art and culture installations and performances, making Union Station an experience unlike any other.
The $824 million Union Station Revitalization Project is a major investment in critical transit infrastructure and features:
Throughout its transformation, Union Station continued to operate as Canada’s busiest transportation hub, serving more than 300,000 visitors per day pre-pandemic. Over the course of the project, the USRP created thousands of jobs and significantly contributed to the GTA’s economy.
Minor updates and cosmetic work will continue until the end of July 2021, at which point the project will conclude. This minor work will not impact customers and patrons visiting Union Station.
At approximately 5,600 square metres (more than 60,000 square feet), the new and transformed Bay Concourse is more than 50 per cent larger compared to the original. In addition to providing more space, it offers services and amenities similar to the York Concourse for GO customers, including more PRESTO and ticket vending machines and more departure boards. Further, it provides additional access to all platforms, making travel on GO trains even more convenient, safe and comfortable.
The Bay Concourse connects to the Bay retail area, which offers more than 3,300 square metres (36,000 square feet) of additional retail space, and seamlessly connects to the TTC, the Union Food Court and the future Fresh Market. Osmington, the head lessee at Union Station, will open the remaining retail units in the station on a rolling basis throughout 2022, including the Fresh Market and TD Bank retail branch.
Union Station, which first opened to public in 1927, features Beaux-Art style architecture and is a federally designated National Historic Site protected under a Heritage Easement Agreement. The City of Toronto purchased Union Station in 2000 from the Toronto Terminals Railway Company Limited and has since performed many upgrades to meet the demands of patrons for years to come. The USRP is a City of Toronto initiative supported by investments from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and VIA Rail.
Quotes
“After years of extensive work on this difficult project, the Union Station revitalization is now complete, and the last piece of the revitalization – the Bay Concourse – is opening to the public today. Union Station is now ready to more completely welcome people back to downtown Toronto and back to work as we move ahead with the reopening. Thank you to residents and commuters for their patience as we pushed through this renovation of the largest commuter hub in Canada that is itself more than a century old. Now, Union Station is a place where residents, commuters and tourists can choose to hang out, shop, dine and experience unique art and culture installations and performances all while having access to an extensive transit system that stretches across Toronto and beyond our city.”
– Mayor John Tory
“The Union Station Revitalization Project is one of the most complex construction projects in Canadian history. As a commuter, for years I passed through Union Station through its various stages of construction. I am so pleased that the project is complete, and look forward to travelling through it from GO train to subway soon.”
– Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rough Park), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee
“As the Union Station Revitalization Project comes to an end, Union Station will be well positioned as one of the most modern and reliable public transit hubs across the country. With the reopening of the Bay Concourse, Torontonians will now have access to a larger revitalized space with improved connection points to the city’s pedestrian walkways and transit system, and will allow Union Station to remain one of Toronto’s most unique landmarks and transit hubs for generations to come.”
– James Maloney, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke–Lakeshore on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
“Today’s reopening of the Bay Concourse is the final piece of the Union Station Revitalization Project, and marks a significant achievement for Canada’s largest transportation hub. With significant enhancements to the commuter experience at Union Station, this project is a major step forward in improving the GTA’s transit network.”
– Caroline Mulroney, Ontario Minister of Transportation
“The Ontario government continues to deliver on its commitment to improve the customer experience through the GO Transit network. The reopening of the newly revitalized Bay Concourse is another milestone as people across the Greater Toronto Area begin to return to transit safely. The improvements at Union Station will make it easier for people to spread out and enjoy more comfortable daily commutes.”
– Stan Cho, Ontario Associate Minister of Transportation (Transit-Oriented Communities)
“We know our customers have been waiting for this day and we’re extremely excited to announce the re-opening of Union Station’s Bay Concourse. The revitalized Bay Concourse will provide more connections and waiting space for GO customers, enhancing the experience inside Canada’s largest transit hub while supporting the future needs of our growing region. ”
– Phil Verster, CEO of Metrolinx
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