More than a decade of renovations at Toronto's Union Station are now complete
It took six years longer than expected and nearly $200 million more than the initial budget called for but the renovation of Union Station is now finally complete.
Mayor John Tory made the announcement on Tuesday morning as he stood inside the revitalized Bay Street concourse as it reopened to commuters for the first time since 2015.
The new concourse was initially supposed to be completed within two years but a number of unforeseen issues resulted in the timeline being repeatedly pushed back.
The finished product spans more than 60,000 square feet and is more than double the size of the previous concourse. It also connects to a new retail area with more than 36,000 square feet of new retail space.
“Today I'm not going to get into a long history of the project, much of the history and the frustrations predated my time as mayor. But the bottom line is that Union Station is now ready to more completely welcome people back to downtown Toronto just as we reopen the city in the wake of the pandemic and try to move ahead with getting the city back to where it needs to be economically and in every other respect and this, this was no easy task.” Tory said.
“Throughout this revitalization the most remarkable thing is that Union Station has remained open to provide both train passengers, GO train passengers and TTC customers with the continued availability of service. It is kind of like renovating a historical heritage house and living in the house during the entire renovation. You think well ‘Are there going to be days when the plumbing is shut off and we can’t have a shower?’ Well we couldn't afford to have a situation where there was just days where GO train service was shut down or VIA trains couldn't come in and out of here or where the TTC couldn't operate.”
The renovation of Union Station began back in 2010 and was initially supposed to be completed by 2015 but the project was plagued by numerous issues, including several disputes with contractors and further delays resulting from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were also significant cost overruns associated with the renovations, which pushed the initial budget from $640 million when work began in 2010 to $824 million.
Tory, however, insisted on Tuesday that they final product will end up being a “good investment” for taxpayers.
The city says that the renovations effectively tripled the amount of concourse space for GO Transit commuters while adding 160,000 square feet of new retail space, a new food court in the York concourse and a revitalized VIA rail concourse and lounge.
“There is no better time to have this actually happen. We might have wanted to have it happen sooner for a bunch of reasons but there's no better time than to have it happen as the city is reopening itself and beginning what I know is going to be a robust recovery from the effects of the pandemic,” Tory said.
“This hub in all of its incarnations is going to help us improve our economic competitiveness, it is going to help increase economic activity and it is going to help us meet our climate change goals by making it more inviting for people to use public transportation and these are all mutually beneficial goals for all the people of the GTHA and in particular the City of Toronto.”
Officials say that some minor cosmetic work will continue at Union Station until the end of this month, at which construction will be officially complete.
They say that the main lease holder at Union Station will open the remaining retail spaces “on a rolling basis throughout 2022,” including a new market and a TD Bank branch.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.