Toronto’s final major Union Station construction project now set to finish in 2025

It has been two years since City of Toronto officials announced a formal end to a massive, $825-million renovation of Union Station, but a large exterior security project set to be done in 2023 has been postponed until 2025.

After the Yonge Street van attack in 2018, municipal crews moved quickly to boost security around Union Station. That push to boost safety saw dozens of concrete barriers installed on Front Street West in a bid to add protection to Canada’s busiest rail hub.

However, CityNews recently visited the forecourt of Union Station and saw a number of decaying barriers. Some were stuffed with garbage and other items. One barrier had a hand-written sign telling residents and visitors where the bicycle station was located.

“That’s one of the main gateways to go into the city. It definitely needs some love,” Victor Perez-Amado, a public realm expert and an assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, said when asked about the current state of the area.

“It shows that the city has … not a good administration or it shows that we are not caring about our city.

“For example … I get one of our colleagues come in from out of the country, from Germany actually, and he was telling us, “Oh, that’s interesting. Seems like this is not as inclusive as the city says it should be, right?’ It shows that we need to invest a little bit in housing but also the public places we are inhabiting in our city.”

In June 2022, CityNews was told by City of Toronto officials the barrier project was being delayed until 2023 due to increased costs and a need for significant and careful waterproofing. CityNews asked again recently for an update on the project.

Graham Leah, the City of Toronto’s director of property management services, said COVID-19 affected the project along with heritage and accessibility considerations, an assessment of various underground utilities, and TTC subway infrastructure impacts forced a rethink.

“The final design contemplates a mix of custom-design, cement barriers as well as steel bollards, which suit the purpose of what the security needs are there,” he said.

“The rest of it is really just working to figure out how to do the implementation of things (and) making sure that it fits with the characteristic of Union Station. It’s a very dynamic place for a quarter of a million people to come through on a daily basis.”

Leah said the final design and procurement work is happening now. The tender is expected to be awarded in 2024. He said an update will be coming to Toronto city council.

Meanwhile, work beyond the City of Toronto’s responsibility continues at Union Station. Private-sector operators are building and expanding commercial spaces while GO Transit continues its expansion at track level and at a new southern concourse.

Some state-of-good-repair issues still being dealt with at Union Station

During a visit at Union Station in June 2022, CityNews saw a number of finished items. However, there were still some issues that weren’t done despite the 2021 formal project end. At the front door, there was a sign warning of falling rocks from the restored façade. There are also a couple of blocked off entryways. At a lower northwestern entrance to the carriageway, there were several tipped-over benches.

When CityNews recently revisited, the carriageway entrance was still partially blocked off.

“There are some small portions of state-of-good-repair work,” Leah said.

“We operate on an annual basis with the budgets that were provided. A lot of what you see that’s in place right now is contemplated in the 2024 budget.”

RELATED: Union Station construction and maintenance issues impacting entries, bike storage spaces

There were a number of smaller maintenance-related issues seen when CityNews visited such as entry door bars kept open with zip-ties, one bathroom didn’t have a functional lock and other bathroom stalls were covered with graffiti. These types of issues aren’t necessarily unique for public property, but it raises questions about maintenance after the extensive renovation.

“It is a significant effort to maintain Union Station. More than a quarter million people come here on a daily basis to visit it as a transit hub and as a commercial retail space,” Leah said.

“There’s going to be the things, part of the state of good repair, that we have to manage. We do our best to manage that in a timely fashion. I think that for the most part people have reported being very pleased with what they see when they come to Union Station as opposed to what they might have been accustomed to.”

Advocates call for better experience out front

In recent winters and summers, there have been periodic activations in front of Union Station. For example, there have been ice rinks and musical performance areas on the eastern part of the forecourt. However, for the rest of the year the space sits largely empty.

CityNews asked Leah about the lack of seating areas and other amenities. He said City staff are looking at ways to improve Union Station but there aren’t any immediate plans to add anything beyond those seasonal installations.

When asked about the current situation, deputy mayor and area councillor Ausma Malik said finishing the work soon is key and that additional programming is needed to make the space at Union Station more inviting year-round.

“What I’m really encouraged by is that we do have a timeframe for 2024. With the work being completed, particularly on these security bollards, for 2025. That’s what we’ll be tracking towards, that’s what I’m going to be holding as a high priority and making sure that the activations that have been a success at Union Station continue to invite and welcome more people,” she told CityNews on Tuesday.

“Those are all really exciting things that have been able to happen at Union Station. We need to see more of that and the urgency and the expediency of getting the job done.”

Meanwhile, Perez-Amado said investing in the public realm and in quality public spaces is important amid an influx of more residents and high-rises across Toronto. He pointed to North American cities like Montreal and Chicago as examples of municipalities that make investments in public spaces, adding both are further ahead.

“When we have a city where housing becomes smaller and everyone’s couped in apartments in downtown and then you have massive homes where people are mostly not living, these public spaces become the backyard for people to want to socialize, to spend time together, to be with their families, to be with kids, to be with grandparents,” he said.

“If we go outside and we have derelict spaces that do not offer these socialization areas, then where are we going to go?”

Perez-Amado also highlighted how enhanced public spaces are good for social and mental health, pointing to the high number of visitors at nearby Berczy Park.

“We need more of that for a city that is growing so quickly. So we need to provide housing, but also the spaces that are in between the housing are as important,” he said.