Creative Mixed-Use Case Studies

In 2000, the City of Toronto purchased the station building from Toronto Terminals Railway, while GO Transit purchased the railway corridor and the Union Station train shed. In 2003, the City agreed to lease Union Station to Union Pearson AirLink Group, a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin, for 100 years. In 2006 work as part of a $100 million initiative was announced by the City and its transit authorities, along with the Government of Ontario and Government of Canada. This included constructing a direct connection from the GO Concourse to the PATH pedestrian tunnel system, a new eastbound platform for the Union TTC station, improved access to streetcars at Union TTC station, and improved capacity for inter-city railway passengers. In 2009, an updated plan was approved, with improvements being made to commuter and Trans-Canada Rail platforms to accommodate expected increases in passengers, create a new pedestrian retail concourse below the station, restore and preserve many of Union Station’s heritage elements, create a new PATH system connecting the northwest corner of Union Station to Wellington Street, expand and increase the number of station entrances, include a new PATH connection and tunnel to Union Plaza, Air Canada Centre and Maple Leaf Square, renovate space in the west wing for Metrolinx’s head office, and incorporate ad- vanced environmental designs. The work also involved a complete overhaul of the GO concourses, deepening them to create two storeys of space. The lower storey provides retail space and room for pedestrian traffic flow, and the upper storey is dedicated to passenger traffic onto the platforms.