You know its bad when B1M decides to make a video about it with the title “Canada’s Guide on How Not to Build a Railway”.
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I fully expect Finch to open before the Crosstown does - as a former Metrolinx employee I can guarantee this video will be making the rounds in the offices this week.
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It’s really a sad state of affairs. Although not the exact same project, I have spoken to people in some circles in Toronto who are blown away by how well the REM has progressed in Montreal in comparison to Eglinton crosstown.
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Here’s a video update on Lakeshore West.
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On est le 19 octobre. Et il n’est pas ouverte…
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The new South Concourse being built in Toronto. While we box in Gare Centrale with new towers and developments, they are busy making their main station more accessible.
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How exactly are we boxing in Gare Centrale with new towers and developments?
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We’ve been talking for a while about the HSR project, which will without question bring in more passengers to Gare Centrale. The problem is that right now, the place is a labyrinth. There are a number of bottlenecks that constrict the flow of passengers.
Toronto has a similar problem to us in that some portion of the existing terminal are protected and cannot be modified / demolished. The solution to that problem is to build over, under or around in order to expand the space without touching the historical elements.
For the last little while, there’s been talk of demolishing the existing parking and to build a tower there. Even considering the existing buildings, we realistically don’t have much space left to expand the existing station if need be. We realistically need to reserve the remaining space for future capacity.
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You can’t really compare both situations. The needs are different, the existing infrastructure is different, the built environment is different. Besides both being central stations, everything else is different. We also don’t know what exactly the plans are for anything, be it the HSR or the towers. Drawing any conclusions is simply premature at this point.
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It is because it is premature to be drawing plans that we really should be giving a very clear NO to promoters wanting to build a tower in place of that parking. We will know what we need once the HSR projects has moved further along.
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A big difference aside from the sheer discrepancy in scale between the two stations (it is hard to compare Union to Gare Centrale - it is massive in comparison and functions very differently) is ownership
Gare Centrale is owned by a REIT, who will always try to maximize profit with minimal investment. Union Station is owned by the City of Toronto (in partnership with Metrolinx/GO and CN/Toronto Terminals Railway (essentially CPKC and CN) which means there is a lot more control and political will when it comes to how the building is managed.
Some of the ownership divisions re: who manages what can be a bit confusing, but ultimately anything to do with Union is the decision of the city.
The federal governement can’t legally stop development on private land for the next 5 to 7 years through 1000 km from Toronto to Quebec city because it will maybe make ALTO harder to develop. Even the work at Union Station to add more GO train tracks might make building ALTO more difficult, should they stop work too?
I don’t see how a tower where the Belmont parking is will empeed development. The underground infrastructure is already highly developped, a potential tower will simply be on top of the REM station and tracks.
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Looks like Finch line 6 will open in early December!
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Massey Hall, Toronto – Avant / Après
KPMB Architects a restauré ce lieu historique et ajouté une tour en verre de 7 étages avec studios et nouvelle salle de 500 places.
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The best sounding venue in the city!
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C’est un bar bouillonnant de vie et de chaleur humaine qui nous saisit, à deux soirs de sa fermeture.
Un bar au décor old school qui plaisait aux étudiants comme aux plus vieux habitués, mais niché dans un quartier ultra moderne où les écrans géants de publicité jouent la concurrence. Peut-être le temps était-il déjà compté.
Le 15 novembre, l’Imperial Pub, le bar emblématique du quartier Yonge-Dundas, a fermé définitivement ses portes. Avec lui, c’est toute une communauté qui disparaît.
Fondé en 1944, le vieux bâtiment va disparaître pour laisser place à un immeuble neuf de 21 étages à occupation mixte.
C’est la TMU qui a racheté la parcelle sur laquelle se trouvait l’Imperial Pub. Selon le site de la TMU, 1370 lits étudiants seront ajoutés sur le campus. Des commerces et deux grandes salles de classe sont également prévus.
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