People in Toronto are praising Union Station for becoming a “world-class” destination.
In a post on Reddit, a city resident applauded Canada’s largest transit hub for the renovations that have been put into making the station what it is today.
“It just dawned on me how awesome this station is. I know the art work along line 1 Southbound and Northbound is a bit sad, but the station itself has actually turned out to be amazing – now that we are at the tail of all the renovations,” the person wrote.
The post has garnered hundreds of comments since it was shared on Friday, with most people agreeing that the station has become something to be proud of as Canadians.
“I was blown away by the improvements and amenities when passing through there recently. It’s definitely something to be proud of as Torontonians,” one user commented.
“The free skating, the summer activities (music, movies), the food vendors (fast food, ethnic food, high end food.. so many options), the shops (clothing, make up, jewellery, etc.) … and most importantly the signage has vastly improved, I don’t get too lost navigating it,” reads the original post.
Most people agreed that the vast array of restaurants, shops and activities in and around the station have made it a destination to be proud of. One user even compared the station to central transit stations in some of the largest global cities.
“It’s not Tokyo Station level yet but definitely up there with Gare du Nord or Taipei Main which is already very impressive. There is only a handful of stations in the world of this class,” one user said.
Getting the station to what it is today has been a multi-year effort, with major investments from the municipal, provincial and federal governments, funding the Union Station Revitalization Project (USRP), clocking in at over $824 million.
Construction has been going on at the station since 2010, says Alexa Polnez, brand and partnerships manager at Union.
“Union has strategized, secured and built over 60 retail tenants (with more to come), completed over 35,000-square-feet of common area improvements and secured TD as Union’s premier sponsor,” Polnez says, adding that the station has become a multidisciplinary arts and culture hub since the revitalization project finished in 2021.
Considering Union Station is one of the busiest commuter hubs in North America – with more than 300,000 visitors passing through the station daily – some Redditors said that the revitalization was long awaited, and needed.
About 160,000-square-feet of new retail space has been added to the station through the revitalization project, including the new retail level below the concourses, Union Food Court and Fresh Market.
The new retail space has introduced some viral openings including the % Arabica store, a popular Japanese coffee brand; and arts exhibits/events like Black Dreams and Aspirations, a free art exhibit that runs until August.
Considering how much flack Toronto’s transit gets following viral reports of security issues on GO trains, the on-going construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and the billions of dollars being spent on new transit lines in the Toronto area, the praise for the station was a shared sentiment by most users on Reddit.
“Toronto ain’t so bad after all. After years of complaining in this sub, glad to see a positive post here,” one user said.
