Union (TTC)

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Union Station
55 Front Street West

Opened March 30, 1954 (Yonge-University-Spadina line)
June 22, 1990 (509 Harbourfront LRT)
July 27, 1997 (510 Spadina LRT)
District Old Toronto
Line Yonge-University-Spadina line
509 Harbourfront LRT
510 Spadina LRT
Next station Yonge-University-Spadina line:
≅0.5 km northeast to King 1 min
≅0.7 km northwest to St. Andrew 1 min

509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina LRTs:
south to Queen’s Quay-Ferry Docks

Daytime Connections 6A Bay, 65A Parliament, 72A Pape, 97B Yonge, 172 Cherry St.
Night Connections 320 Yonge
GO Transit Connections Union Station railway station
Union Station Bus Terminal
Daily Boardings 80,990
Rank 2007-08 7th busiest out of 69
Platforms Centre platform, streetcar loop 
Accessibility 3 elevators 
Washrooms Public washrooms
TTC Union Station streetcar platform.
TTC Union Station streetcar platform.
Excavation of the Union Station subway station circa 1949
Excavation of the Union Station subway station circa 1949

Union Station is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina line of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada subway. It is placed at the bottom of the ‘loop’ formed by that line, between the Yonge and University sections, at its southernmost point, and is located at 55 Front Street West between Bay Street and York Street, below Front Street and immediately north of Union Station railway station. The station opened as the southern terminus of the original Yonge subway line on March 30, 1954, for the University section of the Yonge-University-Spadina line on February 28, 1963, and on June 22, 1990 for the former Harbourfront LRT. This station serves approximately 72,240 people a day.

Union connects the subway with GO Transit trains and buses, VIA Rail, Ontario Northland, and Amtrak. Nearby landmarks include Union Station, the Royal York Hotel, the Air Canada Centre, Rogers Centre the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the CN Tower, the Royal Bank Plaza, BCE Place, and the Hockey Hall of Fame.

An underground streetcar loop was added to the station in 1990, and is now served by the 509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina routes.

Union’s status as a transport hub has resulted in overcrowding on its narrow centre platform. A plan is in place to add a new platform for Yonge-bound trains, outside the tracks; the current platform will then only need to serve University-bound trains. Construction on that expansion is set to begin in 2006, which will also see the entire upper mezzanine become a fare-paid area [1].

Leaving the station eastbound, the Yonge leg of the line runs briefly under Front Street and turns 90 degrees north to run under Yonge Street; leaving westbound, the University leg also runs under Front Street, and eventually turns 90 degrees north to run under University Avenue.

The station is also noted as being one of only two stations on the TTC where a signal light is publicly accessible. The signal is located on the east end of the platform. It is an Interlocking Signal that guards the crossover to the northbound Yonge Line and is only used during service disruptions that require trains be turned at Union.

A Presto card reader can be seen at Union station. It is the only one on the entire transit system so far.

Contents

[edit] Tenants

  • Legacy Sportswear - sells licensed TTC apparel

[edit] Surface connections

  • 6 Bay (A)
  • 65 Parliament (A)
  • 72 Pape (B)
  • 97 Yonge (B)
  • 172 Cherry St.

[edit] Transit City proposal

The Transit City proposal calls for a new LRT line known as the Waterfront West LRT line, extending the 509 Harbourfront streetcar route from the Exhibition Loop to Long Branch GO Station.

[edit] See also

Coordinates: 43°38′44.38″N 79°22′49.81″W / 43.6456611, -79.3805028

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