What’s going on subway surfers, we’re back on the surface today for the final days of the
Union Station Bus Terminal. Located in downtown Toronto, this intercity bus terminal has been open
for 17 years, and serviced GO and intercity buses running to Toronto’s suburbs. Today,
we’re taking a final look around the terminal, as buses have recently withdrawn service, and are moving
to a new facility on Lake Shore Blvd. I’m Zach with Vanishing Underground, and let’s take a look.
The Union Station Bus Terminal is located at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and The
Esplanade, in the heart of downtown Toronto. The terminal stretches between Bay Street and Yonge
Street, with seven bus bays servicing various routes to Toronto suburbs and other Ontario
communities. Bus routes are not assigned to specific bays, with bus platform assignments
being announced 10 minutes before departure. GO buses from the terminal operate outside of train
departure times from Union Station, with buses running to Hamilton, Milton, Guelph, East Gwillimbury,
Richmond Hill, Uxbridge, and Oshawa. TOK coach buses also run from the terminal once a day,
operating trips to Haliburton and Port Elgin, Ontario. TTC buses service stops nearby the
terminal on the Esplanade, as well as on the opposite end at the corner of Bay and Front.
With the closure of the terminal, GO and TOK buses have been relocated to the new
Union Station Bus Terminal, located south of the old site on Lake Shore Boulevard.
The terminal could be accessed from sidewalks to the west side of Yonge Street,
as well as to the east side of Bay Street. Additionally,
an overhead walkway linked the west side of the terminal to Platform 3 of Union Station,
which provided further connections into the Bay, VIA, and York Concourses of the station. In the
middle of the terminal site, an interior waiting room was equipped with seating, a ticket booth,
washrooms, and a small convenience store. A smaller west vestibule at the western end
of the terminal contained the staircase and elevator linking up to platform 3,
as well as provided a ticket vending machine. An overhead canopy ran the length of the platforms,
providing shelter from the elements for waiting passengers. Digital departure boards were located
at each bus bay, providing information on the next two buses and their expected departure time.
Additional overhead displays also showed upcoming train departures.
The terminal saw many modifications over its 17 year history, with the canopy being extended to
Platform 47, and yellow bollards being installed along the edge of the platform for safety.
Bus access to the terminal was difficult during busy periods downtown,
with heavy pedestrian and automobile traffic downtown often causing excessive
delays for buses travelling to the nearby Gardiner Expressway. From the west, buses on routes 16, 18,
21, 31, and 63 exited the Gardiner at the Bay Street exit, running east along Harbour
St and north on Bay St to the terminal. Leaving Toronto, these buses would head south on Yonge St,
before running west on Lake Shore Blvd to the Gardiner Expressway ramp at York Street.
From the east, buses on routes 61, 65, 71, and 90 exited the Gardiner at the Bay Street exit,
running west along Lake Shore Blvd and north on Bay St to the terminal.
Leaving Toronto, these buses would head south on Yonge St, west on Queens Quay,
and north on Bay St, entering the Gardiner Expressway at the ramp just north of Harbour St.
During periods of heavy traffic, buses would sometimes use alternate routes to avoid
congestion in this area, especially after game times at the nearby Scotiabank Arena.
The location of the new terminal on Lake Shore Blvd helps buses avoid some of these
difficult turning movements at Bay and Lake Shore, as well as along Queens Quay.
After the terminal closed on December 5, 2020,
demolition is expected to start on the structure within the month.
A 50-storey tower is expected to be constructed on the site as part of the CIBC Square development,
which will be linked to the newly opened South tower where the new bus terminal was constructed.
The two towers are being linked by a new elevated park over the train tracks at Union Station,
which is expected to be partially opened in 2021. The new building contains a seven storey podium,
with retail spaces on the lower levels, and office spaces in the remaining units within the tower.
The existing pedestrian bridge to Platform 3 at Union is expected to remain in place,
however will be modified to connect into the new building. Construction on the tower is expected
to begin once demolition of the bus terminal is complete, with the tower expected to be open in 2024.
Thanks for watching. We hope you enjoyed this final look around the old
Union Station Bus Terminal. As always, feel free to leave a like if you want to see more,
and as for us here, we’ll be Vanishing Underground until the next one.