Union Station Bus Terminal

The Union Station Bus Terminal is an intercity bus terminal located inside the south tower of CIBC Square in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The terminal currently serves GO Transit regional buses as well as TOK Coachlines long distance bus services.[3][4] Owned by the provincial Crown agency Metrolinx, the terminal is connected by pedestrian walkways to the adjacent Union Station, Canada's busiest transportation hub.[5]

Union Station Bus Terminal
LocationCIBC Square
81 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°38′39″N 79°22′41″W
Owned byMetrolinx
Platforms14 bus bays[1]
Bus operators GO Transit
TOK Coachlines
Connections Union Station
Union
Construction
Platform levels2
Bicycle facilitiesYes[2]
Disabled accessYes[2]
Other information
Station codeGO Transit: 02300
Fare zone02
History
OpenedDecember 5, 2020 (2020-12-05)

The terminal opened on December 5, 2020, replacing an outdoor terminal that was located on the north side of the rail corridor.[6][7]

History
Entrance of the former Union Station bus terminal at 141 Bay Street (2003-2020)
Platforms at the former Union Station bus terminal

Previous terminals

From the 1970s to the 1990s, GO buses operated out of the Toronto Coach Terminal at Bay and Dundas Streets. After operations moved out of that terminal, GO buses used a curb-side facility on Front Street in front of the railway station that could hold up to 7 buses. However, taxis, delivery trucks and other private vehicles would compete for space in the area reserved for buses. GO staff had to organize lines of waiting passengers so as not to obstruct the sidewalk in front of the station.[8]

Given the traffic congestion and subsequent delays to service, a dedicated bus terminal close to Union Station was required. In 2003, GO Transit opened a dedicated Union Station bus terminal at 141 Bay Street at a cost of $9 million.[9][8] Intercity bus services continued to operate out of the Toronto Coach Terminal.

The terminal was built on the site of a small passenger depot and a former CP Express & Transport building. Most of the old structure was demolished with a dock door retained and limestone fascia stored.[10]

The terminal was located directly across the street from the railway terminal, with an enclosed walkway above Bay Street directly connecting the terminal to the railway station concourse. There was also direct stairway access from the bus terminal to railway platforms 4 through 13 via the Bay East Teamway under the railway tracks.[11]

The terminal had 7 platforms with fixed platform assignments.[12] Every GO bus route departed from the same platform, a practice that would result in backlogs and delays. Due to height restrictions on the approaches to the terminal, all buses that served the terminal were single-decker buses or special low-height double-decker buses.[13] Per weekday, the bus terminal hosted 485 bus trips and served 13,600 riders.[12] According to Metrolinx, it was estimated more than 100 million customers had used the terminal while it was in operation.[14]

The bus terminal's last day of service was December 4, 2020, when it relocated to its current location under CIBC Square. The 2003 terminal was demolished shortly after. The north tower of CIBC Square will be built on the site, with completion in 2024.[15]

Planning, construction and opening
CIBC Square under construction in March 2020

In 2007, the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (today's Metrolinx) recommended relocating the outdated Toronto Coach Terminal and the Union Station bus terminal into one integrated bus terminal.[16][17] Planning work continued over the next few years, with Metrolinx stating in 2012 that they were “contemplating building a new bus terminal at 45 Bay St".[18] Intercity bus operators were in favour of moving from the Toronto Coach Terminal, as a location closer to the Gardiner Expressway would reduce journey times.[18]

In 2014, Metrolinx announced plans to move the Union Station Bus Terminal to the south tower of the then proposed Bay Park Centre, located at the north-east corner of Bay Street and Lake Shore Boulevard. Bay Park Centre was later renamed to CIBC Square when the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) became the lead tenant.

As part of the deal for the new terminal, Metrolinx sold the site of the old bus terminal at 141 Bay Street to Ivanhoé Cambridge, and in exchange, acquired a 99-year lease for the new terminal. Construction on the new terminal began in 2017 and opened in 2020.[19] The terminal was developed through a partnership between Metrolinx and real estate firms Ivanhoé Cambridge and Hines. The architects for CIBC Square were WilkinsonEyre and Adamson Associates.[19]

As part of the construction of the new terminal, the East Bay Teamway was closed temporarily. These gave direct access to GO trains on tracks 4 to 13 and provided a convenient way for riders to transfer between GO trains and GO buses at the old bus terminal. Once reopened, the East Bay Teamway will connect the new bus terminal to a future commercial development at the site of the old terminal.[11] By mid-2020, the new bus terminal was complete, and being tested for public use.[12] The terminal opened on December 5, 2020, which also marked the 50th anniversary of GO Transit bus services.

Location and features

The bus terminal is located at 81 Bay Street, northeast of Lake Shore Boulevard and southwest of Union Station, on the south side of the Union Station Rail Corridor. The terminal is housed within the 48-storey south tower of the CIBC Square office development, and is directly connected to Union Station via Scotiabank Arena (accessed through an enclosed walkway above Bay Street which is part of the city's PATH indoor pedestrian network), which lies adjacent to Union Station itself.[14]

There are two street-level entrances, one on Bay Street opposite Scotiabank Arena, and the other on Lake Shore Boulevard just east of Bay Street. The TTC provides Wheel-Trans (paratransit) service at the Bay Street entrance. There is a pickup/dropoff area and bicycle parking on the P1 level.

The terminal's bus platforms and waiting areas occupy two floors within CIBC Square. The terminal area is climate controlled, with glass doors separating the waiting area from the bus platforms. Other facilities include free Wi-Fi, charging points and washrooms. The terminal is also fully accessible, with elevators, braille and help points throughout the terminal.[20]

Boarding procedures are similar to those for an airport terminal. Digital screens direct riders to the appropriate zone to wait for boarding. Gate assignments appear on digital screens 10 minutes before bus departure followed by an audio announcement on the PA system. Glass gate doors separating the waiting area from the platform open only when buses are ready to load passengers.[21]

The 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft), bi-level terminal has fourteen bus bays[1] – twice as many as the previous terminal – and can accommodate GO Transit's fleet of double-decker buses.[12] Unlike the old terminal, bus routes are not permanently assigned platforms in the terminal; this allows for reduced delays in bus unloading and departures. For safety and to prevent unauthorized access, passengers are allowed on the platforms only when buses are loading or unloading.[22][23]

Services

Union Station Bus Terminal provides regional and long-distance bus services.

GO Transit
Main article: GO Transit bus services § Routes

GO Transit provides bus routes connecting to various cities and towns across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. One bus route, 16 Hamilton/Toronto Express, runs between Union Station Bus Terminal and Hamilton GO Centre in both directions throughout the day. All other GO Transit bus routes complement a namesake GO rail line providing transit service in periods or direction when GO trains do not run.[24]

GO buses serve the following routes and rail corridors:[25][24]

Long distance

TOK Coachlines (formerly Can-ar Coach Service[27]) provides service on two routes from Union Station Bus Terminal:[4]

  • Toronto • Pearson Airport • Orangeville • Kincardine • Port Elgin
  • Toronto • Oshawa • Port Perry • Lindsay • Minden • Haliburton

Connections

The bus terminal is connected to Union Station by pedestrian walkways, providing access to connecting suburban and long-distance train services by GO Transit, Via Rail and Amtrak. Union Pearson Express connects the station to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The terminal is also connected to the subway and streetcar system of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) at Union station - served by subway Line 1 Yonge–University and streetcar routes 509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina. Toronto Transit Commission bus routes 6 Bay, 72 Pape and 121 Fort York–Esplanade also connect to Union Station at bus stops at the intersection of Front and Bay Streets.[28] Porter Airlines operates a shuttle bus service to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport from the intersection of Front and York Streets, northeast of Union Station.

Future operators

The terminal is expected to take over as the depot for intercity bus services from the Toronto Coach Terminal.[6] Negotiations with intercity coach services first began in 2012, when the relocation of the Union Station Bus Terminal to the future CIBC Square was being planned.[29][30] Intercity bus operators stated that they were in favour of moving from the Toronto Coach Terminal, as a location closer to the Gardiner Expressway would reduce journey times.[18] The Toronto Coach Terminal is leased by intercity bus operators from the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) until 2021, with the TTC planning to declare the site surplus to allow it to be redeveloped after the Toronto Coach Terminal is vacated.[31]

References
  1. "Metrolinx's new pedestrian bridge will span 40 metres over Bay Street". CBC News. September 1, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  2. "New Union Station Bus Terminal at CIBC SQUARE". GO Transit. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  3. "New Union Station Bus Terminal at CIBC Square". GO Transit. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  4. "TOK Coach Lines - Schedules". TOK Coach Lines. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  5. "Union Station | Where Toronto is Going". Union. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  6. "GO opening new Union Station Bus Terminal, December 5". Transit Toronto. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  7. "New Union Station Bus Terminal to Officially Open". Government of Ontario. December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  8. "Goodbye old and reliable bus hub: Remembering Toronto's current Union Station Bus Terminal as GO riders prepare to move into new digs". Metrolinx News. November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  9. "Riders' eyes are smiling about their new Union Station GO Bus Terminal - Transit Toronto - Newspaper Archive". transittoronto.ca. March 17, 2003. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  10. CP Express Building Demolition - Union Station Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  11. "Union Station Revitalization". GO Transit. October 19, 2020. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  12. "First GO buses enter Union Station Bus Terminal as part of testing – See the images here". Metrolinx News. June 10, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  13. "New Low-Height Buses". GOTransit.com. GO Transit. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2017. Low-height double-decker buses will ease crowding on some of our busier trips and will be able to serve four terminals that can only currently be served by single-level buses due to height restrictions — Hamilton, Yorkdale, York Mills and Union Station.
  14. "GO Transit officially begins operating out of new Union Station Bus Terminal". Global News. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  15. "CIBC SQUARE Community Updates". CIBC Square. November 16, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  16. Kalinowski, Tess (August 22, 2007). "Study may spur bus terminal move". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  17. Kalinowski, Tess (August 23, 2007). "New – or renewed – bus terminal on the horizon". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  18. Allen, Kate (January 7, 2012). "Landmark bus depot loses its lustre". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  19. Wright, Lisa (April 12, 2017). "CIBC to move head offices to new Bay Park Centre". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  20. "Here's how to navigate Toronto's new Union Station bus terminal | Urbanized". dailyhive.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  21. Money, Scott (November 16, 2020). "Toronto's new Union Station Bus Terminal gets ready to open – Here's what you need to know to get on the bus". Metrolinx. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  22. "Union Station's fancy new GO bus terminal is finally opening next month". www.blogto.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  23. "Toronto's new Union Station bus terminal will open its doors next month". CP24. November 16, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  24. "Full Schedules". GO Transit. December 10, 2020.
  25. "Union Station Bus Terminal". Google Maps. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  26. "Metrolinx cuts GO services in Hamilton and Niagara, expecting reduced ridership". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. March 15, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  27. "TOK Group". TOK Group. Retrieved December 7, 2020. TOK Coachlines: Formerly Can-ar, offers scheduled, custom and package tours
  28. "TTC Union Station". www.ttc.ca. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  29. "Planners struggle to fix Toronto's 'third-world' bus station". nationalpost. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  30. "Toronto Coach Terminal Inc. (TCTI) – 610 Bay Street and 130 Elizabeth Street, Toronto – Lease Disposition" (PDF). City of Toronto. April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  31. "Toronto Coach Terminal Inc. (TCTI) – 610 Bay Street and 130 Elizabeth Street, Toronto – Lease Disposition" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. April 20, 2017.

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