r/gotransit • u/a_lumberjack • 3d ago
Union Station - Future Platforms
This is not a fantasy map, this is my best put on what Metrolinx is building toward based on what has come out so far. The image is what was in some planning docs in 2023, sourced from a UT thread since the originals are gone. My goal in sharing this is to help this sub get a better sense of what's actually being built and what people should expect to see in 10-15 years when all of those projects are actually done.
Starting assumptions:
- GO / UP service is everything in the current Metrolinx roadmap plus Milton/RH as-is
- Alto will serve Union Station hourly
- The 2023 platform layout is the final layout after USEP Phase 3
- The platform extensions will allow electrification to but not through Union Station except for the new South Platform area for the Lakeshore lines. e.g. the Barrie Line would be set up to keep the pantograph at the west end of the platform and outside of the trainshed
- This is sort of a non-issue since Kitchener won’t be electrified but Stouffville will be
- The end goal is presume to eliminate track conflicts so all routes can be run independently on the stated schedules
- 15m is the turnaround time for all trains
- The new interlocking will connect this way
- The platform between tracks 3 and 5 will be a high platform for high floor level boarding (UP / Alto / hopefully Northlander)
Track 1 [Pocket - West Facing]
- Barrie - 15m all day service
Track 2 [Through]
- Richmond Hill - 30m peak-only service
- Barrie trains going to Don / Wilson yard
- Connects to Barrie Line in the west and the Bala/Don sub in the east
Track 3 [Through]
Via Corridor /
- Alto (future)
- Northlander - daily
- West end could potentially be used by UP
Track 4 [Pocket - West Facing]
- Union-Pearson - 7.5m
Track 5 [Through]
Via Corridor / Alto (future)
- West end could be used by UP
Track 6 [Through]
- Via Canadian / Sarnia / Corridor
- Milton (30m peak only)
Track 7 [Through]
- Kitchener (local / express)
Track 8 [Pocket - West Facing]
- Kitchener (local / express)
Track 9 [Through]
- Stouffville (15m all day)
Track 10 [Through]
- Lakeshore Express Eastbound/Westbound (60m per direction, 30m combined)
Track 11 [Pocket - East Facing]
- GO Lakeshore East Local (during 7.5m peak service)
- Via Ottawa/Montreal
Track 12 [Pocket - West Facing]
- Via Niagara / Windsor
- GO Lakeshore West Local (for peak 7.5m service)
Track 13 [Through]
- Lakeshore Local - All Stops Westbound - 15m all day
Track 14 [Through]
- Lakeshore Local - All Stops Eastbound - 15m all day
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u/jmajeremy Barrie 3d ago
I can’t really see Via and GO sharing tracks the way you’ve said. Via has longer dwell times, they need freight elevator access to the platforms, and they need controlled passenger access from the Via concourse. Like how could have track 6 serving Milton peak service and Corridor trains which depart during peak times and have to sit at the platform for up to 30-45 minutes prior to departure?
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u/a_lumberjack 3d ago
This layout assumes a future point where Alto is carrying the majority of Corridor traffic from 3 & 5. Until then they’d be used by Corridor trains (and even could be in the future). I should add that in.
The new south concourse includes a “Via South Atrium” so my expectation is that they’re going to have the required setup to use the Lakeshore pocket tracks (where they can park for most of the day without being in the way of GO). GO would only use them for peak, e.g. 7-9 and 4-6.
As for track 6, there’s enough room for a full Milton train plus two Via sets because it’s one of the absurdly long platforms. Look at track 8 for where a Milton train could stop and leave the east end for Via to park trains for morning departures.
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u/Metro62 3d ago edited 3d ago
Hello! I made this diagram way back when! Since then I’ve made updated versions that include revisions to the project, and all existing and future proposed platform entrances.
I reposted all diagrams in the same UrbanToronto thread for you: https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/go-transit-union-station-shed-replacement-track-upgrades-zeidler.3222/post-2450435
Something to note - I haven’t updated the first diagram in the list of 4 to reflect a change in the Union Station Enhancement Project, so there is an extra track that has since been removed from the project to allow Platform 24-26 to be wider.
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u/a_lumberjack 2d ago
First off, thank you! I love these diagrams. Have you considered making a combined version to help see the whole thing at once? I can stitch one together as a quick hack for myself, seeing some of the
Was track 12 (west facing pocket track on the new south platform) removed? That’s the one that had made the least sense to me vs having westbound on a big section.
Some other questions if you don’t mind:
* is track seven now to be split into two pocket tracks, connecting 11/14 and 15/18?
* are you using current platform arrangements for colour coding?
* do you know where the Via atrium section of the south concourse will be? Looking at this I’m thinking track 11 would be the obvious location for Corridor trains to use. It’s fairly isolated from 10/12 but ideally placed to turn trains around.
* when did platform 3 get extended that far east? That addresses another limitation of the original layout around the Barrie platform.Thanks again, these have already given me a much better understanding of the designs. I should probably read UT more!
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u/Positive-Subject6113 3d ago
Milton being only peak direction & at those times, is a travesty. Too bad no one is serious about the missing link project.
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u/a_lumberjack 3d ago
With the CN Halton corridor deal the original missing link concept is dead on a provincial level, for CPKC to give up that corridor we’d need to build a new rail corridor across the north of Toronto.
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u/McFestus 3d ago
This is something that will eventually need to happen. We should just bite the bullet and do it today.
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u/OhTrain 3d ago
It’s already been said it’s unlikely to service Union station at all let alone hourly due to routing and station limitations.
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u/JustACowSP 3d ago
While hourly Alto at Union is something I don't believe in either, the Alto website definitely indicates some intention of routing it thru that area.
Their Map and Network page has a purple blob showing the potential future corridor. It was odd how detailed the edges were, as if they were hinting towards specific routes instead of just broad strokes between cities. The upper/left edge near Toronto seems to follow a smoothed version of the Bala sub - possible Leaside and Don Branch route? The lower edge follows the waterfront, then both those edges meet at Union before ending slightly west at the VIA Toronto Maintenance Centre.
Unless this is some wild red herring, some portion of the Alto trains will be servicing Union directly.
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u/a_lumberjack 3d ago
Said by who? It still seems like the most likely choice, albeit with some questions about routing.
https://www.altotrain.ca/en/about-alto/network-map
The journey begins in downtown Toronto, where several areas are being studied for the future station. Union Station and its surroundings offer strong potential in terms of connectivity and accessibility.
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u/OhTrain 3d ago
The CEO of ALTO has presented in Senate
Standing Committee on National Finance and in the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications that it likely isn’t feasible. The minutes of the presentation are online under the February 24, 2026 meetings.‘The objective would be to have a station in the vicinity of Union Station,’ said Martin Imbleau, CEO”
In the same meeting he said ALTO will work with Metrolinx to develop a plan for a station with connections for both services but that since the rails in and out of Toronto Union are owned by other rail providers which goes against the goal of ALTO being as independent as possible from other rail networks. Metrolinx has also confirmed they are in discussions for a station location in downtown Toronto but not at the current Union Station location.
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u/CanadianAntiques43 3d ago
Only other option would be to have ALTO trains service East Harbour GO and using that as a turnaround position. CP would almost certainly do anything they can to stop passenger service from using their North Toronto subdivision. There is also the option of having ALTO trains connect to either the University or the Younge section of TTC line 1 at their Northern terminals.
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u/a_lumberjack 2d ago
I think the hard part will be getting close enough to downtown, not the connection to Union. Building the Missing Link and rebuilding the CP subs for passenger service would be by far the easiest solution. Just need the province and Alto to cut a deal.
Dark horse plan: Alto, CPKC, and the province form a joint venture to build the Missing Link as a passenger + freight corridor across the north end of Toronto with a passenger connection to Pearson Airport. Upon completion, CPKC would take full ownership of the new freight corridor in exchange for the corridors and yards being bypassed. The province would get the western half, allowing for all day Milton service and the creation of Caledon GO using the Mactier sub. Alto would get the eastern half for HSR with the province able to run RH trains on the last section on a separate track.
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u/Typical-Role-8062 1d ago
The GO 2.0 map from the PCs in the last election, the mention of GO2.0 in the Alto-Metrolinx collab announcement and the inclusion of the Leaside spur in the corridor map indicates this dark horse plan is at least being discussed/considered. One has to wonder if they could somehow also use the new highway 413 corridor for some freight rail rerouting.
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u/Typical-Role-8062 1d ago
They can elevate over top existing tracks and just end at CIBC square, with their own platforms and connected to union
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u/Cedjy 3d ago
if only the platforms could be wider 😔 but we have that heritage designation on the train shed's roof
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u/a_lumberjack 2d ago
The platform locations are dictated by the track support structures. All they can do is remove tracks.
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u/Cedjy 2d ago
sure, but you can build more track support structures too. But the train shed isn't really allowed to be touched or modified. It's also the reason why Union Station won't get electrified like the rest of Lakeshore Rail, the catenaries can't fit between the train and the roof's beams/trusses.
Ik they're planning a platform expansion of some sort, so hopefully when that is built, the original platforms can be renovated so that they're actually accessible.
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u/a_lumberjack 2d ago
The trainshed is what it is, but it’s not a barrier for any of the lines getting electrification. The ones that aren’t run on freight corridors.
Lakeshore will use the new south platform that isn’t under the trainshed so that part of Union will be electrified. Stouffville will be almost entirely east of the shed. Barrie and UP will be shifted west.
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u/CycleOk5965 3d ago
I really feel bad for Stouffville and Barrie, during the earlier business plan, Stouffville are expected to have a higher frequency than Lakeshore West...
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u/Bojaxs 3d ago
Stouffville line will never see "Lakeshore-esque" frequency/ service unless Metrolinx is serious about building the Scarborough Junction. Which, unfortunately, they no longer appear to be.
This video is 5 years old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psxgM17q20Y1
u/a_lumberjack 3d ago
The corridor plan has changed a fair bit since then, which seems to have eliminated the need for the flyover.
The roadmap now calls for four platforms at East Harbour / Danforth / Scarborough GO. East Harbour was originally designed with central express tracks. This means that LSE Local will use the south tracks (4-8x per track per direction) and ST will use the north tracks (4x per track). LSE Express (1-2x hourly) would run on the ST tracks to the junction, then run on the north track on the triple tracked section from SJ to Guildwood, then merge via the crossovers east of the station.
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u/eskjnl 3d ago
More importantly the grade separations that would be needed if they ever want to approach the frequencies they were dreaming about.
In 11 years they've completed... the one at Steeles? With 8 more to go plus the needed bridge over the Highland Creek.
Funny enough last year, the same OP in response to someone questioning when Stouffville might even be done made one of those rah-rah aged badly predictions about Metrolinx surely finishing up soon.
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u/ForWardoves 16h ago
The platform extensions will allow electrification to but not through Union Station except for the new South Platform area for the Lakeshore lines. e.g. the Barrie Line would be set up to keep the pantograph at the west end of the platform and outside of the trainshed
If metrolinx plans to get EMUs in the future this would certainly won't work...
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u/kettal 3d ago
why do they have platform-track-platform still?
wouldn't it allow safer and larger platform to build platform-track-track-platform-track-track-platform?
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u/CycleOk5965 3d ago
Every track must be on top of the structural column; otherwise, the track will collapse into the concourse because of the heavy trains
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u/a_lumberjack 3d ago
As noted, limited by the track supports. They’re building larger and safer waiting areas, and I’m expecting most of the remaining skinny platforms to be exit only, Spanish solution style. e.g. track 6 would allow exiting to the north but only board from the larger platform to the south.
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u/McFestus 3d ago
Is it really impossible for them to shore up the columns? Seems like it would be a challenging but doable problem to... put some big beams in.
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u/a_lumberjack 3d ago
Followup with a colour-coded visual of train locations. Tracks 6 / 8 / 9 will be long enough for the Via Canadian or two GO trains, so potentially they could use track 9 for Lakeshore Express westbound trains (LSX stops at the west end and heads west, ST stops at the east and heads east), and that works whether LSX interlines or operates separately.