The Station Toronto Needs

Few transit projects offer as many benefits at a cost as reasonable as a second downtown rail station for Toronto, which is why in today's video I make the ultimate case for Cityplace Station at Front and Spadina. Check it out and share it!

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Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world!

Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.

[RMTransit]

If you enjoy this video and think this is a project, we should build here are some steps you can take to help.

1) share this with your local politicians city counsellors and MPPS

2) share the video! The more people that see it the more people that send it on!

[sjokomelk]

As a Norwegian, I approve the use of "a Norway" as a measuring unit of number of people. 😁

[ButteryBao]

I’ve been saying this for decades: the city needs to buy 2/4 TBMs and have a goal of building 2-4 stations every few years. Over a decade or two you’d get a solid rapid transit network that is properly interconnected. The fact that the well exists where it does now is a slap in the face

[charlesalexg]

You must have put so much work in this video, it's excellent. And this is very much the station Toronto needs.

[dennisdesk]

I've worked at Union Station, and this vision is exactly what would help.

[abubakarmaster]

amazing as always, which local politician should I call to make this happen

[JustinJamesJeep]

As an Aldershot to Union rider that exits union and walks west i highly approve of this message!

[Fanw]

Thank you Reece for an extremely well-presented and argued video. Just one footnote from a Brit brought up 55 kilometres north of London. The THAMESLINK north-south line across London is just as important as the east-west Crossrail/Elizabeth. Note, too, that both lines have no less than FIVE city centre stations.

[tdb]

You could easily build a deck over those tracks as well, and sell some of the air rights above tracks for new towers. In that way, the project has paid for itself. If you deck over the area, you could create a new public square (like Federation sq in Melbourne) to better activate the area.

[bradkarsh]

You should run for office. Great idea! I hope those in power pay attention to your smart ideas.

[sjappiyah]

I love your insistence on saying “Skydome” instead of “rogers centre” 😂 True Torontonian spirit

[WillGallagher]

Just recently visited Toronto for the first time in many years and was surprised by how overwhelming Union was and also how much construction is happening all across the city. Toronto is truly BOOMING. I didn’t really remember from my past experiences just how massive that gash created by the rail lines is in downtown, severing the city from the waterfront. I know it wouldn’t be cheap, but I do think filling in the area above the tracks would make downtown feel a lot more connected to the lake & pleasant overall. Especially if that “filling in” includes more public gathering spaces and a new secondary station.
Things I do love about the TTC include the ultra wide cars & platforms (I’m used to the claustrophobic Chicago CTA). Also, Toronto gave me serious street car envy. They are so much more pleasant than riding busses, especially on busy routes, but I totally see your point about how some of them could be justifiably replaced by a full metro line. They’re a bit slow so I could only see seriously riding them for for the last km or two of a journey to connect with the heavier rail.

[WilliamChan]

Eloquent, well-thought-out videos like this are what actually promotes change. Will do my part to advocate!

[SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

"A SkyDome" ah yes, my favorite part of Toronto when that building was called the SkyDome was when Meilin Lee's mom wreaked havoc on the area during a 4*Town concert and absolutely destroyed the whole place because her daughter was attending said concert. But hey, glad to see it's back to normal after they raised a charity in the Lee Family's Temple to accumulate enough money to rebuild it!

Billy Bishop is definitely a solid and unique airport. Don't have to take an express train to Union or a pricey taxi from Pearson because you're already in downtown, you get to the airport by either tunnel or one of the shortest ferries ever, the views are wonderful, it's named after a beast of a Canadian flying ace from WWI who had 72 victories, and it's ranked one of the best in North America!

[ClairvoyantTruth]

The thing with the overcrowding at TTC stations, Union, etc. I never see discussed by politicians or anyone is what happens when there is a fire or shooting causing a mass panic? There will be a stampede into small staircases; it's a tinderbox that needs a single spark.

[ergosteur]

This is really makes so much sense, I hope people in charge are watching.

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

I was just about to bring up NYC as an example of a place with more than one termini! In addition to operating at Penn Station and Grand Central Madison, the LIRR also has service at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. Service to/from Atlantic Terminal is mostly a shuttle between it and Jamaica as the result of Grand Central Madison and of course it's not in Manhattan, but it still serves an important area: Downtown Brooklyn and its proximity to Lower Manhattan. Thus, the Atlantic Branch serves not just Brooklynites but also those who work in the Financial District. Not to mention, on top of all the subway services that stop there, Atlantic Terminal is also next door to the Barclays Center so it's useful for events at the arena as well!

And while not a terminus, there's also Jamaica station in Queens, with "Change at Jamaica" a quintessential part of living on Long Island. Exhibition's design reminds me a little bit of Jamaica, and I think that design would indeed look great for a CityPlace station! Toronto has an opportunity to make things a whole lot easier for people going into Downtown Toronto, and Spadina-Front station...is not it.

[timothyamancioau]

Love your videos and your analysis of transit in Toronto. I really hope you are lobbying Metrolinx and sharing your videos with our policy makers. What you propose makes TOO much sense. This needs to be shared with the politicians and decision makers!

[carpanatomytony]

I like how you called it the “SkyDome”! ❤

[mdhazeldine]

TOTALLY agree with your vision/idea. Toronto needs it's own Clapham Junction / Vauxhall / Stratford. I don't love oversite developments, as I think they may stations dark and depressing and make it difficult to move stuff around underneath once you've built them, BUT, if that's the only way to get a station built, then I'm all for it, because a station with oversite development in an area like that is better than no station at all.