Union Station Toronto

Union Station Toronto: The Centre of Everything

Credit: Beth and Christian, on flickr.com

Trains, buses and subway cars

Union Station is Toronto's hub for both local and long-distance transportation. From here you can catch VIA Rail trains, GO Transit commuter trains and buses, and the subway. Travelling to Vancouver or New York City? Hamilton? Georgetown? Or just the Eaton's Centre, a few short blocks north? You can get there from here.

Location

The Toronto train station is on the south side of Front Street between Bay and York. Its imposing limestone façade, with its 22 columns, fills the entire block.

Ticket purchase

VIA Rail Trains: You can buy tickets from the wickets in the Great Hall on the main floor of Union Station Toronto. You can also purchase them online at http://www.viarail.ca/tickets/en_index_tick.html

GO Transit: Purchase GO Transit train tickets on the concourse (basement) level of Toronto Union Station, or online at http://www.GO Transit.com. Buy GO Transit bus tickets across the street at the GO Bus Terminal at 141 Bay Street (from ticket vendors or from machines that take coins, debit and credit cards). **NOTE:** If you're looking for other intercity buses (not GO Transit), you'll need to go to the Toronto Coach Terminal at 610 Bay Street. That's where you'll find Greyhound Canada Transportation Corporation (GCTC), Coach Canada/Trentway-Wager, Inc., Ontario Northlands Transportation Commission (ONTC), Penetang-Midland Coach Lines (PMCL) and Can Air Coach Service.

Subway: Purchase tickets in the Union subway station, which you can reach from the concourse (basement) level. Find schedules and maps for the Toronto Transit Commission (or TTC as it’s called for short) at http://www3.ttc.ca.

Layout and facilities

You board your train on the main level in the Departures Hall, another long hall just off the Grand Hall (less elegant but with plenty of space). You meet arriving guests downstairs on the Concourse.

There are some fast food/snack places on the main level of Union Station. Washrooms are in the west wing.

Downstairs, on the concourse level, you'll find more fast food restaurants, a bar, a few stores. Washrooms are near the entrance to the GO Transit trains.

Pedestrian paths

Even if you're walking instead of riding, Union Station is a good starting point. It's linked to Toronto's 27-kilometre-long network of underground routes called the Toronto PATH which takes you into office towers and shopping malls downtown without the hassle of having to go outside in the winter. There's also an overhead footbridge called Skywalk that starts in Union Station; it will take you over the train tracks to Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the Rogers Centre. You can print off a map at http://www.toronto.ca/path/pdf/path_brochure.pdf

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