Burnishing a jewel of Canadian rail

TORONTO — While New York-area railways are still struggling to get the ball rolling on a long-overdue overhaul of Manhattan’s depressing, decrepit Pennsylvania Station, Canadian national railway VIA Rail Canada, meanwhile, is busy putting the finishing touches of a complete revamp of Toronto’s historical Union Station.

In March, VIA unveiled one of the first fruits of the multimillion-dollar effort: a ground-floor premium-passenger lounge at the near-century-old terminal, replacing a cramped and Penn Station-esque subterranean predecessor with an airy, modern space some 2.5 times larger. (Posting continues after photo gallery.)

The 6,200-square-foot Panorama Lounge, located near the main station entrance on Toronto’s Front Street West, can accommodate up to 200 Business- and Sleeper-class passengers.

Preserving the Union

Union Station — which serves around 200,000 VIA and commuter line customers a day –  is nearing the end of a massive overhaul that’s part of VIA’s $930 million capital investment project, ongoing since 2007. Overseen by the city government of Toronto in partnership with VIA, the Union Station rehabilitation will result in upgraded baggage areas and new display boards by this October. Other improvements on tap for the terminal include a second subway-system platform,  renovation of the historical train-shed roof and a new retail level below the existing GO Transit commuter-rail concourse. (VIA also plans on improving tracks, train sets and other rail station terminals across Canada.)

To be fair to Amtrak, VIA has a lot more to work with. Union Station, while marred by a few ungainly additions (and subtractions) from decades past, is largely intact, while the original Penn Station in New York was leveled in the early 1960s and replaced with an underground rabbit’s warren of a terminal sitting underneath an office building and events arena. In fact, according to VIA officials, preservation was of utmost importance when constructing the new lounge space.

Terrazzo and marble floors were either restored or replaced, to match the original materials, and new dark woodwork blends in seamlessly with original oak panels and cabinets. At the Panorama Lounge, VIA passengers also enjoy post-millennial touches like free Wifi access and a business center boasting computer stations, printers and meeting space. Artwork by Canadian notables such as Mary Filer, Kenojuak Ashevak and Liz Magor adorns the space, which also offers travelers free reading materials, soft drinks, snacks, and gourmet coffees and teas (but no alcohol).

On a recent rail journey from Toronto to Ottawa in VIA’s Business Class (with comfy seating, more free newspapers and a gourmet meal served with choice of alcoholic and soft drinks), Pierre Santoni, senior director of domestic and international sales, told me the Panorama Lounge is “a vital component” to the railway network, designed to ease connections for intercity travelers and for passengers traveling  on “The Canadian,” a transcontinental touring train.

For more on VIA Rail Canada, visit www.viarail.ca/en.

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