Union Station in Toronto opened on August 6, 1927, when Edward, Prince of Wales, cut a ribbon with gold scissors, and the first passenger trains left on August 11, 1927. The Canadian Pacific and Grand Trunk railways planned it, the Canadian National Railways took over the Grand Trunk share, and it replaced an older station on Front Street. It was the third station on the site to carry the name Union, a word that meant a depot shared by several railway companies.
The stations before the present building
Toronto’s railway age began on May 16, 1853, when the first passenger train in Upper Canada left from a wooden shed opposite the Queen’s Hotel on Front Street, according to the City of Toronto. In 1855 the Grand Trunk Railway opened a station at Front and Bay streets. The Great Western Railway arrived in December of that year to share it, which made it the first Union Station.
A second Union Station stood on Front Street between York and Simcoe streets. The City dates it to 1872, while Metrolinx gives 1873, and the sources do not explain the one-year gap. The City names E. P. Hannaford, chief engineer of the Grand Trunk, as its designer. The Canadian Pacific Railway began using it in 1884, according to Metrolinx. By 1911 the building handled about 40,000 passengers a day on more than 130 trains.
The Great Fire of 1904 reduced the block of Front Street between Bay and York streets to rubble, and the railways and the city began to plan a larger station. Construction of the new building began in 1913 or 1914, depending on the source, and was slowed by the First World War.
The 1927 opening
Metrolinx records that the Prince of Wales was accompanied by his brother Prince George, British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, and Ontario Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross. He was given a gold key and bought the first ticket sold at the station, for a journey to Alberta priced at $71.20. The old station was torn down in 1931, four years after the new one opened.
Architecture and materials
The City of Toronto names four designers: G. A. Ross and R. H. Macdonald of a Montreal firm, Hugh Jones of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and John M. Lyle of Toronto. The style is Beaux-Arts, and the City reports that Parks Canada recognized it in 1975 as the finest example in the country of a classical Beaux-Arts railway station.
| Feature | Detail from the City of Toronto |
|---|---|
| Columns | 22 columns of Bedford limestone, each 75 tons and 40 feet (12 meters) high |
| Interior walls | Zumbro stone from Missouri |
| Floors | Tennessee marble in a herringbone pattern |
| Exterior walls | Indiana limestone and Queenston limestone |
| Windows | Four-story barrel-vaulted windows at the east and west ends, echoing the shape of the ceiling |
| Carved names | Cities served by the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways |
The City page does not give the exact dimensions of the main hall, so they are left out here.
Heritage status
Parks Canada designated Union Station a National Historic Site in 1975. Federal records also list it as a heritage railway station, but the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations and the Canadian Register of Historic Places appear to give different dates for that designation, 1990 and 1989, so only the 1975 designation is stated as settled. The wider system of protection for older buildings is covered on the heritage register page.
From railway terminal to commuter hub
The Royal York Hotel was built across Front Street in 1929, and a sub-grade path linked it to the station. The Ontario government announced GO commuter service on May 19, 1965, and the first GO train left Oakville eastbound on May 23, 1967, according to the City. The first subway line also ended here: when it opened on March 30, 1954, it ran 7.4 kilometers (4.6 miles) from Union to Eglinton, as Parks Canada records. The story of that line is on the transit history page.
Ownership changed in 2000, when the City of Toronto acquired the station. The City has described a multi-year revitalization that aims to make the building spectacular again. Trade press reported that the Bay concourse reopened in July 2021. Metrolinx states that the GO Expansion program will allow up to 80 trains an hour, four times current levels, and includes a new south concourse linking Bay and York streets.
Practical questions about the station
Searchers often ask about lockers, WiFi, restaurants, bars, and the bus terminal near the station. Those services change with tenants and operators, so no list is printed here. The City of Toronto’s Union Station pages, and the sites of GO Transit, VIA Rail, and the TTC, are the sources for current details.
When was Union Station built?
The present building opened on August 6, 1927. Sources differ on whether construction began in 1913 or 1914, and the First World War delayed the work.
Who designed Union Station?
G. A. Ross and R. H. Macdonald of Montreal, Hugh Jones of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and John M. Lyle of Toronto, according to the City of Toronto.
Why is it called Union Station?
The name refers to a station shared by more than one railway company. The first Union Station of 1855 held the Grand Trunk and, from December of that year, the Great Western.
Is Union Station a heritage site?
Yes. Parks Canada designated it a National Historic Site in 1975. It is also listed as a federal heritage railway station.
Who owns Union Station?
The City of Toronto acquired it in 2000 and has managed it since, according to the City.
Related reading
- History of Toronto: the full overview
- Streetcars to the subway: public transit history
- How the CN Tower was built
- Historic buildings of Toronto
- Origins of Toronto street names
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- City of Toronto, History of Union Station
- Metrolinx, This Day in History: Union Station Opens
- Parks Canada, The Toronto Subway (National Historic Event)
- Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Union Station
- Secondary: construction trade reports on the Union Station revitalization
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Union Station, Toronto: History, Architecture, and Role. http://localhost:8210/blog/toronto-union-station-a-gateway-to-the-vibrant-heart-of-the-city
MLA: “Union Station, Toronto: History, Architecture, and Role.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, http://localhost:8210/blog/toronto-union-station-a-gateway-to-the-vibrant-heart-of-the-city. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Union Station, Toronto: History, Architecture, and Role.” Last modified October 23, 2026. http://localhost:8210/blog/toronto-union-station-a-gateway-to-the-vibrant-heart-of-the-city.
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