GO riders urged to check Union platform changes

GO riders are being warned to check their departing platform information at Union Station starting April 15

Metrolinx has been busily communicating about the reopening of platforms 4 and 5 and the coinciding closure of platforms 20 and 21.

The changes, part of the years-long Union Station renovations, will affect virtually all GO train riders, said Metrolinx spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins.

GO riders are so excited they are posting pictures of the redesigned platforms. They like 4 and 5 because they’re closer for most downtown commuters who work north of Front St., according to Aikins.

GO “ambassadors” are distributing flyers with information on the changes. There will also be additional staff in the station when they occur, to help guide riders.

“At rush hours, people get there just in time,” said Aikins.

If they aren’t careful about checking the new platform assignment for their trip they could end up having to run to the other end of the station.

Platforms 4 and 5 have been closed for about three years, and it will probably take several months to renovate 20 and 21.

The platform renovations at the station are designed to make them fully accessible, and the tracks are also replaced.

The York GO concourse is also expected to open in coming weeks. But a plan to close down the Bay concourse at the same time has been altered. The east end will now remain open until after the Pan Am Games this summer.

The platform renovations are part of the $270-million historic train shed renovation that includes the new glass roof, elevators and updated stair enclosures. The work was supposed to be complete next year, but is now expected to go into 2017.