I was at the VIA Rail terminal at Tremblay today and there seems to be several areas along the sides that are undergoing work / renovations. There didn't seem to be any food vendors open as a result. I remember there being a Subway and a coffee shop before, which seemed to be absent today.

I haven't been able to find any details on what improvements they are making. Anyone know more?

Subway closed a long-time ago (as in before I moved to Ottawa), and there was a Ministry of Coffee that opened last year if I recall? Either way, the food offering was never a strong point and I don’t think there are plans for it to be expanded beyond vending machines and coffee shop sandwiches... Part of why I started traveling business on ViaRail and why I generally go for a snack before heading there!

 

As for the renovations, its a two part project: first is an expansion of the business lounge, that would be on the Eastern side. Western side is being reconfigured though I don’t know the scope of work.

Found this in the corporate section of Via Rail's website.

Going through quarterly / annual reports, I can't seem to find more details. However the keyword that caught my eye is "self-service food": currently no VIA Rail business lounge has a food offering, only drinks. I'll be traveling mid-February so I'll try to catch a glimpse of the work if I can.

On 2020-01-27 at 10:47 AM, DavidBellerive said:

Found this in the corporate section of Via Rail's website.

Wow!

I just saw your post from 6 months ago... Is the work finished?

Do I see steps in the spiral around the elevator?

I am looking forward to seeing the final result...

The spiral around the elevator has been there for a year or two now but I do not know about the rest. Perhaps @DavidBellerive may know...

On 2020-07-23 at 3:56 PM, Phil said:

I just saw your post from 6 months ago... Is the work finished?

Do I see steps in the spiral around the elevator?

 

On 2020-07-23 at 8:39 PM, Shane said:

The spiral around the elevator has been there for a year or two now but I do not know about the rest. Perhaps @DavidBellerive may know...

I can provide some answers though there is still a few questions regarding the new lounge.

For the middle spiral, it is an actual ramp, not a staircase. Makes it a lot less step when bring luggage up. It has indeed been done for almost two years? Oldest photo I personally have is from May 2019 and it was accessible though I have used it a few times since then.

The second part, regarding the lounge refresh, I don't have much of an update to give... If I recall correctly, there is a temporary business lounge, though all of VIARail lounges are closed due to COVID-19 (there is no business class service / product offered on any train). My last visit was in March 2020 and the boarding was the following:

To my understanding and from reading ViaRail's website, the new lounge is still not open. From those three renderings, it will be a "new generation" of lounges for VIA. A lot better than the current offering even in Toronto. I am really looking forward to my next visit and provide more information about the new layout!

Edited July 26, 20206 yr by DavidBellerive
Formatting and Clarification

10 hours ago, DavidBellerive said:

To my understanding and from reading ViaRail's website, the new lounge is still not open. From those three renderings, it will be a "new generation" of lounges for VIA. A lot better than the current offering even in Toronto. I am really looking forward to my next visit and provide more information about the new layout!

Thanks for that... but even more exciting is the new fleet :

 

12 hours ago, DavidBellerive said:

 

I can provide some answers though there is still a few questions regarding the new lounge.

For the middle spiral, it is an actual ramp, not a staircase. Makes it a lot less step when bring luggage up. It has indeed been done for almost two years? Oldest photo I personally have is from May 2019 and it was accessible though I have used it a few times since then.

............

Good Day.

Hate to disappoint you all, but......

That spiral ramp between the 2 escalators has been there for a VERY LONG time. It always has been a ramp, and was spiral one loop around the central open space (which was in this last year filled in with the double sided, two floor shuttle elevator). I have no time frame since I have been taking trains from there for a long time and did not find it necessary to note its presence especially (I've been here since 1978). It was there for people who had large luggage that were not supposed to take the escalators.

If you take a close look at the left end of the concrete upper level entrance ballustrade entrance, you can see the fresh cut end exposed (where the glass panel ballustrades run from) as you walk towards the elevator door where they cut the section away for the door entrance floor and new glass ballustrade to the elevator.

In the photo above, you can also see the 4 concentric quarter-circles of the floor. and the slot fill-in of the old curved ballustrade, which is the old floor of landing at the top of the ramp.

It took them shy about a year to build the entire structure, from 2018 into 2019. It was built to finally meet more modern mobility requirements, as were the new platforms and ramps at the tracks, built over the same time frame.

EnJoy!

Edited July 26, 20206 yr by PHrenetic

4 hours ago, PHrenetic said:

That spiral ramp between the 2 escalators has been there for a VERY LONG time.

Well, I remembered, but I wasn't sure it was the same ramp that I used a couple of times over the last seven years. The illustration was not clear and I really thought there were stairs, so it didn't match the ramp I had used.

Maybe not the most interesting thing, but they have changed the configuration of Parking Lot 3 at the station:

This is Google Earth from 2018.

And the most recent imagery, June 2021!

Notice the new gates both entry and exit, increased number of spots (that was done before though, shows on Apple Maps imagery from mid / late 2019. While the parking is "technically" open, the entrance / exit from Pickering Plaza has been blocked off for as long as it seems to exist. Probably waiting on increased ridership to open it as Lot 1 is probably sufficient for now.

Cross posting from the SkyscraperPage forum (edit: took out the image links, they didn't seem to work):

The renovated lounge is open - really like the simple, modern look. It ties very well with the '60s International Style of the station overall. Much much larger overall than before, and especially feels so now that there's natural light.







Same amenities as the old one, minus the newspapers and magazines (because COVID), and the cute little business centre with the vintage desktop and printer. I thought there was going to be a by-the-glass wine station, but all they have were the usual coffee and soft drinks.







Separate meeting space in the back, with its own kitchenette and projection screen:



And a handful of meeting rooms:







Great place to relax or get some work done! Seems like a spot one could host a nice event too.

Thanks for sharing. I helped you with the pics. Great shots. Looks quite nice and inviting. Does one need a ticket to enter or is it open for all to come see?

On 2021-11-17 at 8:31 PM, Shane said:

Thanks for sharing. I helped you with the pics. Great shots. Looks quite nice and inviting. Does one need a ticket to enter or is it open for all to come see?

You'll need a business ticket to enter, or Via Preference Premier on a Economy Plus ticket (2k spending or more per qualification year and 8 segments minimum), though "depending on the time", you might be able to slip in if, let's say, the attendant is away for a bit. Though they used to go around and check tickets once they came back.

I haven't had the chance to go in it yet, but MY GOD IT'S BEAUTIFUL! Bright, modern, ample sitting space, loads of texture and various materials. I can't wait for my next trip in February. Thanks Bob for sharing them with us!

Also regarding food and beverage offering, the lounge was specced to introduce food offering, though of course the pandemic changed the plans for the time being. Once fully open and not under operating restrictions, I'd expect "airport lounge" style food service (warm food and self-serve, enough to "get you started on your trip".