Toronto's Union Station now surrounded by ugly concrete anti-terrorism blocks

Giant concrete blocks now surround Toronto's Union Station, the utilitarian product of a terrorist attack that shook the city seven years earlier.

Pedestrians passing the city's primary transit hub have likely noticed these prominent anti-terror barriers in recent months, just the latest round of work at the perpetually under-construction Union Station.

The new barriers will replace temporary concrete dividers that have surrounded the station for years.

Jersey barriers were first installed around the hub in 2018 in the wake of the tragic Toronto van attack, where a man driven by "incel" ideology slammed a rented van into pedestrians along Yonge Street in North York, resulting in 11 deaths and 15 more people injured.

While the barriers have indeed made it impossible for cars to be utilized as weapons in the high-traffic area along Front Street, the ad-hoc design and placement of these security measures did not exactly make them pleasant to look at.

The barriers were given colourful coats of paint and welcome messages in an attempt to make them more inviting, but seven years of wear and tear made them look anything but welcoming.

Work to replace the temporary barriers finally commenced last November.

Photos captured in April show that the new, more permanent anti-terror blocks are in place along Front Street.

Described during the bidding process as "Custom Anti-Terror Concrete Barriers," these plain, featureless blocks anchored to the ground cost over $2.4 million — which was somehow the lowest bid.

The blocks now positioned around the station will keep the pedestrian realm safe from similar ramming attacks as that witnessed in 2018, but in terms of aesthetics, they seem like a missed opportunity.

And despite the new additions being in place for months, the ugly temporary barriers also remain for now, seemingly taunting passersby with their welcome messages compromised of cracked and peeling paint, vehicle exhaust, and graffiti.

These temporary painted barriers are expected to finally be removed in the near future.