You’d think we wouldn’t get so excited about concrete drying. But in the development of the Bloomington GO station, and those who use the Richmond Hill line, the recent completion of the pouring of the massive concrete slab that the project will live on, is a big deal.

The concrete covers Level 2 of the 765-space parking structure at the site, situated at Bloomington Rd. and Hwy. 404, in York Region. The station will become the northern terminus of the Richmond Hill corridor, fully accessible with new customer amenities and LEED Gold certification.

“It’s always exciting to see progress happening and the station shaping up well,” said Chirag Shah, Metrolinx’s senior manager of capital projects on the Richmond Hill corridor. For Shah, the concrete pour is symbolic of what can be achieved with great planning and coordination with our transit partners.

The station will be made up of a modern waiting area, lots of parking for vehicles and bikes, a passenger drop-off area and heated shelters. The parking structure will even be equipped with a system which allows drivers to find available spots quicker.

For Shah, the concrete pour is symbolic of what can be achieved with great planning and coordination with construction partners at Kenaidan Contracting Ltd and AECOM Canada Ltd.

“Departing or landing at an airport shapes your travel experience,” said Mohamed Alkoka, Metrolinx director, corridor infrastructure. “Transit Stations in my mind are akin to airports – it is part of the trip experience.

“Transit Stations are monuments to mobility and freedom of movement, and I am excited to lead such a project for building the GO Station at Bloomington – such a monument will not only mark the end of the line, however, it will also be the beginning for many people every morning for years into the future.”

Once fully complete, customers will have access to approximately 1,000 new parking spaces which is even good news for those customers who currently use the Aurora GO station located roughly 8km away.

For local communities and those who will use the station to come – the project is expected to be completed in 2020 – it’s a huge, solid step closer. And frankly, it’s simply a big deal. How big? At 650m3 it’s about the weight of 216 African elephants.

Here are some other ways we can measure it:

• The same amount of concrete would fill a hockey rink 41 cm. up the boards.
• It’s equal to 21 GO train cars.
• Or 898 four-door cars.

But as much as anything, the true weight be will come when customers will be able to see their station rise from the concrete to become a part of their daily lives.