With over 300,000 people commuting through Toronto's Union Station every day on GO trains, buses, the UP Express, and the TTC, overflowing escalators, packed hallways, and congested vehicles have unfortunately become the norm on any given day. 

Couple the already-crowded station with the post-work rush, a sports game, a concert, or a massive celebration, and you're in for a headache-inducing commute as you slowly inch your way to your destination. 

In a video uploaded to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday night, a crowd of people can be seen patiently waiting to board an escalator inside the station, while another escalator headed to the lower level of the transit hub remains empty. 

The video ignited discussions about how the station can better manage traffic flows during rush hour, with some suggesting that operators should regularly change the direction of the escalators based on travel patterns. 

Sigh. pic.twitter.com/5it6GaaOOo

— Jake (@TransitJakeTO) March 5, 2024

"Need those escalators that change direction based on demand," one person wrote under the video. 

I would love someone to do a video on the operations side of Union...like shouldn't the escalators be controlled from a central room where they can see the flow is not great and change things up...this reminds me of similar issues on New Years...

— George Bell (@georgebell) March 5, 2024

"It's super easy for a couple employees to reverse an escalator or two at some point in the day. Start with 4/5 down in the morning, then around say 2:30-3 p.m., reverse some so that there's now 4/5 heading up instead. Many transit systems do this," the original poster chimed in.

Needs more stairs

— nicolas bello 🐀 (@nbellotoronto) March 6, 2024

This isn't the first time this year that the station's operations during peak traffic periods have been questioned. Following New Year's Eve celebrations this year, multiple photos and videos showing the pandemonium at Union Station poured into social media. 

Clips show commuters and partygoers packed into the station like sardines in hopes of catching a ride on the TTC and GO Transit. 

Toronto descended into absolute chaos on New Year's Eve with enormous crowds😳https://t.co/bIel1lcmrP #Toronto #NewYearsEve #UnionStation #TorontoNYE

— blogTO (@blogTO) January 2, 2024

Following the backlash, the TTC noted that this year's crowds were "significantly larger" than previous years, and that the transit agency is looking for ways to improve crowd management for NYE 2025.