Development plans for the province's ambitious Ontario Line are progressing. Just last week, Metrolinx revealed the locations for station buildings from Exhibition Station to Queen and Spadina.
Now, the provincial transit agency has unveiled plans for the next four stations on the line through downtown Toronto.
The latest stations to be announced include Osgoode, Queen, Moss Park, and Corktown. Metrolinx says they've been designed to offer riders easy connections to existing stations along TTC routes in these neighbourhoods.
When completed, the Ontario Line will stretch from Exhibition Place and the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road. Of the four new stations, two will connect with TTC’s Line 1 subway at University Avenue and Yonge Street, while two others will bring subway service to Moss Park and Corktown.
Metrolinx
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The new Ontario Line station under the Line 1 TTC platform at Osgoode will make for easy transfers between the two and the 501 Queen streetcar. Metrolinx says roughly 12,000 people will go through the station each day during the busiest travel hour.
Metrolinx says growth patterns suggest that, by 2041, as many as 16,500 residents and 110,500 jobs will be within a 10-minute walk of the station.
New station entrances will be added at the northeast and near the and southwest corners of the intersection to accommodate an increasing number of subway riders. The entrances will be positioned to make it easy for customers coming from the subway to get to a streetcar stop without crossing this wide and busy intersection.
Osgoode/Metrolinx
Metrolinx proposes two new exit/entrance structures for the Ontario Line station -- one each on the southwest corner of Queen Street West and Simcoe Street and the northeast corner of Queen and University.
The provincial transit agency says special care will be taken to preserve the unique historic character on display at Queen and University, including the heritage building at 205 Queen Street West that currently houses a CIBC bank. Metrolinx says this building will be carefully dismantled, with materials safely stored away until they are ready to be reassembled as part of the new station development.
Future Osgoode Station entrance/George Gretes photo
To accommodate the new station entrance at the northeast corner of the intersection, Metrolinx says small portions of the fence surrounding Osgoode Hall will be dismantled before construction and reinstated after, under the direct supervision of a qualified expert with knowledge and experience in metal and stone masonry.
Protective material will be placed around the rest of the fence, entrance gates, and landscape elements near construction work.
Queen/Metrolinx
The next station on the line will be located at Queen and Yonge, one of Toronto's busiest corners. Metrolinx will upgrade the seven existing entry/exit points at this station to provide riders with access to the Ontario Line station.
Queen and Yonge/Mike Winterburn, Metrolinx
The new station at Moss Park on Queen Street, just west of Sherbourne, is expected to serve the 23,600 people expected to live within a 10-minute walk of the station by 2041.
The station will be located on the edge of the park, which will minimize impacts to existing buildings in the area and Queen Street traffic, ensuring that streetcars will continue running through here during construction.
With the City of Toronto moving forward with plans to revitalize the park, Metrolinx will work with City partners to ensure any space needed for construction is beautified and improved upon once Ontario Line construction is finished, in keeping with revitalization plans.
Moss Park/Metrolinx
At King and Berkeley, just west of Parliament, the new station in Corktown will make it easier for people to visit this new and growing neighbourhood as well as the Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market area, both of which will be within walking distance of the station.
This station will be a natural hub for connections to surface routes as the site is currently served by the 504 King streetcar plus the 65 Parliament and 172 Cherry buses and will service the 26,400 residents expected to live within a 10-minute walk of the station by 2041.
Corktown/Metrolinx
Metrolinx says these four stations will serve the growing and densely populated neighbourhoods and people coming in for work and entertainment.
According to growth figures based on the year 2041, it's expected these stations will service 84,900 people living within a 10-minute walk of the four stations, 299,400 jobs nearby, and 16,800 transfers with TTC (subway and surface routes) during the busiest travel hour.
