Islington station (Toronto)

Islington
Location	1226 Islington Avenue Toronto, Ontario Canada
Coordinates	43°38′43″N 79°31′28″W / 43.64528°N 79.52444°W / 43.64528; -79.52444Coordinates: 43°38′43″N 79°31′28″W / 43.64528°N 79.52444°W / 43.64528; -79.52444
Platforms	Centre platform
Tracks	2
Connections	TTC buses  37  Islington  50  Burnhamthorpe  110  Islington South  300   Bloor–Danforth  337   Islington  937  Islington Express MiWay buses  1  Dundas  1C  Dundas–Collegeway  3  Bloor  11  Westwood  11A  Westwood–Darcel  11B  Westwood–Nashua  20  Rathburn  26  Burnhamthorpe  35  Eglinton  35A  Eglinton–Tenth Line  57  Courtneypark  70  Keaton  71  Sheridan–Subway  76  City Centre–Subway  101  Dundas Express  101A  Dundas Express  108  Meadowvale Business Express  109  Meadowvale Express
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Parking	977 spaces
Disabled access	No
History
Opened	May 10, 1968 (1968-05-10)
Traffic
Passengers (2016[1])	40,250
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station Kipling Terminus Bloor–Danforth Royal York toward Kennedy

Islington is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north side of Bloor Street West on the west side of Islington Avenue. A central platform serves trains running in both directions.

History

Islington station opened in 1968 in what was then the Borough of Etobicoke as the western terminus of the Bloor–Danforth line, and became a through station in 1980 when the line was extended to Kipling.

Until 1973, TTC buses and subway trains serving the station were in separate fare zones and so turnstiles and collector booths were placed between bus bays and subway platforms. The fare barrier was reconfigured after the zones were abolished to put the bus bays inside the fare-paid zone, and its layout was simplified in a later renovation.

However, the bus bays have also been used by non-TTC buses. In the early years some Gray Coach long-distance services called at Islington, and the Airport Express, also then operated by Gray Coach, had an Islington station route. MiWay (Mississauga) buses, which at first stopped outside the station, began using several of the bus bays after they were no longer needed for TTC buses once Kipling station opened.

Station description

The station is located on the northwest side of Bloor Street West and Islington Avenue, and is built on three levels. Street level is where all three parking lots, all three entrances, as well as where the bus platform is located. The entrances to the station can be found at the main parking, and at the east and west sides of Islington Avenue respectively.^[2]

Below street level is the concourse and collector, which provides stair access to the bus platforms above it. The subway platforms are underneath the concourse and collector level. There are no elevators in this station, which it is not accessible for persons with physical disabilities.

Subway infrastructure in the vicinity

Signal at the east end of the platform

Between this station and Royal York station to the east, the line exits the tunnel at the Montgomery Portal to cross Mimico Creek by bridge, and then returns underground at the Aberfoyle Portal.

This is one of only three stations in the subway system where a track signal is publicly accessible (the others being Union and Davisville). The signal is at the east end of the platform and guards the switches for trains turning back eastbound from the westbound platform.

Nearby landmarks

Sun Life Financial Centre, at 3300 Bloor St. West, has direct access to the station^[4] on the east side of Islington Avenue and the neighbourhood of Islington Village is short distance north of the station at Dundas Street West.

Surface connections

The outdated covered bus terminal at Islington station is similar to that of Warden station and the original structure at Victoria Park station

The station is served by both TTC and Miway bus routes. MiWay buses have separate fares from the TTC, but the bus bays are located inside the fare-paid area, so buses unload on the street outside the station entrance, and use the bus bays only for boarding. This is one of only three subway stations, the others being Don Mills and Sheppard West, where other transit agency's buses are boarded within the TTC bus terminal rather than at a separate facility.

MiWay

MiWay (Mississauga Transit) buses waiting at Islington station

Main article: MiWay § Routes

All routes are wheelchair-accessible (). While Islington station is the property of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), it connects to more MiWay bus routes than TTC bus routes. It is the second-busiest terminal for MiWay, and the largest and busiest outside of Mississauga.

Route		Destination	Frequency	Bus Bay[5]
1	Dundas	To Vega Boulevard	All week	E
1C		To South Common Centre via University of Toronto at Mississauga
3	Bloor	To City Centre Terminal	All week	B
11	Westwood	To Westwood Mall	All week	B
11A			Mon–Sat at peak
11B			Peak
20	Rathburn	To Erindale GO via City Centre Terminal	All week	C
26	Burnhamthorpe	To South Common Centre via City Centre Terminal (weekends)	All week	D
35	Eglinton	To Ninth Line	All week	A
35A		To Tenth Line	Peak
57	Courtneypark	To Meadowvale Town Centre via Pearson Airport Cargo Area	Peak	B
70	Keaton	To Milverton Drive	AM Peak	C
71	Sheridan–Subway	To Sheridan Centre	AM Peak	C
76	City Centre–Subway	To City Centre Terminal	Mon–Fri	D
101	Dundas Express	To South Common Centre via University of Toronto at Mississauga	Mon–Sat	E
101A		To Vega Boulevard via University of Toronto at Mississauga	Peak
108	Meadowvale Business Express	To Meadowvale Business Park via Highway 401	AM Peak	D
109	Meadowvale Express	To Meadowvale Town Centre via City Centre Terminal	All week	A

Station modernization

The TTC had plans to renovate this station, as part of their station improvement project in 2008. The key improvements listed as part of the project included the demolition of the current bus terminal and construction of a new, wheelchair-accessible one on the north side of the station, easier access plans, a new entrance with public art, a new passenger pick up and drop off area, and overall modernization. An open house was held on April 22, 2008, and the scheduled completion time was 2011–2012, but work is still far from finished.^[6] A completion date has not been released, and is being pushed further into the future as time goes by.^[7]

References

External links

Media related to Islington station at Wikimedia Commons

• Islington Station at the Toronto Transit Commission