Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
Location 3150 Highway 7 West
Vaughan, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates 43°47′39″N 79°31′39″W / 43.79417°N 79.52750°W / 43.79417; -79.52750Coordinates: 43°47′39″N 79°31′39″W / 43.79417°N 79.52750°W / 43.79417; -79.52750
Platforms Centre platform
Tracks 2
Connections YRT  77  Highway 7 (on-street)
Bus interchange SmartCentres Terminal
Highway 7 Rapidway
Construction
Structure type Underground
Parking 900 spaces
Disabled access Yes
Architect Grimshaw Architects
Architectural style Contemporary architecture
History
Opened December 17, 2017 (2017-12-17)[1]
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station
Terminus Yonge–University
toward Finch

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (also known as Vaughan, Vaughan Metro Centre or VMC) is a rapid transit station in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. Opened on December 17, 2017, it is the north terminal station of the western section of the Toronto subway's Line 1 Yonge–University. It is operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and is one of two subway stations in the system outside the City of Toronto proper. It provides connections to Viva Rapid Transit's Highway 7 Rapidway, which is also used by Brampton Transit's Züm buses, as well as local bus routes of York Region Transit (YRT).

Located in Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, a future commercial district under development, the station is designated by Metrolinx as a mobility hub, one of several multimodal transit terminals in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.[2] The station has a 900-space park-and-ride lot, which is privately owned and operated by SmartCentres, unlike other TTC rapid transit station parking lots which are owned and operated by the TTC itself.[3][4]

Description

Main station entrance building

The subway station is located on the northwest corner of Millway Avenue and Highway 7, west of Jane Street, and is one of two new stations that are outside the City of Toronto in York Region. The station opened on December 17, 2017.[5] Geographically, this is the northernmost station in the subway system.[6]

Artwork Atmospheric Lense with coloured mirrored panels on the station dome

Grimshaw Architects designed the station, which has a domed ovoid entrance building just north of the Rapidway platforms on Highway 7. The building has four main entrances in an X pattern, plus an underground connection to the 100 New Park Place office tower, with knockout panels for access to additional future developments,[7] which as of May 2018 includes an under-construction second office complex that will also contain a YMCA and public library.[8] Toronto-based Paul Raff Studio provided the station's artwork, titled Atmospheric Lense, consisting of coloured mirrored panels and windows located on the domed ceiling, and visible by looking up stairwells.[9][10]

A corridor leads north from the station's concourse level to YRT's SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal, where passengers can transfer to conventional YRT bus routes. There is also a connection to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Vivastation on the Highway 7 Rapidway, where riders connect to Viva and Züm bus rapid transit routes. The fare-paid area features a Gateway Newstands kiosk.[11]

History

On November 27, 2009, the official ground breaking ceremony was held for the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE), and tunnelling began in June 2011. The project was expected to be completed by the autumn of 2016,[12] but was revised to be operational by the end of 2017. On September 6, 2017, the TTC announced that the extension would open for service on December 17, and on that date, the 8.6 km (5.3 mi) extension opened, with this station replacing Sheppard West as the northwestern terminus of Line 1.

Station name

During the initial planning stages of the TYSSE, the City of Vaughan wanted the station named "Vaughan Corporate Centre", after the name of its proposed new downtown, and later requested "Vaughan Metropolitan Centre" after it changed the name of the development. On September 30, 2010, a TTC committee recommended that the name be changed to "Vaughan Centre", despite the City's desire for the full name. However, the TTC delayed a final decision on the committee's report[13][14] until February 2012, when Vaughan's preference for the full name was adopted.[15] The TTC originally rejected the name to avoid linking the station to a specific development. The length of the name was seen as an inconvenience and "Vaughan Centre" was more consistent with other regional centre station names (i.e. North York Centre and Scarborough Centre).[16] A survey was conducted between September 23 and October 21, 2011, by the TTC to determine the preferred name. 80% supported "Vaughan Centre", 5% supported "Vaughan Corporate Centre", 9% supported "Vaughan Metropolitan Centre" and 7% supported other names.[16] Other discussed names were "Highway 7", "Highway 7 West", "Jane North", "Edgeley", "Creditstone", and "Applewood".[16] The new Toronto Rocket subway train's exterior destination sign for this station displays simply "Vaughan" rather than its full name.

Subway infrastructure in the vicinity

As this is a terminal station, there is a diamond crossover to the south of the platform for arriving trains to cross over to the southbound track, and for departing trains on the northbound track to cross to the southbound track. There are also tail tracks beyond the north end for overnight storage for two trains.[17]

The station crossover with a departing train crossing between the northbound platform and the southbound track
Looking north to the end of the west (southbound side) tail track

Fare collection

Fares sold and accepted

As with all stations from Wilson north to this station, legacy TTC fare media (tokens, tickets, and physical passes such as the monthly Metropass) are accepted at this station pending elimination, but they are not sold here. Passengers paying by cash must have exact change. Presto cards can be purchased and loaded with funds for single rides or with TTC monthly Metropasses for unlimited travel using various automated machines at the station.[18]

Comparison to former Zone 2 stations

To avoid the difficulty of implementing a payment-on-exit system, the station is part of the TTC's Toronto fare zone despite being located in York Region.[19] This is in contrast to TTC-contracted bus routes, where riders are required to pay extra fare when their bus crosses the municipal boundary at Steeles Avenue. This is analogous to the situation in 1968, when five subway stations opened outside the pre-amalgamation Toronto city limits in the TTC's "Zone 2" area at the time, yet no extra fare was required to reach those stations, although the Zone 2 fare was charged when transferring to connecting suburban bus routes.[20] Similarly, at this (as well as at the adjacent Highway 407) station, there are no free transfers to and from regional buses, which are the only surface routes serving it.

Surface connections

No TTC buses connect to this station, but the aforementioned two bus terminals serve regional buses:

SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal

SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal
Location 173 Millway Avenue,
Vaughan, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates 43°47′47″N 79°31′41″W / 43.79639°N 79.52806°W / 43.79639; -79.52806
Owned by Regional Municipality of York
Operated by York Region Transit
Bus routes
Bus stands 9
Construction
Disabled access Yes
History
Opening Late 2018[21]

SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal is a YRT bus terminal currently under construction north of the subway station to the west side of Millway Avenue,[22] outside the station's fare-paid area.[23][24] The terminal will be a multi-modal transportation hub and is expected to open just after the station in late 2018.[21] Diamond Schmitt Architects designed the terminal in a horseshoe shape. The building features open architecture and can be accessed from every direction by transit customers. The station has a passenger pick-up and drop-off area, and will have an underground walkway linking it with the subway station and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Vivastation on Highway 7.[22][25]

The total cost of the terminal was about $32.1 million. The station was named after its developer SmartCentres REIT, who contributed $15 million in financing for an underground connection between the bus terminal and the subway station.[25]

As of July 2018, the bus terminal is still incomplete, and local YRT bus routes serving the station pick up and drop off passengers on-street just north of the main entrance on Millway Avenue.[26]

The following YRT routes will serve the terminal:[27]

Route Name Additional Information
10 Woodbridge Westbound to Martin Grove Road
20 Jane Northbound to Teston Road via Vaughan Mills Terminal and southbound to Pioneer Village station via Highway 407 station
26 Maple Local Northbound to America Avenue via Vaughan Mills
(Rush hour service only between Vaughan Mills and this station)
— Mobility Plus Paratransit service transfer point—various destinations

Upon completion of the terminal, the following route will continue to use its current on-street stop at the station's main entrance on Highway 7 and will not stop inside the terminal or Vivastation:[28]

Route Name Additional Information
77/A Highway 7 Westbound to The Gore Road
77 Eastbound to Finch Bus Terminal (Finch station)
77A Eastbound to Finch Bus Terminal via Highway 407

Vivastation

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
Vivastation
Viva Orange bus at VMC Vivastation
Location Centre of Highway 7 Rapidway
Coordinates 43°47′36″N 79°31′40″W / 43.79333°N 79.52778°W / 43.79333; -79.52778
Platforms 2 (1 eastbound, 1 westbound)
Bus routes Viva Orange
 501  Queen
Construction
Structure type Covered transfer facility within dedicated right-of-way
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened December 17, 2017 (2017-12-17)

The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Vivastation is a covered transfer facility in the centre of the Highway 7 Rapidway. It allows Viva Orange and 501 Züm Queen BRT bus routes to quickly serve the subway station without having to pull into the SmartCentres Place terminal. The facility is located directly above the station's concourse and connects to it via escalators and elevators.[29] It is located south of the main station building and bus terminal, both of which can be accessed either underground through the concourse or at ground level via a crosswalk and sidewalks.[22]

City centre development

Vaughan plans to build a transit-oriented city centre from scratch around the station in what is a low density area featuring big box stores and vacant land. Vaughan projects that by 2031, the new downtown will have 25,000 residents and employment for more than 11,000 people. Vaughan planning commissioner John MacKenzie said that Mississauga took 20 to 25 years to build its city centre without a subway, but hopes to accelerate the process in Vaughan with the help of the subway extension.[30]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/2017/12/16/after-delays-cost-overruns-and-tragedy-a-subway-to-vaughan-is-complete.html
  2. ↑ "Vaughan Corporate Centre" (PDF). Mextrolinx.com. September 19, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2017. this hub is planned to integrate subway, rapid transit and local bus service
  3. ↑ "subwayparking.com". SmartCentres REIT. December 17, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Paid parking will be available for subway riders at Vaughan station". yorkregion.com. November 29, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Toronto Transit Commission Board Meeting – September 5, 2017". Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  6. ↑ "First Look: New TTC Map – Vaughan Metropolitan Centre". Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ "VAUGHAN CORPORATE CENTRE STATION – APPROVAL OF CONCEPTUAL DESIGN" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. December 16, 2009. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Library/YMCA to Form Centrepiece of Vaughan's New Downtown". Urban Toronto. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  9. ↑ Dixon, Guy (September 29, 2017). "A subway station worth lingering in". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  10. ↑ Michelle Adelman (July 7, 2014). "Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  11. ↑ transittoronto (December 19, 2017), News: Opening Day for the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension, retrieved December 20, 2017
  12. ↑ "Schedule Status Update" (PDF). Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project. Toronto Transit Commission. October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  13. ↑ http://www3.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2010/Sept_30_2010/Supplementary_Reports/Toronto_York_Spadina.pdf
  14. ↑ http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/1059433--subway-stops-need-names
  15. ↑ David Nickle (February 29, 2012). "TTC gives blessing to Vaughan's preference on station name". InsideToronto. Metroland Media Group.
  16. 1 2 3 http://transit.toronto.on.ca/archives/weblog/2012/02/28-toronto_tr.shtml
  17. ↑ "TTC: A Tour of Vaughan's Metropolitan Centre Station". UrbanToronto. December 22, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ "New Customer Service Agents at TTC stations". Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  19. ↑ James Bow. "A Subway to York University and Beyond: North of Finch". Transit Toronto.
  20. ↑ James Bow. "A History of Subways on Bloor and Queen Streets: Celebrating the Subway's first stop in the suburbs". Transit Toronto.
  21. 1 2 "My Transit Newsletter April 2018" (PDF). YRT. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  22. 1 2 3 "Transit Terminal Vaughan". Vivanext. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Spadina Subway Transit Strategy" (PDF). 2015 Annual Service Plan. York Region Transit. 2015. p. 145. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  25. 1 2 Mackenzie, Robert (January 12, 2017). "Bus Terminal at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Gets Underway". UrbanToronto. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Vaughan Metropolitan Centre" (PDF). YRT. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  27. ↑ "SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal" (PDF). YRT. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station (VMC)" (PDF). YRT. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Highway 7 West / VMC". Vivanext. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  30. ↑ Noor Javed (April 6, 2012). "Toronto's subway brings downtown vision to Vaughan". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
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