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\u00a0156\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\nI love transit, and I love subways, and so the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown \u2014 or Line 5 as it\u2019s now known \u2014 has long excited me. The line, which spends roughly half its length in a grade-separated \u201csubway\u201d form with a top-notch right-of-way indistinguishable in quality from Lines 1, 2, or 4, brings with it what amount to 15 new subway stations (that is, if you consider the\u00a0major additions at the interchange points to constitute \u201cnew\u201d stations as well as the entirely-underground-but-bookended-by-surface-sections Don Valley station, which as you\u2019ll see I do).<\/p>\n
This raises the question \u2014 how are these stations? Are there standouts? Which is best? This is what I aim to discuss here, taking a look at the stations holistically, from their art, to architecture, and functionality, and trying to rank them from the worst to the best \u2014 basically what I\u2019d suggest an out-of-towner check out if they are into public transport but short on time.<\/p>\n The new stations include, from east to west \u2014 Kennedy, Don Valley, Laird, Leaside, Mt. Pleasant, Eglinton-Yonge, Avenue, Chaplin, Forest Hill, Cedarvale, Oakwood, Fairbank, Caledonia, Keelesdale, and Mt. Dennis.<\/p>\n 15. Fairbank\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In absolute last place is Fairbank, which is located at Dufferin Street (since we quite reasonably aren\u2019t going with station names based on cross streets as we already have those, and modifiers like \u201cnorth\u201d eventually would become \u201cnorthernmost of the norths\u201d \u2014 this means the \u201csubtext\u201d is used heavily on the platform level signs, like you\u2019d see at Bay \u2014\u00a0Yorkville<\/em>).<\/p>\n Overall, Fairbank just has very little to write home about. There are no real towering spaces, no amazing art (from what I can tell), and no bus terminal (which I\u2019m not convinced such stations\u00a0need but which does make them more interesting). The spaces certainly feel liminal, and functionality-wise, navigating is a bit more annoying if you go up the wrong way since the mezzanine level above the platform is split. There are three entrances with only the northeast corner of the Dufferin-Eglinton intersection not featuring one.<\/p>\n 14. Leaside<\/strong><\/p>\n Leaside, which is located at Bayview, is\u00a0mostly similar to Fairbank \u2014 liminal spaces, not super impressive inside, with bog-standard finishes and the same design details that you will see everywhere else along the line. This station has two entrances, with a more minor one at the northwest and the main one at the southeast. The way the entrances connect up diagonally felt a bit novel. Also of interest is that the big southeastern headhouse has a different design than most others along the line with more visible concrete and a flat roof, because it’s one of only a few structures designed to support an over-station development.\u00a0<\/p>\n One oddity about Leaside is that it seems some below-ground utilities may have limited the ceiling heights over part of the platform.<\/p>\n 13. Keelesdale<\/strong><\/p>\n Keelesdale is \u2014\u00a0shocker \u2014 at Keele street, and has three entrances, with two minor ones on the west, and a major one at the northeast. The below-grade station structure itself is not really anything to write home about (somewhat unlike regular-old Keele) besides its full-length mezzanine, but it sets itself apart by having a small bus terminal that you access at the back of the main headhouse. That being said, it\u2019s more of a loop really, cutting between Keele and Yore road. I actually do like that,\u00a0unlike many similarly small facilities on, say, Line 2, this does not try to be within the fare paid zone (and the fare zone is generally not at street level for most of these stations anyways).\u00a0<\/p>\n 12. Forest Hill\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Still in the \u201csort of boring\u201d category, we have Forest Hill \u2014 named after the famously affluent neighbourhood and located at Bathurst Street. This station has a split mezzanine design like Fairbank, and two entrances both on the north side of Eglinton, with the main one being at the northeast corner. This station ranks higher because it will actually have an entrance within the\u00a0newish condo building at the southeast corner, although the necessary paperwork to finish work on it has apparently not yet been done.<\/p>\n 11. Chaplin<\/strong><\/p>\n The last of the sort of initial crop of rather boring stations is Chaplin \u2014 located at, whadya know, Chaplin Crescent. This station has three entrances spread along the length of what was a cut-and-cover station box, which feels a bit excessive for this quiet station. I also have a bit of a personal bone to pick with the design as someone who used to live in the area: the Beltline trail, which travels directly west of the station running just metres west of the westernmost entrance, has\u00a0no direct entrance access. This might sound like a nitpick, but the Beltline trail is a fantastic amenity in midtown, and this station is directly adjacent to it. Moreover, creating an entrance likely would have just required expanding one of the landings on the staircase down from this entrance and adding a door. Instead, those looking to use the trail will need to ascend to street level, and then head right back down again.<\/p>\n 10. Oakwood\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Things start to get more interesting with Oakwood (some folks complained initially that Metrolinx wasn\u2019t naming stations after streets, but like Keelesdale and Chaplin, Oakwood\u00a0is named after the street it\u2019s located at the end of) because it\u2019s our first mined station and one of only three at a \u2018T\u2019 intersection. The main entrance is at the top of the \u2018T\u2019, while the secondary entrance is to the southwest. That secondary entrance to Oakwood is incredibly stair-heavy, and features a number of angled surfaces next to the stairs that, like a few other stations, feel like total hazards for an irresponsible teen who might think it’s funny to slide down before falling several storeys off of the end.<\/p>\n I guess it’s as good of a time as any to make note that most of these \u201cstair-heavy\u201d entrances, which many stations have, seem unlikely to get much use \u2014 since regular users will likely learn which entrance has escalators. It feels like they ought to better label them, and one wonders if there were not substantial savings to be had (in absolute terms, and not relative to the project cost) to leave these as barely-finished emergency exits only.<\/p>\n 9. Laird<\/strong><\/p>\n Laird is quite similar to Oakwood, also being mined and lacking a full-length mezzanine. The station has two entrances, both south of Eglinton, with one to the west and one to the east of Laird Drive. There are well-placed windows over the station cavern from the mezzanine, but the combination of a dropping ceiling and cheapened angular windows takes some of the excitement away.\u00a0<\/p>\n These stations really just pale in comparison to the similarly-constructed but much more interesting and attractive downtown stations on the Ottawa O-Train.<\/p>\n Laird is the final station in the continuous\u00a0subway section at the east end, and just east of the station in the same huge mined cavern is a central turnback track with walkway, which should eventually allow additional service to be operated on the grade-separated portion of the line (until this is hopefully extended to Don Valley). For now, riders can just appreciate the size and length of this cavern.<\/p>\n 8. Don Valley<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking of Don Valley (formerly to have been Science Centre) station, this is where we start to get into more interesting facilities. The station has two entrances \u2014 at the southwest and northeast corners, and reminds me a bit of something you\u2019d see in China, with the huge station \u201clightbox\u201d really standing out next to the parking lots, wide arterials, and several under-construction skyscrapers.\u00a0<\/p>\n In both directions from platform level, you can see the steep grades as trains climb back to the surface. The Mezzanine level features a number of glassed-in rooms, which are probably meant to be retail, and a reminder that the Crosstown still isn\u2019t fully done. Roughly midway along the passage to the bus terminal is supposedly where the escalators up to the under-construction Ontario Line station will be. Once you ascend to the bus terminal, which has a long linear design, you may notice that there is no accessible route here, and getting to the terminal in a wheelchair means an absolute trek to the other corner of the intersection and around the block. The terminal has temporarily been bent back on itself with a bus loop as Ontario Line construction progresses over the westernmost part of it. I\u2019m tempted to complain, but a station being partly closed because we are already building another connecting line feels like a good news story.<\/p>\n All in all, from the suburban location with big arterials, many towers, and the big linear bus terminal, this station feels a bit like it might resemble Finch in a few years.<\/p>\n 7. Mount Pleasant<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Mt Pleasant is what I expect to be a sleeper hit. The station has two entrances, both on the north side of Eglinton, and includes both a main entrance to the east, and a second entrance inside a restored old bank building to the west (okay, really this was a facadectomy). This is a good indicator of what we can expect to see at several Ontario Line stations in the downtown core in the future, which are being built in a similar way.<\/p>\n Mt Pleasant’s sleeper hit status is something I mention because\u00a0really it\u2019s just at the southeastern corner of the enormous cluster of high rises the projects northeast from Yonge and Eglinton. For many living here, this will be the local station, and I expect it to be busy.<\/p>\n 6. Avenue\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Avenue is my top ranking\u00a0non-interchange station, and is\u00a0like so many of these stations is named after the road it\u2019s located along. The station has two entrances both north of Eglinton, and with the eastern one featuring what is Toronto\u2019s first \u201cthere are a lot of stairs here, be warned\u201d exit \u2014 the type that is fairly common in London. There really are a lot of stairs, and a good view down them.<\/p>\n It\u2019s entrances like this that make me most feel like they ought to have just been more minimal, unfinished emergency exits, because I expect few non-transit fans or exercise enthusiasts will enjoy the 5 minute hike to the surface.<\/p>\n On the bright side, this is one place where you can sort of appreciate how the all white aesthetic of the stations really does help reflect some sunlight down into them.<\/p>\n 5. Kennedy<\/strong><\/p>\n Kennedy is a station I\u2019ve used a lot in the past, and is now a really substantial hub with through service on the GO Stouffville line, eventual through service on the under-extension Line 2, and maybe someday through service, or some form of rail east on Eglinton, not to mention the big bus terminal and under construction busway. It remains remarkable given all this transit connectivity how barren and desolate the area around the station is, certainly not helped by the road overpass over the rail corridor.<\/p>\n Inside the station, which I waited outside of for several hours wondering if I\u2019d keep my toes on opening day, the scale is truly impressive, with high ceilings and an expansive concourse level interconnected with Line 2. It really is so large that one sort of wonders if it had to be so big, but at the very least this is another facility so capacious that it makes me go, \u201cyeah this could be China\u201d. The answer is at least in part that it might as well be because if you noticed the curve of the tail tracks, the concourse is actually just built above in space that was already excavated.<\/p>\n Nicely, there is access outside of the fare paid zone between the western entrances, and the much-enhanced new eastern entrance and GO platform (the second one will theoretically be finished and put into service when the Scarborough RT guideway is removed, and the Stouffville second tracking progresses further). There are also now multiple washrooms at this station, something a lot of stations on the line have thanks to all the interchanges (someone ought to make a map of all the subway stations with a public washroom in them, or an easy, almost always open one connected underground \u2014 such as at Queen).<\/p>\n 4. Eglinton-Yonge<\/strong><\/p>\n It may come as a surprise that the interchange station between Line 5 and the Yonge subway, the most important transit line in Canada, ranks at just fourth, especially because this station to a significant extent held up the whole line.\u00a0<\/p>\n The reality is Eglinton-Yonge, while very important, is just super chaotic, and not always in a good way. There is some nice public art as you descend to the Crosstown platforms, but overall the station is one of our most maze-like\u00a0with Eglinton already being a bit confusing with multiple entrances, underground connections, and the bus terminal off to the side, and all kinds of new passageways and connections now being added in.\u00a0<\/p>\n The good thing here is that the station feels like it’s at the centre of a new sort of mini northern Path system. The bad however is that it seems that the station is going to have severe crowding problems. The access up to the Yonge line platforms is awkwardly crammed in, and there is little space in the station, no doubt as a result of having to squeeze it in however possible. One can imagine how a shutdown of one line could easily lead to severe crowding that backs all the way onto the platform for the other line, because the access routes are short and narrow. The station just doesn\u2019t feel like it’s built for high capacity \u2014 which it really ought to have \u2014 but to just tick the \u201cconnection\u201d box.<\/p>\n My positive takeaway here is that the similarly crammed in interchange with the Yonge line from the Ontario line at Queen might actually benefit from being so deep. This will provide a lot of space in the connecting routes (to a large extent vertical) for throngs of passengers to disperse, and to absorb large crowds during disruptions.<\/p>\n 3. Caledonia\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Caledonia comes in at number 3, which might be a surprise \u2014 right now it only has a single entrance, and isn\u2019t even an interchange\u2026 yet!\u00a0<\/p>\n Caledonia however has big things in store for it. GO platforms on the Barrie line are already moving along through construction and will provide a very useful connection, including for passengers headed to Pearson Airport at Mt Dennis. This will also effectively extend the current single entrance (a unique feature of Caledonia) east of the rail corridor to Croham Road.\u00a0<\/p>\n What’s better is that the station is quite good as it stands today. At first it might not seem like a lot, but the station’s depth makes for a soaring ceiling and quite impressive views down to the platform from above. The station also features the excellent \u201cRide of Your Life\u201d artwork.<\/p>\n 2. Cedarvale<\/strong><\/p>\n Eglinton West station now has the name Cedarvale \u2014 which seems sensible to me given the location. It is really good. The station has gone from its former single entrance and bus loop at the north of the intersection between Eglinton and the Allen, to four entrances, with new ones to the east, west, and south.\u00a0<\/p>\n Inside you find huge feeling spaces filled with escalators (something that feels like it’s straight out of the Montreal Metro, or some other grand system) leading from the new entrances down to the transfer concourse, accented with beautiful art from Douglas Coupland and a nice new\u00a0heated washroom. The interchange here is also both efficient, fairly simple, and high-capacity, with wide hallways connecting the transfer concourse to each of the Line 1 platforms. You can also see the steel added at the Eglinton platform level supporting the Line 1 tunnel above.<\/p>\n While it’s nice that you only have to go up one level to connect to Line 1 from Line 5, the stations design is perhaps less straightforward than it could be, with the transfer concourse being the only way to go between the new entrances, and the old one, meaning that if you use the wrong entrance or go the wrong way there may be some backtracking.<\/p>\n 1. Mount Dennis\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n You might be surprised that I ranked Mt Dennis as my number one, but I don\u2019t think you should be. The station is both very interesting, filled with tons of features, and the first entirely new station on the line to also be an interchange.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mt Dennis is great because there is just so much to it, the GO and UP Express platforms are out on the west side, with one of the station entrances connected by passageways to a sort of central core where you can also head north to one set of washrooms (there are multiple!) and a rather large and impressive bus terminal, or to the ground floor of the famous Kodak building, a remnant of the sites original tenant and a passenger pick up and drop off area. From here, you can also see the railyard which serves Line 5, the operations building, and even a battery storage system which can power the whole line for a while if power is cut.<\/p>\n To the south there is a bridge over the Line 5 platforms, which along with the colocation of the yard gives me Davisville vibes. Heading to the platforms, you get some lovely art on the way down, and the only station so far on the \u201csubway\u201d section of the line that gets sunlight, as it’s above grade and wrapped in glass. Because of the elevation, you can get very cool views right in from the sidewalk.<\/p>\n Now, while the station is sort of masterplanned, it doesn\u2019t entirely feel like the plan was sensible. The connection to the regional trains is a bit awkward, and likely to be very crowded as ridership continues to increase. It also doesn\u2019t feel compact and really sprawls out over the site, meaning a lot of walking. In some ways this feels like an opportunity. In a far off future you could imagine the station ringed with high-density development, and perhaps even some towers directly connected into the station replacing some existing parking, perhaps even a Hong Kong-style arrangement with a deck built over the yard someday.<\/p>\n Suffice it to say, while the new set of stations on the Crosstown is a real mixed bag, there are lots of nice stations, and more importantly, every one of these stations will transform lives, and Toronto.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Reece Martin is a well-known advocate for good transit, worldwide. He is based in Toronto and blogs at nextmetro.substack<\/a>.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n UrbanToronto will continue to follow developments on Line 5, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you’d like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Line 5<\/a> Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n UrbanToronto has a research service,\u00a0UTPro<\/a>, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe \u2014 from proposal through to completion. We also offer\u00a0Instant Reports<\/a>, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter,\u00a0New Development Insider<\/a>, that tracks projects from initial application.\u200b\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n
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