Donlands station

Donlands is a station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway. The station is located in Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood, at the southwest corner of Donlands Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard, just north of Danforth Avenue. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.[2]

Donlands
Location	30 Donlands Avenue, Toronto, Ontario Canada
Coordinates	43°40′52″N 79°20′16″W
Platforms	Side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	TTC buses  56  Leaside  83  Jones  300   Bloor - Danforth
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Disabled access	No
History
Opened	26 February 1966
Passengers
2018[1]	11,250
Rank	58 of 75
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station Pape toward Kipling Bloor–Danforth Greenwood toward Kennedy

History

Donlands opened in 1966 as part of the original segment of the Bloor–Danforth line, between Keele station in the west and Woodbine station in the east. Originally only a small structure covered the stairs and escalator. The current building was constructed in the early 1980s and the fare-collection area was relocated from the concourse up to street level, which also brought the bus bays within the fare-paid zone.

On 6 August 1997, a pile of rubber pads being stored in the wye between Donlands station and Greenwood Yard caught fire. It was the TTC's first major subway incident after the 1995 Russell Hill subway accident. The fire shut down the Bloor–Danforth line from Broadview eastward; two thousand passengers had to be evacuated from a pair of trains and nearly 50 were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. Over 200 emergency personnel responded to the fire.

Subway infrastructure

Between Donlands and Greenwood stations is a full grade-separated, double-track, underground wye junction, allowing trains from either direction to access the TTC's Greenwood Yard, which is on the surface south of Danforth Avenue.

Nearby landmarks

Nearby landmarks include the Madinah Mosque, the Toronto District School Board's Urban Indigenous Education Centre, Subway Academy I, and Wilkinson Junior Public School.

Surface connections

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route	Name	Additional Information
56A	Leaside	Northbound to Eglinton station
56B		Northbound to Brentcliffe Road
83	Jones	Southbound to Commissioners Street

Second exit

In June 2010 the TTC announced plans to add second exits to 2 subway stations on the Bloor–Danforth line. These exits were recommended after a fire safety audit due to the stations only having one primary means of emergency access/egress.[3]

The planned construction would see a new exit-only structure built at surface level on Dewhurst Blvd. In order to build the exit the TTC plans to expropriate residential land and demolish a home in the area.[4] This decision proved to be controversial in the neighborhoods affected and after some public outcry the TTC stated that they would review their plans.[5]

The TTC accepted the City Ombudsman's report, that these projects were not handled well by staff on two counts: community outreach, consultation and explanations about the technical and engineering decisions made by staff; and how the TTC communicated with residents whose properties were most affected.[6]

Station improvements have been deferred and a complete Environmental assessment will be done for the Downtown Relief Line first, and any potential implications for Donlands station would be evaluated at that time.[7]

As of July 2020, station modernization work, including the addition of elevators and a new second exit, is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2020. The elevators will be located within the existing station complex, while the location of the second exit has not yet been announced. On 3 May 2020, Bell Telecommunications relocated their fibre-optic cables within the bus loop at the station, to prepare for elevator construction.[8]

References

1. "Subway ridership, 2018" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved 5 February 2019. This table shows the typical number of customer-trips made on each subway on an average weekday and the typical number of customers travelling to and from each station platform on an average weekday.
2. "OUR STATIONS - TCONNECT.ca". tconnect.ca. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
3. "Board Meeting Highlights". Commission reports and information. TTC. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
4. http://www3.ttc.ca/Service_Advisories/Construction/Donlands_Second_Exit.jsp Archived 11 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
5. Carola Vyhnak (29 June 2010). "Residents protest demolishing homes for subway exits". Toronto Star. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
6. "TTC statement on report by City Ombudsman". ttc.ca. TTC. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
7. "Donlands and Greenwood Sunway Station Upgrades" (PDF). ttc.ca. TTC. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2014. Station improvements will be deferred for two years
8. "Donlands Station - second exit/entrance and Easier Access project update". ttc.ca. Retrieved 18 July 2020.

External links

Media related to Donlands Station at Wikimedia Commons

• Donlands station at the Toronto Transit Commission