Downsview Park station

TTC Line 1 operates every 5 minutes or better all day, every day.^[5]

The GO Transit Barrie Line operates approximately every 15–30 minutes during the morning peak period, every 30 minutes during the afternoon peak period, and every 60 minutes outside of peak periods including on weekends and holidays.^[6]

Originally slated to be called Sheppard West,^[7] the station was referred to by that name throughout its construction.^[8] However, in 2010, approval was granted for the station to be named Downsview Park, contingent upon successful negotiations between the Toronto Transit Commission, the City of Toronto, and Downsview Park regarding property acquisition. As part of this agreement, the existing Downsview station was renamed Sheppard West. Other names considered for this station were GO/Sheppard, Chesswood, Bakersfield, and Carl Hall.^[9]

 

 

The subway platform is underground on an east–west orientation parallel to Sheppard Avenue West. It is one of three stations on Line 1 with an east–west orientation, the others being Union and St. George. An intermediate concourse level is located below ground between the subway and GO platforms. GO Transit has committed to cost-sharing at this station. A new roadway named Vitti Street on the west side of the station provides vehicle access and passenger pick-up/drop-off.^[10] To the east and west of the station, the line swings broadly at a 90-degree angle northwest to Finch West station and southeast via a compound curve to Sheppard West station.

The station is located in a low-density district; however, the TTC expects mixed-use development on nearby land. The GO train connection is also expected to boost ridership.^[11]

The station building is constructed of glass, stone, and aluminum blend and has a green roof. It is designed to allow sunlight to reach the subway platform. The artwork Spin by Canadian artist Panya Clark Espinal spans the interior's walls, floors, and ceilings. Clark Espinal also created the artwork for Bayview station.^[11] The floor of the station at the platform level is constructed using striped terrazzo.

Architecture firm Aedas was commissioned to design the station; their initial plan provides twinned entrances on opposite sides of the rail corridor, each with green roofs that resemble landing strips or wings.^[12]

Downsview Park
General information
Operated by	GO Transit
Platforms	1[10] (2nd roughed-in)
Tracks	1 (2nd planned)
Connections
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Architect	Aedas
Architectural style	Postmodern architecture
Other information
Station code	GO Transit: DW
Fare zone	19
History
Opened	December 30, 2017 (2017-12-30)[13]
Passengers
Apr-Dec 2019	451 daily[14]
Services
Preceding station   GO Transit Following station Rutherford towards Allandale Waterfront Barrie Union Station Terminus

The GO Transit commuter rail station is at the surface on a north–south axis, perpendicular to the subway line. There is only one platform, but a second is roughed in and will open after the ongoing construction to double-track the Barrie line is completed.^[15] The platform is located on the far side of the track near a separate surface station building accessed via the concourse, and the future second platform will be connected to the main building.

Upon its opening, York University GO Station, located a short distance to the north, experienced a service reduction; only weekday peak-period trains serviced that station, and all trains serviced Downsview Park GO. On March 18, 2020, York University GO Station ceased operation temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic but in 2021, the closure was confirmed to be permanent because of low ridership.^[16][17]

The official ground breaking ceremony for the Toronto–York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE) was held on November 27, 2009;^[18] with tunnelling operations beginning in June 2011.^[19] The station opened on December 17, 2017, along with the rest of the extension.^[20] It opened to GO Transit service on December 30, 2017, on the same day that a major service increase was inaugurated on the Barrie line.^[3]

This station, along with the five other TYSSE stations, were the first to be opened without collectors, although collector booths were installed as per original station plans.^[21] It was also among the first eight stations to discontinue sales of legacy TTC fare media (tokens and senior/youth tickets). Presto vending machines were available at its opening to sell Presto cards and to load funds or monthly passes onto them.^[22] On May 3, 2019, this station became one of the first ten stations to sell Presto tickets via the Presto vending machines.^[23]

Nearby landmarks include Downsview Park, which is Canada's National Urban Park and played host to World Youth Day in 2002 and the SARSstock concert in 2003. The Park is the site of an airstrip used by aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace and formerly used as Canadian Forces Base Downsview. Other points of interest include the Chesswood hockey arenas, Toronto FC's BMO training ground, Scotiabank Pond Hockey Arena, and "The Hangar" sports facility, as well as industrial lands north of Sheppard.

A transfer is required to connect between the subway and surface bus routes, as there is no attached bus terminal and connections are made on-street, outside the station. Buses stop on Sheppard Avenue and Vitti Street, about 140 metres from the west station building entrance.^[24]

  Media related to Downsview Park station at Wikimedia Commons

• Official station page
• GO Transit station page for Downsview Park station