Agincourt GO Station
 Agincourt | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 First Agincourt GO Station, built 1982, demolished 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||
| Location | 4100 Sheppard Avenue East Toronto, Ontario Canada | ||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°47′10″N 79°17′04″W / 43.78611°N 79.28444°W | ||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Metrolinx | ||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  | ||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Brick station building | ||||||||||||||||
| Parking | 342 spaces | ||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||
| Station code | GO Transit: AG | ||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 07 | ||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||
| Opened | September 7, 1982 (as a GO station)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | October 2021[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 134,000[3]  15.2% | ||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||
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Agincourt GO Station is a GO Transit railway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[4] The Stouffville line station serves the Agincourt neighbourhood of the former suburb of Scarborough.
History
[edit]The station's track was once used by Toronto and Nipissing Railway and later Grand Trunk Railway and finally by Canadian National Railway. TNR opened a simple wooden station at Agincourt in 1871.[5] The CN station lasted into the 1970s and was demolished to accommodate the first Agincourt GO Station built in 1982.[6] There was also a separate CPR Agincourt station located further east, built in 1884 by the Ontario and Quebec Railway which later merged with the Canadian Pacific Railway; it was demolished in 1962 and replaced by a passenger shelter that in turn was demolished in 1975.[7]
In 2018, EllisDon Transit Infrastructure was awarded a contract to expand the station for increased Regional Express Rail service. The project included construction of a second platform, improved pedestrian and vehicle connections, and a new station building.[8] By February 2021, the old station building built in 1982 was demolished.[6] By October 2021, the new station building was completed; however, at that time work still remained for tracks, platforms and the parking area.[2] By November 2022, two new pedestrian tunnels had opened between the north- and southbound platforms which also allows community members to cross the right-of-way underground; the pedestrian level crossing at Marilyn Avenue had closed. A new parking lot with 74 spaces was added at the north end of the station area along with a pick-up, drop-off area for 24 vehicles.[9] In September 2023, Metrolinx announced that all work had been completed at Agincourt.[10]
Station description
[edit]The station has the following features:[2][10]
- Station building featuring waiting area, digital displays, wood paneled ceiling, phone charging stations, accessible washrooms
- Designed for LEED certification
- Passenger pick-up and drop-off area (Kiss & Ride)
- Indoor bike storage room for eight bicycles
- Two tracks and two platforms
- Two pedestrian tunnels with elevators
- Canopies and integrated platform shelters
- Connection to Sheppard Avenue at the south end of the platforms
Connecting transit
[edit]The Toronto Transit Commission's 85 Sheppard East and 985 Sheppard East Express bus routes links Agincourt GO to Don Mills station in the west, the 85 and 985B continues east into Scarborough while the 985A continues express to Scarborough Centre station.
Grade separation
[edit]When the Sheppard East LRT was a plan back in 2010, it required a grade separation of Sheppard Avenue East and the GO train tracks.[11] This led contractors from the City of Toronto government and TTC to build a bridge for the GO train tracks, while having Sheppard Avenue move under it, as the light rail vehicles would not have been able to cross the GO tracks at ground level.[12] On July 3, 2012, the underpass was completed and opened to regular traffic, which was five months ahead of schedule.[13] However, in April 2019, Ontario premier Doug Ford announced that the provincial government would extend Line 4 Sheppard to McCowan Road at some unspecified time in the future, replacing the proposed Sheppard East LRT.[14]
The new underpass improves not only the flow of traffic along Sheppard Avenue, as vehicles no longer have to wait at a rail crossing, but also GO train service. The bridge also allows for two-way service on this portion of the line.[13] Building the bridge also meant that the parking capacity of the station could be expanded. Before that project, parking capacity was only 297, but it has now been increased to 342 spaces.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ "GO for a Free Train Ride Tomorrow". The Toronto Star. September 6, 1982. p. A12. Retrieved April 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "See video of new Agincourt GO station building". Metrolinx. October 25, 2021. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Drivers of Ridership and Revenue" (PDF). Metrolinx. February 7, 2019. p. 4. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "Agincourt GO Station Information". GO Transit. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ Jeffrey P. Smith. "C.N.Rys. Agincourt". C.N.Rys. Uxbridge Subdivision. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
Station: Agincourt, Subdivision: Uxbridge, Mileage: 55.66
- ^ a b "As the old Agincourt Station comes down: A new chapter about to be written for important Scarborough transit stop". Metrolinx. February 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021.
- ^ "Agincourt Station (Canadian Pacific Railway)". Toronto Railway Historical Association. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Mackenzie, Robert. "Plans for Expanding Agincourt GO Station Submitted to City". urbantoronto.ca. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "New customer amenities now open at Agincourt GO Station". Metrolinx. November 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Major improvements complete along Stouffville GO Line". Metrolinx. September 15, 2023. Archived from the original on September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Sheppard East Light Rail Transit (LRT)" (PDF). Metrolinx. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
- ^ Mackenzie, Robert. "New Access Routes into and out of Agincourt GO Station, Starting July 3". Transit Toronto. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "New Access Routes into and out of Agincourt Go Station, Starting July 3". Transit Toronto. July 3, 2012.
- ^ "How Doug Ford's $28.5-billion transit overhaul compares with Toronto's existing plans". Toronto Star. April 10, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Agincourt GO Station at Wikimedia Commons- GO Transit station page for Agincourt GO Station
