Islington station (Toronto)

Islington
General information
Location	1226 Islington Avenue Toronto, Ontario Canada
Coordinates	43°38′43″N 79°31′28″W
Platforms	center platform
Tracks	2
Connections	TTC buses MiWay buses
Construction
Structure type	underground
Parking	1,299
History
Opened	10 May 1968
Passengers
2023–2024	25,023 Ranked 16th of 69
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station Template:TTC stations toward Template:TTC stations Template:TTC lines Template:TTC stations toward Template:TTC stations

Islington is a subway station on the Bloor–Danforth line in Toronto, Canada. It is located on the north side of Bloor Street West on the west side of Islington Avenue. A central platform serves trains running in both directions.

History

Islington station opened in 1968 in what was then the Borough of Etobicoke as the western terminus of the Bloor-Danforth Line, and became a through station in 1980 when the line was extended to Kipling.

Until 1973, TTC buses and subway trains serving the station were in separate fare zones and so turnstiles and collector booths were placed between bus bays and subway platforms. The fare barrier was reconfigured after the zones were abolished to put the bus bays inside the fare-paid zone, and its layout was simplified in a later renovation.

However, the bus bays have also been used by non-TTC buses. In the early years some Gray Coach long-distance services called at Islington, and the Airport Express, also then operated by Gray Coach, had an Islington station route. Mississauga Transit (now MiWay) buses, which at first stopped outside the station, began using several of the bus bays after they were no longer needed for TTC buses once Kipling station opened. Since all these buses have had separate fares from the TTC, since the bus bays were put inside the fare barrier the buses have had to unload on the street outside the station entrance; they can use the bus bays only for boarding.

Station description

The station is located on the northwest side of Bloor Street West and Islington Avenue, and is built on three levels. Street level is where all three parking lots, all three entrances, as well as where the bus platform is located. The entrances to the station can be found at the main parking, and at the east and west sides of Islington Avenue respectively.

Below street level is the concourse and collector, which provides stair access to the bus platforms above it. The subway platforms are underneath the concourse and collector level. There are no elevators in this station, which it is not accessible for persons with physical disabilities.

Parking

Four parking lots serve Islington station, providing a total of 1,569 spaces: The main lot beside the station northwest of Bloor Street at Islinton has 543 spaces; north of the railway tracks at Cordova Avenue there 473 spaces; at the north end of Lomond Drive there are 283 spaces; and the newest lot beside the railway tracks on the south side of Bloor Street off Fieldway Road has 270 spaces.

Subway infrastructure in the vicinity

Signal at the east end of the platform

Between this station and Royal York station to the east, the line exits the tunnel at the Montgomery Portal to cross Mimico Creek by bridge, and then returns underground at the Aberfoyle Portal.

This is one of only three stations in the subway system where a track signal is publicly accessible (the others being Union and Davisville). The signal is at the east end of the platform and guards the switches for trains turning back eastbound from the westbound platform.

Nearby landmarks

Sun Life Financial Centre, at 3300 Bloor St. West, has direct access to the station on the east side of Islington Avenue and Islington Village is short distance north of the station at Dundas Street West.

Surface connections

The outdated covered bus terminal at Islington Station is similar to that of Warden Station and the original structure at Victoria Park Station

Toronto Transit Commission

Main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes

• 37A Islington to Woodbine Centre and Humberwood Blvd via Rexdale Boulevard

37B to Steeles Avenue

37C to Steeles Avenue and Kipling Avenue

• 50 Burnhamthorpe to Mill Road
• 110A Islington South to Long Branch Loop via Horner Avenue and Browns Line

110B to Long Branch Loop via Horner Avenue and 30th St.

110C to Lake Shore Boulevard

• 337 Blue Night Islington to northbound to Steeles Avenue and southbound to Lake Shore Boulevard

MiWay

MiWay (Mississauga Transit) buses waiting at Islington station

Main article: List of MiWay bus routes

While Islington station is the property of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), it connects to more MiWay bus routes than TTC bus routes. It is the second busiest terminal for MiWay, and the largest and busiest outside of Mississauga.

• 1 Dundas to Ridgeway via Westdale Mall

1C to South Common Centre via UTM and Westdale Mall

• 3 Bloor to Mississauga City Centre Transit Terminal at Square One
• 11 Westwood to Westwood Mall via Goreway

11A to Westwood Mall via Darcel

11B to Westwood Mall via Nashua

• 17 Timberlea to Kamato
• 20 Rathburn to Erindale GO Station via Square One
• 26 Burnhamthorpe to South Common Centre via Square One
• 35 Eglinton to Ninth Line

35A to Tenth Line

• 57 Courtneypark to Meadowvale Town Centre
• 70 Keaton to Milverton
• 71 Sheridan-Subway to Sheridan Research Park via Sheridan Centre
• 76 Square One-Subway to Square One
• 82 Financial to Argentia
• 101 Dundas Express to South Common via UTM and Westdale Mall
• 101A Dundas Express to Ridgeway via UTM and Westdale Mall
• 108 Meadowvale Business Express to Creditview via Financial Drive
• 109 Meadowvale Express to Meadowvale Town Centre via Square One

Station modernization

The TTC had plans to renovate this station, as part of their station improvement project in 2008. The key improvements listed as part of the project included the demolition of the current bus terminal and construction of a new, wheelchair-accessible one on the north side of the station, easier access plans, a new entrance with public art, a new passenger pick up and drop off area, and overall modernization. An open house was held on 22 April 2008, and the scheduled completion time was in 2011-2012, but work is still far from finished. A completion date has not been released, and is being pushed further into the future as time goes by.

External links

Media related to Islington Station at Wikimedia Commons

• Islington