Kipling station explained

Kipling
Symbol Location:toronto
Symbol:2big
Style:Toronto Transit Commission
Address:950 Kipling Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
Country:Canada
Coordinates:43.6372°N -79.5361°W
Structure:At grade
Platform:Centre platform
Tracks:2
Parking:1,067 spaces
Rebuilt:2017
Accessible:yes
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail-metro
Marker-Color:
  1. 16A753
Zoom:15

Kipling is the western terminus station of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway system. The station is served by buses and subway trains operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and is adjacent to the Kipling GO Station on the Milton line of GO Transit and the Kipling Bus Terminal, where passengers can connect with MiWay and GO Transit bus services. It is located in the Islington–City Centre West neighbourhood on St. Albans Road at Aukland Road, west of the overpass of Kipling Avenue, after which the station is named. The 900 Airport Express bus route connects Kipling to the Toronto Pearson International Airport.

History

An official opening ceremony for Kipling and Kennedy stations, in what was then the Borough of Etobicoke, was held on November 21, 1980. This pair of one-stop extensions at opposite ends of the Bloor–Danforth line were opened to the public the following day.[1] [2] Kipling and Kennedy were designed similarly, with both stations having an island platform that is typical of terminal stations. The outer platform walls at Kipling were originally two rows of vertical yellow vinyl slats separated by a black strip showing the station's name in Univers font.[3] This wall treatment was replaced by off-white fitted enamelled panels using the traditional Toronto Subway font with black trim with smaller lettering along the top in a 2017 renovation, evoking the older stations along the line.[4]

In 1999, this station became accessible with the addition of elevators, one of the first accessible stations in the city.

As a result of the initial lack of density near the station, and its location near a hydro substation, it was originally designed around commuter travel, with a large amount of parking spaces (over 1,300) and a roughed-in platform for a future light rail or light metro line, like the Scarborough RT at Kennedy.

In the early 2020s, a new regional bus terminal was built on the site of the Kipling North commuter parking lot. Serving both MiWay and GO Transit, the bus terminal opened in 2021.[5] An underground tunnel links the subway station to the regional bus terminal, and an accessible link bridge connects to the Kipling GO Station., 1,067 commuter parking spaces remain, located south of the station in the hydro corridor.[6]

Facilities

The main entrance is located at the west end of the station, with access to the GO station, commuter parking lots, and a kiss and ride area for passenger drop-off. An entrance at the east end makes the bus platform level accessible by way of a ramp, with an elevator providing a connection with the train platform below.[7] Fares can be paid for at this station by using tokens, tickets, passes, as well as the Presto card.[8] Currently it serves the high density residential and commercial developments that are being built, while acting as a hub for commuter travel.

Above the subway tracks on the south side of the station, opposite the bus bays on the same level, is an unfinished platform for a proposed but never-built Etobicoke RT line similar to Line 3 Scarborough.[9]

East of the station towards, the line continues on the surface alongside the railway right-of-way which parallels Dundas Street at a distance. It crosses over Bloor Street to the north side alongside the railway tracks, then dives underground below the tracks and turns parallel to Bloor.

Kipling Yard

Currently the tail end tracks west of the station can be used to store 2 cars sets.[10]

There were plans to establish a yard to replace Greenwood Yard (and allow Greenwood to be dedicated to the since-abandoned Relief Line) and potential exists for Metrolinx and the TTC to purchase land on the former CPR Obico Yard bounded by Shorncliffe Road and North Queen Street for a shared storage facility for subway cars and GO trains. Most of the former CPR intermodal yard, an open area not occupied by structures, is now owned by the City of Toronto and been partially used to store TTC buses since 2019 as North Queen Yard and other yards were leased out.[11]

Surface connections

See main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes. The TTC bus platform is in the fare-paid zone, allowing passengers to quickly transfer between the subway and the following TTC bus routes:[12]

BayRouteNameAdditional information
1111East MallNorthbound to Eglinton Avenue West (Willowridge & Richgrove)
2112BWest MallNorthbound to Renforth station
112CNorthbound to Disco Road
3123BSherwaySouthbound to Long Branch Loop via Shorncliffe Road and the East Mall
123CSouthbound to Long Branch Loop via Shorncliffe Road and North Queen Street
123DSouthbound to Sherway Gardens via Shorncliffe Road and the East Mall
123FSouthbound to Sherway Gardens via the West Mall
Wheel-Trans
4900Airport ExpressNorthbound to Toronto Pearson International Airport
300ABloor–Danforth Blue NightWestbound to Toronto Pearson International Airport
300BWestbound to the West Mall & Burnhamthorpe Road
540AJunction–Dundas WestEastbound to Dundas West station
49Bloor WestWestbound to Markland Wood (east of the Etobicoke Creek)
644Kipling SouthSouthbound to Lake Shore Boulevard and Humber College Lakeshore Campus
944Kipling South ExpressSouthbound to Lake Shore Boulevard and Humber College Lakeshore Campus
7927AHighway 27 ExpressNorthbound to Humber College North Campus
927BNorthbound to Steeles Avenue West
927CNorthbound to Humber College via Attwell Drive
927DNorthbound to Steeles Avenue West via Royalcrest Road
846Martin GroveNorthbound to Steeles Avenue West
300ABloor–Danforth Blue NightEastbound to Warden Avenue & Danforth Road
300BEastbound to Kennedy station
945AKiplingNorthbound to Steeles Avenue West past Etobicoke North GO Station
45BNorthbound to Carlingview Drive via Belfield Road
10945Kipling ExpressNorthbound to Steeles Avenue West

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Built Subways. Transit Toronto. July 7, 2014. October 10, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141010160602/http://transit.toronto.on.ca/subway/5100.shtml. live.
  2. News: New Kipling Station . The Toronto Star . November 20, 1980 . A18.
  3. Web site: Blackett . Matthew . Ride the Rainbow of the Bloor–Danforth . Spacing Toronto . March 25, 2008 . July 29, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111130054941/http://spacingtoronto.ca/2008/03/25/ride-the-rainbow-of-bloor-danforth/ . November 30, 2011 . dead .
  4. Web site: Kipling: Trivia . James . Bow . Transit Toronto . February 2, 2019 . February 28, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190228022900/http://transit.toronto.on.ca/subway/stations/002-bloor-danforth-subway/kipling.shtml . live .
  5. Web site: Wanek-Libman . Mischa . May 21, 2022 . Construction of Kipling Transit Hub complete . April 18, 2022 . www.masstransitmag.com . February 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220209211541/https://www.masstransitmag.com/technology/facilities/article/21223792/construction-of-kipling-transit-hub-complete . live .
  6. Web site: Kipling Station . April 16, 2022 . www.ttc.ca . en . April 16, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220416194004/https://www.ttc.ca//en/subway-stations/kipling-station . live .
  7. Web site: Kipling: Accessible Alternative . August 12, 2012 . June 7, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120607213431/http://www3.ttc.ca/Subway/Stations/Kipling/Accessible_Alternative.jsp . live .
  8. Web site: PRESTO card. Presto card official Twitter feed. July 21, 2010. July 24, 2010. August 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140822043635/https://twitter.com/PRESTOcard/status/19081751443. live.
  9. Web site: Whatever Happened to the Etobicoke RT? . Chris . Bateman . June 23, 2012 . blogTO . July 28, 2012 . October 26, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121026000741/http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/06/whatever_happened_to_the_etobicoke_rt/ . live .
  10. Web site: Kipling - Transit Toronto - Subway Station Database . December 3, 2021 . December 3, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211203143009/https://transittoronto.ca/subway/stations/002-bloor-danforth-subway/kipling.shtml . live .
  11. Web site: Old Time Trains. December 3, 2021. December 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211203144722/http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Toronto/ISLINGTON.htm. live.
  12. Web site: Kipling Station: Connections to . July 1, 2009 . January 27, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130127211017/http://www.ttc.ca/Subway/Stations/Kipling/station.jsp . dead .
  13. Web site: IKEA Etobicoke: Store information . August 11, 2012 . August 5, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120805084939/http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/store/etobicoke . live .
  14. Web site: Does IKEA offer Shuttle bus service? - IKEA Canada .