Pioneer Village station explained

Pioneer Village
Symbol Location:toronto
Symbol:1big
Style:Toronto Transit Commission
Address:185 Northwest Gate, Toronto, Ontario
Country:Canada
Coordinates:43.7769°N -79.5094°W
Platforms:Centre platform
Tracks:2
Connections: Pioneer Village Terminal
Structure:Underground
Parking:1,881 spaces
Accessible:Yes
Architect:Spadina Group Associates (All Design and IBI Group)
Architectural Style:Postmodern architecture
Opened:[1]
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail-metro
Marker-Color:
  1. FFCB0C
Zoom:15

Pioneer Village is a subway station on the Line 1 Yonge–University of the Toronto subway. It is located under the intersection of Northwest Gate and Steeles Avenue, at the city boundaries of Toronto and Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. A Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus terminal is connected to the southern portion of the station, and there is a regional bus terminal, the Pioneer Village Terminal, for connecting to York Region Transit (YRT) buses on the north side of Steeles Avenue. Pioneer Village, Highway 407 and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations are the first Toronto subway stations fully or partially located outside the Toronto city limits since its last amalgamation in 1998.

Station name

The station was initially expected to be named Steeles West. This followed the previous convention of TTC stations being named after cross streets, with West appended to station names on the northern section of the western (University) branch of the line having counterparts along the eastern (Yonge) branch. In this case, there was no "Steeles" station counterpart on the eastern branch, and instead the unbuilt station was named Black Creek Pioneer Village on September 28, 2012, after the nearby heritage museum.[2] On July 24, 2013, the name was shortened to Pioneer Village.[3]

Description

The station lies on a northwest–southeast axis, with the line approaching the station from York University station northwestward, directly under the university's main buildings. The northern portion of the station lies in the City of Vaughan in York Region and the southern portion in the City of Toronto. There are three station entrances, two being structures that are situated on both the north and south sides of Steeles Avenue. One of two south entrances (in Toronto) connects to the fare-paid TTC bus terminal. with 12 bays.[4] The other is incorporated into the bus terminal itself and is accessed via a signalized crosswalk across the bus driveways from the university's sports facilities. The third—the north entrance in Vaughan—is adjacent to the York Region Transit bus terminal as well as an on-street passenger pick-up and drop-off area. A large commuter lot with a 1,881-vehicle capacity is situated in the hydro corridor to the north of the YRT terminal.[5] Unusually, both street entrances lead to separate mezzanine levels, despite both serving as primary points of access (although many stations have secondary automatic entrances), and it is necessary for non-subway riders transferring between TTC and YRT buses to go down to and walk the length of the platform to connect between the two bus terminals.The station has three levels: the entrances at street level, the two mezzanines just below them, and the train platform at the bottom. Enough space has been left between the surface and the platform to allow for the construction of an underground station for a future light rail transit line.

The station was designed by a consortium of architects and engineers, Spadina Group Associates – including All Design (headed by British architect Will Alsop) and IBI Group.[6] [7] Landscape design of the station was by Janet Rosenberg & Studio.[8] The station features entrance structures on the southeast and northwest sides at a street intersection. The layout makes the entrances mirror each other, giving an overall symmetrical effect. The southwest corner of the intersection also includes an oculus for a light cone above the platform. Both entrance structures have cool roofs and green roofs.[9] [10] To the south of the station, there is a crossover to short turn trains.

Artwork

Artists Tim Edler and Jan Edler of Berlin-based Realities-United provided interactive artwork, titled LightSpell, consisting of a row of 40 light fixtures suspended from the ceiling over the platform. These units can display text as well as illuminate the platform.[11] [12] The intent of the artists was that waiting passengers would key in text (maximum of 8 characters) using several touch screens for display on the lighting units. Other waiting passengers could change the text. However, when the Toronto–York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE) opened, the TTC decided not to activate this feature, despite previously agreeing to do so as shown by the installation of the commissioned piece, because of the potential for displaying offensive messages. Given that the 2009 revision of the TTC By-law No. 1 explicitly prohibits the use of such language, a question remains of how that by-law would apply to an artwork as it is not itself communicating "profane, insulting or obscene language or gestures".[13] The TTC wanted to negotiate a compromise solution with the artists, raising questions of how a compromise of this nature undermines the fundamentals of the artwork.[14] [15], the TTC has not activated the artwork. The cost of the artwork was $1.9 million.[16]

History

On November 27, 2009, the official ground-breaking ceremony was held for the TYSSE project, which included the construction of Pioneer Village station. Tunnelling began in June 2011. The project was expected to be completed by December 2015, later revised to the fourth quarter of 2016.[17] The extension and station ultimately opened on December 17, 2017.[18]

Pioneer Village was originally planned to be a temporary terminus for the western arm of Line 1 Yonge–University, which would later be extended to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station. However, the entire extension, with its six new stations, was completed as one project.

This station, along with the five other TYSSE stations, were the first to be opened without collectors, although booths were installed as per original station plans.[19] It was also among the first eight stations to discontinue sales of legacy TTC fare media (tokens and tickets). Presto vending machines were available at its opening to sell Presto cards and to load funds or monthly passes onto them.[20] On May 3, 2019, this station became one of the first ten stations to sell Presto tickets via Presto vending machines.[21]

In a 2024 court case, the TTC was ordered to pay an extra $57million to Walsh Construction to compensate it for TTC design changes ordered while construction was in progress. Walsh claimed that the design changes resulted in inefficiencies and the rebuilding of completed tasks. The award included $412,000 related to the artwork, when the TTC and the artist decided a new rigging was required for aesthetic reasons. The TTC planned to appeal the ruling, conceding that it was responsible for 411 days of the delay; the judge found the TTC liable for 636 days of delay.[22]

Nearby landmarks

The major buildings of York University's main Keele Campus lie to the southeast. Canlan Ice Sports (home of York Lions hockey) and Sobeys Stadium (home of the Canadian Open tennis) are found to the southwest, the Toronto Track and Field Centre is to the east and York Lions Stadium (home of York United FC) is to the immediate south. The station's namesake, Black Creek Pioneer Village, lies less than 1km (01miles) to the southwest.

Surface connections

See main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes. The following routes serve this station.[23]

Bay numberRouteNameAdditional information
1Spare
2106SentinelSouthbound to Sheppard West station
384DSheppard WestEastbound to Sheppard–Yonge station
460A/B/DSteeles WestEastbound to Finch station
5960B/DSteeles West ExpressEastbound to Finch station
6108ADriftwoodSouthbound to Sheppard West station via Grandravine Drive
108BSouthbound to Sheppard West station via Arleta Avenue
7Wheel-Trans
835AJaneSouthbound to Jane station
35BSouthbound to Jane station via Hullmar Drive
9935Jane ExpressSouthbound to Jane station
1060BSteeles WestWestbound to Martin Grove Road
60DWestbound to Highway 27
960BSteeles West ExpressWestbound to Martin Grove Road
960DWestbound to Highway 27
1141KeeleSouthbound to Keele station
12Spare
N/A335JaneBlue Night service
northbound to York University and southbound to Jane station
N/A353SteelesBlue Night service; westbound to York University and eastbound to Staines

After Line 6 opening

After the opening of Line 6 Finch West, there will be one new rush hour bus route, replacing the 36D Finch West branch (proposed):[24]

Pioneer Village Terminal
Pioneer Village Terminal
Style:YRT
Address:2800 Steeles Avenue West,
Vaughan, Ontario
Country:Canada
Coordinates:43.7781°N -79.5119°W
Owned:Regional Municipality of York
Operator:York Region Transit
Bus Stands:5
Accessible:Yes

A York Region Transit bus terminal[25] is located outside the station's fare-paid area on the north side of Steeles Avenue on the west side of Northwest Gate.[26] [27] It lies adjacent to the commuter parking lot and has an outdoor walkway linking it with the station.

The following YRT routes serve the terminal:

RouteNameAdditional information
3ThornhillEastbound to Steeles Avenue and Don Mills Road via Promenade Terminal
20JaneNorthbound to Teston Road via Highway 407 station, Vaughan Metro Centre station, Vaughan Mills Terminal, and Major Mackenzie West Terminal
96Keele–YongeNorthbound to Newmarket Bus Terminal via King Road
107KeeleNorthbound to Teston Road
107BNorthbound to Rutherford GO Station
165WestonNorthbound to Major Mackenzie West Terminal

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: After delays, cost overruns, and tragedy, a subway to Vaughan is complete . Beattie . Samantha . Spurr . Ben . . December 16, 2017 . December 17, 2017 . December 17, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171217065307/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/2017/12/16/after-delays-cost-overruns-and-tragedy-a-subway-to-vaughan-is-complete.html . live .
  2. News: TTC names new subway station for Black Creek Pioneer Village . Kalinowski . Tess . . September 28, 2012 . September 28, 2012 . September 30, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120930014808/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/article/1263726--ttc-names-new-subway-station-for-black-creek-pioneer-village . live .
  3. http://www.torontosun.com/2013/07/24/ttc-renames-new-subway-stop-pioneer-village-station TTC renames new subway stop Pioneer Village station
  4. News: Next stop, Vaughan: Inside the Toronto subway's big move beyond the city limits . . Oliver . Moore . Jeff . Gray . December 14, 2017 . December 15, 2017 . December 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171215035217/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-subway-extension/article37324030/ . live .
  5. Web site: Pioneer Village Station . Ttc.ca . April 18, 2022 . April 16, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220416193909/https://www.ttc.ca/subway-stations/pioneer-village-station . live .
  6. Web site: Pioneer Village Station . March 11, 2022 . aLL Design . en-US . March 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220311221505/https://all.design/posts/pioneer-village-station . live .
  7. Web site: Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension: Pioneer Village Subway Station . March 11, 2022 . . January 22, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220122142055/https://www.ibigroup.com/ibi-projects/toronto-york-spadina-subway-extension-pioneer-village/ . live .
  8. Web site: Cogley . Bridget . Will Alsop designs two colourful metro stations for Toronto's expanded subway . Dezeen . January 5, 2018 . September 21, 2022 . September 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220921134426/https://www.dezeen.com/2018/01/05/will-alsop-colourful-metro-stations-expanded-subway-pioneer-village-finch-west-toronto/ . live .
  9. Web site: Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project Steeles West Station : Approval Of Conceptual Design . www3.ttc.ca . Toronto Transit Commission . November 11, 2017 . July 27, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170727220506/http://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2009/October_29_2009/Reports/TYSSE_Steeles_West_S.pdf . live .
  10. Web site: Pioneer Village Station . . November 25, 2017 . November 22, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171122080314/http://www.ttc.ca/Spadina/Stations/Steeles_West_Station/index.jsp . dead .
  11. News: A subway station worth lingering in . . Guy . Dixon . September 29, 2017 . October 3, 2017 . October 4, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171004030256/https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/new-stations-of-long-awaited-ttc-subway-expansion-integrate-art-intoarchitecture/article36437285/ . live .
  12. Web site: TYSSE: Pioneer Village Station . . October 4, 2017 . October 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171005101544/http://urbantoronto.ca/database/projects/tysse-pioneer-village-station . live .
  13. Web site: TTC By-law No. 1 . www.ttc.ca . September 2, 2018 . October 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211021045853/http://ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/TTC_Bylaws/index.jsp . live .
  14. Web site: Dunkelheit statt freier Meinung – Zensierte Lichtinstallation von realities:united in Toronto . BauNetz Media . GmbH . January 29, 2018 . baunetz.de . September 2, 2018 . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625161157/https://www.baunetz.de/meldungen/Meldungen-Zensierte_Lichtinstallation_von_realities_united_in_Toronto_5309043.html . live .
  15. Web site: Can the Public Be Trusted to Make Public Art? . canadianart.ca . September 2, 2018 . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625185131/https://canadianart.ca/news/can-public-trusted-make-public-art/ . live .
  16. News: TTC still at impasse over dormant $1.9-million art installation . . Ben . Spurr . January 18, 2018 . February 20, 2024 . January 19, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180119063137/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/01/18/ttc-still-at-impasse-over-dormant-19-million-art-installation.html . live .
  17. Web site: Schedule Status Update . October 24, 2012 . Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project . Toronto Transit Commission . October 29, 2012 . December 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131219010452/http://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2012/October_24/Supplementary_Reports/TYSSE_Schedule_Statu.pdf . dead .
  18. News: Miriam Katawazi . Toronto-York subway extension is now officially open . April 19, 2020 . Toronto Star . December 17, 2017 . March 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200323215903/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/12/17/toronto-york-subway-extension-is-now-officially-open.html . live .
  19. Web site: York University station – Site plan (P. 19) . Toronto Transit Commission . April 19, 2020 . November 26, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201126185418/http://www.ttc.ca/PDF/About_the_TTC/TYSSE/York_University_Station_Open-House_Presentation_Boards.pdf . live .
  20. Web site: New Customer Service Agents at TTC stations . . February 18, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171222222343/http://www.ttc.ca/Fares_and_passes/PRESTO/New_Customer_Service_Agents_at_TTC_stations.jsp . December 22, 2017.
  21. Web site: TTC extends sales of Presto Tickets to 10 stations . . May 6, 2019 . June 2, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190507035016/https://www.ttc.ca/News/2019/May/06_05_19NR_PRESTO-Tickets.jsp . May 7, 2019 .
  22. News: TTC ordered to pay $60 million over construction delays, public art display at subway station . . 2024-08-08 .
  23. Web site: TTC Service Changes Effective Sunday, December 17, 2017 . October 25, 2017 . Stevemnro.ca . November 11, 2017 . October 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043219/https://stevemunro.ca/2017/10/25/ttc-service-changes-effective-sunday-december-17-2017/ . live .
  24. Web site: 2024 Annual Service Plan . . November 17, 2023 . 115.
  25. Web site: Pioneer Village Terminal . yrt.ca . September 2, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035943/https://www.yrt.ca/en/schedules-and-maps/resources/Terminal-Maps/Terminals_Pioneer-Village_Dec2017.pdf . December 1, 2017 . dead .
  26. Web site: Spadina Subway Transit Strategy . 2015 Annual Service Plan . . 145 . 2015 . April 16, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150521102429/http://yrt.ca/en/aboutus/resources/2015_ASP/07-2015-ASP-Spadina_Subway_Transit_Strategy.pdf . May 21, 2015 . dead .
  27. Web site: YRT/Viva Spadina Subway Transit Strategy . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140913033731/http://yrt.ca/en/aboutus/resources/overview-spadina-PIC-2.pdf . September 13, 2014.