Downsview Station
Downsview is a station of the Yonge-University-Spadina line of the TTC. As of 2008 it is the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the Orange line of York Region’s Viva bus rapid transit system.
The TTC station opened in 1996 in what was then the City of North York, and the Vivastation opened on October 16, 2005.
Location
It is located on William R. Allen Road at 1035 Sheppard Avenue West.
Nearby landmarks include Downsview Park, which was the site of the World Youth Day Papal Visit in 2002, and the ‘SARSstock’ concert in 2003. It was formerly the site of an airstrip used as a military base (CFB Downsview), and by an aircraft manufacturer (DeHavilland), separating the station area from the original village of Downsview.
The subway platform is underground and east of Allen Road. The line continues underground for 750 metres to cross to the west side of the road, then runs on the surface past Wilson Yard, the TTC’s newest subway yard, which opened in 1978. At this point Allen Road becomes an elevated expressway; the subway, using what were originally the yard access tracks, crosses under its southbound lanes and rises to the road's level.
The station has a large commuter parking lot, accessible via Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue, which opened in July 2005.
Viva connections
Downsview Station is a Vivastation on York Region’s Viva bus rapid transit system. Service began on October 16, 2005. It is located on the Orange line, connecting with this subway station.
The Viva buses stop three times at Downsview. First, they stop in front of the station entrance on Sheppard Avenue eastbound to offload all of their passengers, then, they enter the bus terminal to pick up passengers. This is to ensure that Viva riders do not access the TTC without paying a TTC fare, as the bus terminal is inside the station's fare paid zone. After this, they stop a third time, on westbound Sheppard Avenue, to pick up passengers who did not transfer from the subway or a TTC bus.
This Vivastation is considered a Viva ‘terminal’. Therefore, there are multiRide ticket vending machines available.
Artwork
The station features two pieces of artwork:
- Sliding Pi is a wall mosaic by Calgary artist Arlene Stamp. It can be viewed when riding the escalators or stairs to the bus platform.
- Boney Bus by John McKinnon located at the front of the station and consists of a doodle of a bus made from giant metal beams.