Toronto Transit Commission Donlands Station
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Westbound to Kipling | Donlands | Eastbound to Kennedy | 
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| Next Station: Pape | Next Station: Greenwood | |||
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| Rapid Transit | Line 2 Bloor-Danforth | ||||||||||
| Surface Routes | 56, 83 | ||||||||||
| Presto | Yes | ||||||||||
| Opening Date | February 26, 1966 | ||||||||||
| Platform | Side | ||||||||||
| Ridership (2018) | 11,245 | ||||||||||
Donlands Station 
is a rapid transit station and bus terminal operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 30 Donlands Avenue on the southwest corner of Donlands Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard one block north of Danforth Avenue.
History
Donlands Station opened with the original Bloor-Danforth subway line on February 26, 1966.
On August 6, 1997, an electrical fire erupted from a pile of rubber track ties stored at Greenwood Yard. Smoke poured through the tunnels and into Donlands Station causing an evacuation. Approximately 40 people were treated for minor smoke inhalation from this incident.[1]
Station description
The main entrance is accessed by sliding doors which open onto the west side of Donlands Avenue. Inside the main entrance, there is the collector's booth and fare gates and beyond the fare-paid line is the station bus terminal. The terminal consists of 3 bus bays and a wraparound bus loop where buses enter from Donlands Avenue and exit onto Strathmore Boulevard in a clockwise direction. Connection to 300 Bloor-Danforth buses can be made at the intersection of Donlands Avenue and Danforth Avenue.
A staircase and escalator leads down from station entrance level to the underground concourse, which has stairs leading down to the westbound and eastbound platforms. The subway platforms are of the typical Bloor-Danforth style, with gray-coloured wall tiles and a red trim.
Donlands Station is not a busy station as it is served by two infrequent bus routes, therefore, there are no shops in the underground concourse. The main entrance and bus terminal building is also very small compared to other stations, and because of this, the station is not designed to handle large crowds.
Directly east of the station, there is a wye junction which provides access to Greenwood Yard from the main line. Diesel work trains are held at Donlands Station before they enter the yard so the roof at the end of the eastbound platform is black from the soot of the engines.
Second exit and Easier Access
In July 2010, the TTC announced plans to add second exits to two subway stations on the Bloor-Danforth line. These exits were recommended after a fire safety audit due the stations only having one primary means of emergency access and egress. Second exit construction at Donlands Station would be combined with the elevator installation from TTC's Easier Access program in order to minimize the impact on passengers and the community. However, station improvements was to be deferred for two years pending the completion of the Environmental Assessment Study for the Downtown Relief Subway Line. This would allow for the evaulation of any possible implications for Donlands Station.[2]
Talks regarding the second exit building were re-initiated in late 2015. After numerous community meetings where 9 possible location options were considered, the Local Working Group recommended the new second exit to be located at 17/19 Dewhurst Boulevard.[3] Shortly after, the Toronto Transit Commission board unanimously approved this option to be the location of the new second exit for Donlands Station.[4][5]
As part of the TTC's Easier Access Program, new elevators were installed as an addition to the main entrance building on Donlands Avenue. The two new elevators provide accessible and barrier-free access between street level and eastbound and westbound platforms.
Second exit and elevator (as part of the TTC Easier Access Program) construction was scheduled to start in 2019. Due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, construction officially began on May 10, 2021 with an initial completion date of 2023.[6] On August 7, 2024, the two elevators were put into service and one day later on August 8, 2024, the second exit building was opened to the public. The new elevators were later officially opened during an event attended by dignitaries at the station on October 16, 2024.[7]
Routes
Rapid Transit
Surface Transit
Schedule
| Donlands Station | |||
 Bloor-Danforth
|
Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| First Train eastbound | 6:16am | 6:21am | 8:35am |
| Last Train eastbound | 2:02am | 2:02am | 2:02am |
| First Train westbound | 5:49am | 5:55am | 7:58am |
| Last Train westbound | 1:43am | 1:43am | 1:43am |
References
- ↑ Fire in Toronto subway station forces evacuations, 6 August 1997, Cable News Network. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ↑ Donlands and Greenwood Subway Station Upgrades, Toronto Transit Commission, retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ↑ Donlands Station - Station Improvements, Toronto Transit Commission, retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ↑ Donlands Station Second Exit/Entrance Location Contract D6-3, Toronto Transit Commission, retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ↑ Decision: Donlands Second Exit/Entrance Location Contract D6-3, Toronto Transit Commission, retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ↑ Second exit project - Donlands Station, Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ↑ Donlands Station Second Exit/Entrance Project, Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
