Summerhill Subway Station

Summerhill Station (click to enlarge)

Summerhill Subway station is on the Yonge-University Spadina Line of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).  It was opened in 1954 and serves only 5,000 people today.  This is mostly due to the fact that there are no buses or streetcars coming in or out of the station.  Nearby, just south of Summerhill is the former Summerhill North Toronto station which was once owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (formerly CP rail) as of 1998.  

Summerhill Tower now LCBO)and then (CP Rail Station-1916)

Currently the building is being used as a Liquor store, but ever heard of history repeating itself? Apparently there have been proposals being made by GO Transit to have this landmark reopened as a railway for commuters coming from downtown's Union station and being used as a major interchange, but this hasn't been readdressed again since 2000, so it’s obviously not a major priority right now.  We will be seeing major infrastructural changes in the city that are now underway, known as the LRT (the lightrails).  I am currently working on a project to discuss that, but it will take some time. I'm excited about the LRT in Toronto as I am sure a lot of you will be.  I see it as a real move forward and anticipate a lot of people will be using this mode of transportation. Even above and beyond the novelty aspect of it, it's fast, (up to 70kph (which is faster than street traffic), safe, affordable (save on fuel, parking, maintenance), accessible for everyone (includes automatic doors, escalators, elevators), and of course environmentally friendly (uses electricity, no air pollution, plus in one trip a rider will use 65% fewer greenhouse gases.  But I'll save all that exciting stuff for another day!

Victoria Park Subway Station

Inside Vic Park Station
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Victoria Park subway station is on the Bloor-Danforth line of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).  It was opened in 1968 and serves and about 30,000 people a day.  There is a long footbridge that can be accessed by pedestrians along Victoria park at Danforth Avenue.  Another method to gain access to the station is by using a walkway directly across from Crescent town.  

Outside Vic Park Station
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Victoria Park is one of the stations currently being renovated and redesigned as part of the Station Modernization program.
 Other Stations include Dufferin, Pape , Union, and St. Andrews.  Construction goes on relatively often at subway stations all the time.  For example, Castle Frank, Donlands, Kipling and Woodbine all require second exits and still others are in need of repairs on sidewalks and wall replacements and so on. A modernization project however, entails adding ramps and elevators for full accessibility for everyone and adding safer bridges, platforms and sidewalks.  

Work in progress
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Shoppers World Danforth
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The bus terminal has now been fully demolished and they are currently constructing a new one at the street level.  Of course being a modern station, they will marry art and nature with cement, steel and progress.

No contracts :)
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What brings me to Victoria park station?  Well today I finally decided 6 months was too long without a cell phone.  So I went to the Shoppers World at the corner of Victoria park and Danforth and walked into a cell phone store, walked out 15 minutes later with a phone, a bag, a smile and no contract. 


I went to WIND, got this bag --guess that makes me officially a wind-bag ;)