St. Andrew Station Gets a Facelift but More Work Needed Elsewhere
Although there's been no official word, the TTC has found its remodernization project hit the likes of St. Andrew station. Maybe not as grand as Museum station, but it is definitely refreshing to see even subtle improvements to the subway. Keeping with the original 60's colour palette, the station is slowly replacing its small thin panels, for much larger ones. This minor change comes as the Toronto Transit Commission attempts "to revitalize the Bloor-Danforth and the University line stations."
The project was announced nearly two years ago by TTC Chair, Adam Giambrone. I was once under the impression that most of the stations would end up looking like Museum in one way or another. A different motif for each station definitely sounded very appealing. Plus, it would be extremely easy for tourists and citizens alike to navigate... but the project came at a cost. Now, it seems that the focus and funds have shifted to Transit City.
Some stations are scheduled or already in the process of major revitalization. Most of these initiatives attempt to make Toronto's transit more efficient. With years of use, many of the stations are starting to slowly deteriorate. If left unattended, these annoyances will become larger problems down the road. Small stress cracks in stairs may not seem like a big deal now, but in the future it could cause someone serious injury.
Cracks or water damage hinders almost every stop on the Bloor-Danforth & Yonge-University-Spadina lines. On rainy days, puddles can appear on the platform creating hazards for some commuters. The solution usually consists of a mop and the good old wet floor sign, which is merely a band-aid solution. Rarely is the damage quickly fixed, which usually makes problem grow with time.
For instance, in Toronto's busiest subway station (Yonge/Dundas), a panel on the Bloor platform has been exposed for months now. During rush hour this station fills to the walls. It's just a matter of time before someone runs towards the train in fear of it departing, only to slip in the puddle. It's okay though, there was a wet surface sign, and you should have probably been more careful.
Ossington doesn't suffer from water damage as Yonge & Dundas does, but it does have problems of its own. Pieces of the roof seem to be missing. It's unclear as to why it is missing, but this is a constant recurrence at many stations. Most of these ceiling holes have been left for years. With time, some worsen (probably due to train vibrations) and others stay about the same size. It's more of an eyesore than anything, but one is left to wonder what risk these missing pieces pose?
Much of the TTC subway system is in disrepair. That being said, it is good to see that our system is starting to get a bit of an overhaul. St. Andrew is hopefully the first of many more fixes to come. Although the transition period with construction can make things difficult sometimes, in the long run it will be worth it. Not only will the stations be visually appealing, but more importantly, they will be safer.
Comments (13)
Pape station has these really odd-looking wooden platforms nailed to the ceiling with rows of pegs sticking out. No idea what that's about..
Rosedale has wooden stilts holding up the platform, and as to the
problems above, the TTC has always been slow to repair problems.
Prime example is Union station during the commuter rush hours or on
days of events at Skydome or the ACC the platforms are packed to the point that the escalators are dangerously backed up, you can't even
move on the platform for fear of pushing or falling off the platform.
The TTC has been talking about fixing Union station for the last 10
years and nothing has happened.
When it comes to the TTC, I will believe it when I see it.
TTC is consistent at one thing only, over promising and under
delivering at every opportunity, from service to safety and
customer service.
I believe those "platforms" on the ceiling are the forms used to hold concrete roof "patches" (to fix the gaps as shown at Ossington) in place while they dry.
Actually, the work at St. Andrew Station has nothing to do with the Station Modernization programme. It's actually part of a separate Station Cleanliness initiative where they are finding ways to improve station infrastructure to make it easier to clean, or to make things look better, in addition to changing cleaning procedures and schedules to make it work better. The old slats at St. Andrew were difficult to clean and for a thorough cleaning, would require that power be shut off at track level. The new design would allow for power washing from the platform.
Other places where you can notice the Cleanliness Program include King Station, where the ceiling was painted black in the concourse level (a huge improvement), and also on the platform level where the slats were removed over the track level, and then painted black (also a huge improvement). St. George Station was also targeted for improvements, with a substantial proportion of the tiles cleaned and regrouted.
The Station Modernization programme continues though - Victoria Park Station is already underway, with Dufferin and Pape due to begin this year.
Probably also should cite the Spacing article, which then cites the Urban Toronto thread that first wrote about this...
It's disgraceful how such a rich city, within a rich nation, has such a poor infrastructure. I live in Europe and to me, all these photos show outdated stations. They also show disrespect to the Torontonians that utilize public transportation (Imagine what tourists think about this?).
I agree. I returned to Toronto after living in Japan for several years, and public transit here is an utter embarrassment. Like so many other things in this city, it could easily be so much more, but there's a lack of political will, and too many Torontonians, as well as the vast majority of 905ers believe that it's their God-given right to drive everywhere.
It's the North American way of living, and from my point of view, it's surely not the best. Not only cities turn chaos, they loose quality of life. Countries like the Netherlands and Denmark use transportation with a different point of view. They're not poor countries, far from it, yet people prefer public transportation and bicicles to get around. These people and they're governments are aware of what they can win in investing on public transportation, in other words, they use they're inteligence. The Netherlands for instance I think has the best urban planning in the world. Cities and countries should share ideas, learn with each other, it's quite easy. Canada is perfect to develop in great form, the problem from what I see, is that this country doesn't function as a whole.
It's almost painful to see the sorry state of the old Vitrolite tiling in the St. Andrew photo. Now _those_ seem like they would have had more class than what replaced them - like, say, St. Andrew's slats. At least they kept them up at Eglinton.
OK...the project was announced 2 years ago...Museum Station looks completed (and great, I might add). Two years/station?!?!?? By the time all the Stations have been redone, it'll be time to do them again. Typical...
The stairs leading into/out of St. Patrick Station (south-east side of Dundas) floods so badly during rainy days that the TTC closes that entrance altogether. Ought to be a great week with all the rain in the forcast.
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