Here's what Toronto's next subway stations will look like

Metrolinx has revealed more details about the look of Toronto's next three subway stations, all currently under construction for the Scarborough Subway Extension.

The almost eight–kilometre extension of the TTC's Line 2 subway will carve deep into Scarborough with three new stations at Sheppard and McCowan, Scarborough Centre, and Lawrence and McCowan.

But with construction well underway, few details have been shared about the design of these stations, and much of the station interiors remained a mystery until new documents released this week offered a closer look at what's to come.

Sheppard and McCowan Station

The busiest stop of the extension is expected to serve over 13,000 passengers at peak hour by 2041 (including more than 12,000 transfers) and will feature three buildings, including a main station entrance, a traction power substation, and a bus terminal.

 

Metrolinx has released a conceptual rendering of the Sheppard and McCowan Station concourse, showing off a raw concrete neo-Brutalist aesthetic.

Scarborough Centre Station

Scarborough Centre Station at McCowan Road and Progress Avenue will consist of a main station entrance building flanked by a bus terminal and a traction power substation. 

Expected to support over 10,000 passengers, including 7,340 transfers during the busiest hour of the day, the station will provide a major improvement in travel times for students and faculty and Centennial College's Progress Campus and UTSC.

Lawrence and McCowan Station

Lawrence and McCowan Station will include a station entrance and bus terminal in one building at the corner of the namesake intersection, opposite a secondary entrance. 

While not expected to be as busy as the other two stations on the extension, Lawrence and McCowan is still expected to serve approximately 5,300 customers at peak hour and improve commutes to and from Scarborough General.

Of note in the most recent rendering of the station exterior, while labelled as Lawrence and McCowan Station, signage in the renderings shows the stop named "Lawrence East" — a former Scarborough RT station name that is technically now up for grabs.

How will station platform levels look?

Previous renderings of the extension have indeed offered a preview of the stations' platform levels, and new information is now emerging about feature walls that will differentiate the three platforms for riders on board trains.

Metrolinx documents explain how "The new stations along the Scarborough Subway Extension will have feature walls along the platforms, each with a unique visual identity using colours, motifs and patterns," adding that "feature walls are being designed to allow for a range of colours and patterns that complement surrounding materials, while also considering modularity, durability and maintenance.

Factoring in public responses from a 2024 online consultation, Metrolinx developed two themes for the feature walls, each with its own unique trio of colours to represent the stations on the extension.

The first theme, "Bustling Scarborough Surrounded by Nature," leans into the area's mix of urban built form and pastoral parks. The second theme, "Vibrant and Diverse Scarborough," bases its design on the area's cultural diversity.

From these two themes, a pair of tiling concept patterns were developed, drawing inspiration from topography and geology.

Renderings using these themes offer a possible idea of what awaits riders of the extension a few years down the road.

The Scarborough Subway Extension is projected to open in 2030.