Ontario Breaks Ground on Toronto’s Pape Subway Interchange

Artist's rendering of the future Ontario Line Pape Station entrance on the north side of Danforth Ave., east of Pape Ave., in Toronto. Image Courtesy: HDR Inc.

Construction has officially started at Toronto’s Pape Station, a new subway interchange that will connect the Ontario Line with the Bloor-Danforth line.

The interchange is expected to bring faster transit through the GTA, relieving gridlock on roads and the current transit network, said the Ontario government.

“The Ontario Line Pape Station will be a critical interchange for commuters by cutting some travel times by more than half and helping reduce gridlock for drivers across the city,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a July 16 news release.

Tens of thousands of daily commuters are expected to use the new station, making an anticipated 9,000 transfers in the morning rush hour. Adding the station is expected to reduce crowding on the Yonge-University line by 15 percent and the Bloor-Danforth line by 20 percent. The Ontario Line is expected to reduce daily car trips by 28,000, the government said.

Work was started on July 16 to build the foundations required for excavations, the release said.

The 15.6 kilometre Ontario line will have 15 stations when it’s complete and run from Exhibition Place through downtown and connect to Eglinton Crosstown LRT, the government said.

Transit users will be able to access 40 connections to other subway, bus, streetcars, and regional train services.

“This new north-south interchange station on the Line 2 subway will reduce crowding at the busy Bloor-Yonge Station by up to 22 per cent during rush hour, which will make it easier for more people to take transit,” said Phil Verster, president and CEO of Metrolinx, in a press release. Metrolinx is the provincial agency overseeing transit in Greater Toronto.

A trip from Pape and Danforth to Queen and University is expected to drop from 25 minutes to 12 minutes when the Ontario Line is complete, the government said.

The province is spending nearly $70 billion on public transit projects over the next 10 years, the release said, including the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, and the Yonge North Subway Extension.

Construction Disruptions

As work on Pape Station continues into the fall, the TTC says riders can anticipate some changes to services, including the closing of the bus terminal. While the station will still be open, subway service could be disrupted for work on the tunnel. The TTC said it will notify customers in advance of any disruptions.