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Sheppard West
Location	1035 Sheppard Avenue West Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates	43°44′58″N 79°27′43″W / 43.74944°N 79.46194°W / 43.74944; -79.46194Coordinates: 43°44′58″N 79°27′43″W / 43.74944°N 79.46194°W / 43.74944; -79.46194
Platforms	Centre platform
Tracks	2
Connections	TTC buses  84  Sheppard West  101  Downsview Park  104  Faywood  105  Dufferin North  106  Sentinel  107  St. Regis  108  Driftwood  117  Alness–Chesswood  329   Dufferin  384   Sheppard West  984  Sheppard West Express YRT  105  Dufferin
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Parking	641 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Architect	Adamson Associates Architects Stevens Group Architects
History
Opened	March 30, 1996 (1996-03-30)
Previous names	Downsview (1996–2017)
Traffic
Passengers (2018[1])	41,600
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station Downsview Park toward Vaughan Yonge–University Wilson toward Finch

Sheppard West (formerly Downsview) is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station, which is located at the southeast corner of Sheppard Avenue West–Allen Road intersection, opened in 1996 in what was then the City of North York, and the large commuter parking lot, accessible via Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue, opened in July 2005. It was the northern terminus of the western branch of the line until the opening of the six stations of the Toronto–York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE). On May 7, 2017, the station's name was changed from Downsview to Sheppard West in preparation for the opening of the TYSSE, and to avoid naming conflicts with the new Downsview Park station, both of which opened on December 17, 2017.

When this station opened, it was among the first accessible stations of the Toronto subway system, and the first to be purpose-built as such.^[2] The station also features Wi-Fi service.^[3]

History

Sheppard West station (then named Downsview) was opened in 1996 as a one-stop "Spadina line" (as the northern section of the University branch of Line 1 was then called) extension north from Wilson station. The reason for such a short extension was that the provincial government was offering funds for subway expansion as part of the Network 2011 plan, but was debating whether the extension should form a link between the Spadina line and a future phase of the proposed Sheppard Line (which was only approved with a western terminus at the-then Sheppard station on the Yonge line),^[4] or continue further north, either to York University or as part of a loop to join the Spadina and Yonge line branches along the hydro corridor north of Finch Avenue.^[5] As an eventual Spadina line extension was later contemplated in any case, the short extension was built with the station constructed on a north–south alignment which favoured a further northward extension.^[6]

Downsview was the northwestern terminus of the Yonge–University line for nearly twenty-two years and a major hub for TTC and Viva bus service, but with the extension to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre in 2017, it was renamed Sheppard West and became a through station, with a number of bus routes rerouted to terminate at stations further north.^[7]

Construction of an access track to Wilson Yard branching off the mainline south of station began in 2009 but was mothballed after a tunnel was completed in 2010. Track was not laid and the tunnel was sealed off with hoarding.^[8] However, the tunnel was opened in 2018, after completion of an ongoing expansion project to expand the Wilson Yard.^[9]

Name

The name of the station was officially changed from Downsview to Sheppard West on May 7, 2017, in anticipation of the opening of the TYSSE to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, to avoid naming conflicts with the new Downsview Park station.^[10][11][12] The new name was proposed in 2010 and was approved on September 28, 2012.^[11][13]

The name change cost $800,000, most of which was to cover the cost to reconfigure the Toronto Rocket subway train fleet's automated next station announcement system along with its destination signs, which included this station's renaming and six new stations for the extension. $150,000 was to update signs and maps on TTC vehicles and properties.^[14]

When it was named Downsview, the station was the only one in the subway system where the station name was displayed using mixed-case lettering on the platform walls. However, the new Sheppard West name is rendered in all-caps lettering using the traditional Toronto Subway typeface on placards placed on top of the former name. A smaller type appears underneath the new station name, which reads "formerly Downsview", to ease with the transition.

Originally, Downsview Park station was to be called Sheppard West and it carried this name while under construction. This TYSSE station was located close to the entrance to Downsview Park. On the other hand, the existing Downsview station was better identified as being on Sheppard Avenue, and was further away from the entrance to the park. Thus, the TTC proposed partially swapping the names of the two stations to avoid confusion, with the new station being designated "Downsview Park" and the former Downsview station being renamed "Sheppard West".^[10]

The original station name of "Downsview" was chosen because the TTC felt at the time that a more neutral name was needed in case the station became an eventual interchange with the then-proposed Sheppard Line, which was originally intended to run west of Yonge to connect with the western University–Spadina branch of Line 1 at this station. "Downsview" was chosen as a result of a public naming contest.^[15]

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Fare collection

From the station's opening in 1996 until 2017, the station had a fare collector booth where passengers could purchase TTC fare media such as tickets, tokens and Metropasses. Due to the system-wide introduction of the Presto card, the TTC replaced the fare booth collector with roaming customer service agents on December 17, 2017, concurrent with the Line 1 subway extension to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. While riders are no longer able to purchase traditional fare media at this station, such media is accepted for payment.^[16]

Architecture and art

The station was designed by Adamson Associates Architects (above grade buildings and mezzanine) and The Stevens Group Architects (below grade).^[17] The subway platform lacks pillars and the ceiling is high and curved, evoking an aircraft hangar. High ceilings, skylights and an exceptionally large mezzanine make the station feel open and airy. Natural light reaches all areas of the station including the subway platform.

The station features two pieces of artwork. Sliding Pi is a large scale wall mosaic by Calgary artist Arlene Stamp. It can be viewed when traveling between the bus platform and the mezzanine level. Boney Bus by John McKinnon is located in front of the station and consists of an abstract bus shape made from aluminum beams with basalt "wheels".

Nearby landmarks

Nearby landmarks include Downsview Park, which was the site of the World Youth Day Papal Visit in 2002 and the SARSstock concert in 2003. It is the site of an airstrip used as a military base (CFB Toronto), and by an aircraft manufacturer (DeHavilland), separating the station area from the original village of Downsview. William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute lies to the northeast in the Bathurst Manor neighbourhood.

Subway infrastructure in the vicinity

The subway platform is located underground east of Allen Road. There is a complex crossover just south of the station, which incorporates the switch to a single track which branches off to the west in a tunnel to access the Wilson Yard. The line continues underground for 750 metres (2,460 ft) to cross to the west side of the road; after exiting at the Clanton Park Portal the line runs on the surface past the Wilson Yard, and passes the original north access track to it. South of this point, the line partially uses what were originally the non-revenue yard access tracks north of Wilson, the previous terminal station. North of the station, the line turns sharply northwest to cross under Allen Road again, where it leaves its alignment and heads via a compound curve toward Downsview Park station.

Surface connections

Toronto Transit Commission routes

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route	Name	Additional Information
84A/C/D	Sheppard West	Eastbound to Sheppard–Yonge station
84A		Westbound to Weston Road
84C		Westbound to Steeles Avenue West via Arrow Road (Rush hour service)
84D		Westbound to Pioneer Village station via Oakdale Road (Rush hour service)
101	Downsview Park	Westbound to Downsview Park
104	Faywood	Southbound to Wilson station
105A	Dufferin North	Northbound to Steeles Avenue West
106	Sentinel	Westbound to Pioneer Village station
107	St. Regis	Northbound to Pioneer Village station via Petrolia Road
108A	Driftwood	Westbound to Pioneer Village station via Grandravine Drive
108B		Westbound to Pioneer Village station via Arleta Avenue
117	Alness–Chesswood	Northbound to Steeles Avenue West (Weekday service)
984A/B	Sheppard West Express	Eastbound to Sheppard–Yonge station
984A		Westbound to Weston Road (Rush hour service)
329	Dufferin	Blue Night service; Northbound to Steeles Avenue West and southbound to Exhibition Loop. (Overnight service stops on Allen Road and does not enter the station.)
384	Sheppard West	Blue Night service; Westbound to Weston Road and eastbound to Sheppard–Yonge station. (Overnight service stops on Sheppard Avenue West and does not enter the station.)

York Region Transit route

One York Region Transit route also serves the station. Disembarking is done on-street outside the station as there are no free transfers between YRT and TTC.

Route	Name	Additional Information
105	Dufferin	Northbound to Major Mackenzie Drive / Rutherford Road

Proposed Line 4 extension

The original plans for Line 4 Sheppard called for it to terminate at (then) Downsview station and connect there with Line 1, but during construction in the late 1990s, the extension of Line 4 was halted after the first phase due to funding issues. Plans to extend Line 4 are currently inactive, but some local politicians (such as former Toronto mayor Rob Ford) have tried to revive the Line 4 expansion.^[18][19]

References

External links

Media related to Sheppard West (TTC) at Wikimedia Commons

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  Sheppard West station at the Toronto Transit Commission
  


• Official page on the Spadina subway extension


• Art on the TTC