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TTC subway stations are not always located in the most scenic parts of Toronto, and in fact Kipling station at the west end of the Bloor-Danforth line is located in one of the most challenging of all TTC locations for a photographer to make attractive subject out of it. Sandwiched between railway tracks that border a huge electrical substantial and a brownfield industrial/commercial area, one has to remind oneself that the location was chosen for practical purposes and none others.
The area to the south side of the Six Points interchange where Kipling station is located, however, is on the cusp of major redevelopment. Plans call for a dismantling of the interchange so that surface streets and stop lights will lead to an area more conducive to pedestrians, and to new buildings that may give Etobicoke an actual town centre some day. Initial phases include a new courthouse and a new YMCA recreation centre east of Kipling, while west of Kipling (and immediately north of the subway station), Tridel has been redeveloping a brownfield site into condominium towers over the last half dozen years now at their 5-phase Essex project. Kipling station itself is undergoing the first of two enhancements meant to bring it in line with the plans for the area. Soon to come will be a new Mississauga Transit terminal replacing some of the parking at the west end of the site. The new terminal will take frequent bus traffic off of Dundas, Islington, and Bloor east of Kipling, improving transit times for Mississauga riders, and improving road conditions in Etobicoke's emerging centre. Already underway at Kipling however, is a new automatic (unattended) east entrance. The entrance will allow easy access to the subway and buses for residents of Tridel's Essex buildings, and for people going to and from the future Etobicoke city centre projects. The new entrance is set to open in the fall, but a recent trip to the site shows over half of the work is substantially complete already. The new entrance is located under the Kipling Avenue bridge:
A long wheelchair accessible ramp will convey riders to the TTC bus terminal, and subway station below:
The ramp culminates in a bridge to make the connection to the station. Note the portal for a third track under the station, never laid, below the bridge.
These shots show the station in context with Tridel's Essex project to the immediate north of the site:
| Related Companies: | Graziani + Corazza Architects, o2 Planning and Design, Snaile Inc., Tridel |
