Danforth GO Station

Danforth GO Station is a railway station^[2] on GO Transit's Lakeshore East line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station is situated in the east end of Old Toronto, south west of the intersection of Main Street and Danforth Avenue. The station is a short walk from Main Street station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway.

Danforth
General information
Location	213 Main Street Toronto, Ontario Canada
Coordinates	43°41′12″N 79°17′57″W
Owned by	Metrolinx
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	3
Connections	Main Street  506  TTC buses
Construction
Bicycle facilities	Racks
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	GO Transit: DA
Fare zone	06
History
Opened	1883
Rebuilt	2001
Passengers
2018	291,000[1]
Services
Preceding station GO Transit Following station Union Station Terminus Lakeshore East Scarborough towards Oshawa
Former services Preceding station Canadian National Railway Following station Toronto toward Sarnia Grand Trunk Railway Main Line Scarboro toward Montreal Riverdale Closed 1932 toward Sarnia Toronto Terminus Toronto – Belleville via Peterboro Scarboro toward Belleville Toronto – Port Hope via Peterboro Scarboro toward Port Hope

History

Because of a lack of available land to expand their existing downtown yard, the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) decided to build a new freight yard on farmland south of Danforth Avenue where the line to Montreal crossed Dawes Road, which had to be closed and traffic diverted to a new street called Main. The yard had a capacity of 420 cars and could store 31 locomotives in a roundhouse with adjacent repair shops.

Danforth station in 1953

The York Railway Station was built on the north side of the tracks just east of Main Street around 1883. The GTR became part of Canadian National Railway in 1923, and by the 1940s the north yard was no longer used for freight and the roundhouse was demolished. The 11 freight storage tracks to the south of the station persisted until the late 1990s.^[3] Under Canadian National the station became Danforth Railway Station.^[4] The original GTR station building was demolished in 1974.^[3]

GO Transit built a ticket booth situated north of the tracks and roughly halfway between track level and the top of the Main Street Bridge.^[5][6] Wooden stairs provided access from both sides of the top of the Main Street Bridge, with a wooden walkway under the bridge providing access to the west side of the street. Transit stops at the top of the bridge connected Danforth Station with the TTC. Wooden stairs and walkway between the Main Street bridge and the railway signal masts connected the ticket booth to the eastbound platform. GO Transit removed the ticket booth shortly after improving accessibility to the station with a wheelchair accessible walkway and erecting a new station building with bathrooms, an indoor waiting area, elevators, and a pedestrian underpass between 2000 and 2001.^[7][8] The TTC removed the stops when GO Transit removed the stairways on either side of the bridge.^[9] The pedestrian underpass was further expanded to run underneath a third track installed between 2005 and 2008 to connect the station with residential areas that are to south of the station.^[10]

Main-Danforth has been identified by Metrolinx as a transportation mobility hub as it is located at the interchange of two or more current or planned regional rapid transit lines.^[11]

Connecting transit

Although the 506 Carlton streetcar, 64 Main and 135 Gerrard bus routes pass on Main Street, there are no stops immediately beside the GO Station. Similarly Main Street subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth is over 300 metres away, to the north of Danforth Avenue.

References

1. "Drivers of Ridership and Revenue" (PDF). Metrolinx. 2019-02-07. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
2. "Danforth GO Station Information". GO Transit. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
3. "Toronto East". All Aboard Toronto – Railways and the Growth of a City. Toronto Public Library. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014.
4. "York Railway Station negative". Toronto Public Library. 1953. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
5. David Wilson (May 11, 1968). "19680511 33 Go Transit @ Danforth Station". Flickr. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
6. RG Burnett. "Photograph of Danforth Station, circa 2001?". TrainWeb.org. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
7. "Toronto: [Ontario Edition]". Toronto Star. No. Ontario Edition. Torstar Syndication Services, a Division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 13 September 2000. pp. B04.
8. "Locations with ongoing construction projects or other special notes". GO Transit. 17 July 2001. Archived from the original on 2001-07-17. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
9. "GO Train/Toronto Subway Connections Current and Proposed". Transit Toronto. December 28, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
10. "GO Transit wraps up Lakeshore expansion job". Daily Commercial News. August 28, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
11. "Main-Danforth Mobility Hub Profile" (PDF). Metrolinx. September 19, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2013.

External links

• Media related to Danforth GO Station at Wikimedia Commons
• GO Transit station page for Danforth GO Station