Mount Dennis station

Mount Dennis is an intermodal transit terminal under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located east of the intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Weston Road in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood in the district of York, the station will be the western terminus of the future Line 5 Eglinton as well as an intermediate station on the GO Transit Kitchener line and Union Pearson Express. The station has been designated as one of many "mobility hubs" in Greater Toronto.^[1] It is scheduled to open in 2024.^[2]

Mount Dennis
Mount Dennis station in June 2024
General information
Location	3500 Eglinton Ave W, Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1]
Coordinates	43°41′15″N 79°29′14″W
Tracks	2 (TTC) 4 (GO Transit)
Connections	TTC buses
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Under construction
Fare zone	4 (GO Transit)
History
Opening	2024 (0 years ago) (2024)[2]
Future services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station Terminus Line 5 Eglinton (opens 2024) Keelesdale towards Kennedy Jane towards Renforth Eglinton (west extension) (opens 2030) Preceding station GO Transit Following station Weston towards Kitchener Kitchener Bloor towards Union Station Preceding station Metrolinx Following station Weston toward Pearson Airport Union Pearson Express Bloor toward Union Station

The station is being built on the lands formerly known as Kodak Heights, which was a camera manufacturing facility operated by the Eastman Kodak Company from 1918 to 2006.^[3] The station will use Kodak Building 9, a heritage building and local landmark, as a station entrance. Adjacent to the station, the Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility is also located on the lands.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

Timeline

A draft prepared on April 10, 2013, established four designs for the station.^[8] In all the designs, the underground LRT platform was 150 metres (490 ft) long—long enough for four vehicle trainsets. Two designs placed the bus platform on the north side of Eglinton, accessed through a 230-metre (750 ft) pedestrian tunnel. In the other two designs, the bus platforms were on the south side of Eglinton, accessed through a 260-metre (850 ft) pedestrian tunnel.

By 2016, the finalized design placed the bus loop on the north side of the station, accessed by a relocated Photography Drive bridge that crosses Eglinton further to the east than the old bridge. This roadway would pass east of the renovated Kodak building, which would form the station's third entrance.

On the weekend of February 19 to 21, 2016, the Photography Drive bridge over Eglinton Avenue was demolished to make way for construction on the Mount Dennis station site.^[9]

In August 2016, the former Kodak building was temporarily moved 60 metres (200 ft) to facilitate construction. On November 13, 2017, the building was moved back to sit on a newly built foundation. The community wanted this landmark preserved; thus, it will become an integral part of Mount Dennis station.^[10][11]

By August 2018, some track had already been laid within the Line 5 portion of the station.^[12] By August 2019, track had been extended from the station platform eastwards past the junction with the Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility, but overhead wire for pantographs had not yet been hung; escalators and wall tiles were being installed; graffiti had been removed from the Kodak building and restoration work to its interior was in progress.^[13]

Secondary entrance to Mount Dennis station, June 2024

By the fourth quarter of 2020, light rail vehicles were making test runs between Mount Dennis and Keelesdale stations.^[14]

Description

In addition to being a landmark and a Heritage Interest Building, the former Kodak building will be a focal point for riders using the mobility hub, as many of the mobility hub's features are linked to this building. It will have a waiting area and public washrooms, and retail spaces on the main and basement levels.^[1] The upper floors of the building will be used for rented offices, to provide a space for community use,^[15] and will include an auditorium.^[16]

The station will have three entrances:^[1]

• The main entrance and a station plaza will be located between Weston Road and the GO Transit Kitchener rail corridor. There will be an underground passage from the main entrance to the former Kodak building.
• The secondary entrance will be located at street level on the north side of Eglinton Avenue West on the east side of the rail bridges for the Kitchener rail corridor.
• The third entrance and another station plaza will be at the former Kodak building.

The hub will encompass the following services:^[1][17]

• Line 5 Eglinton will terminate at Mount Dennis, and there will be special track work for reversing LRT trains. The LRT platform will have a glass wall allowing natural light into the space.
• GO Transit and UP Express station will have platforms constructed along the Kitchener rail corridor and be accessible from the underground connection between the main entrance and the waiting room in the former Kodak building.
• The off-street TTC bus terminal will have 15 bays and will be connected to the former Kodak building. The bus terminal will have its own space for retail.
• The passenger pick-up and drop-off area will be available to riders of any of the hub's transit services. There will also be four taxi stands nearby.
• Bicycle storage will include 40 outdoor and 80 indoor spaces. Indoor storage will be provided at the main entrance.

East of the station, the LRT line would travel on an elevated guideway above Black Creek Drive and Black Creek itself, before descending into the western portal of the line's bored tunnel, towards Keelesdale Station.^[17]

As part of a program to install artworks at major interchange stations along Line 5 Eglinton, Mount Dennis Station will feature two artworks:^[18]

• Up to This Moment, by Hadley + Maxwell, will be a video display of an image documenting changes to the Kodak Heights site. The image displayed will change daily. The artwork will be located on the east wall of the upper concourse; it will be visible from Eglinton Avenue through the south-side, glass wall of the station.
• An untitled work by Sara Cwynar will feature a brightly coloured, wall-sized mural consisting of a collage of photographic images, digitally printed on layered glass panels. The artwork will be located along a pedestrian corridor within the station.

Surface connections

Main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes

As of November 2023^[update], the following are the proposed connecting routes that would serve this station when Line 5 Eglinton opens:^[19]

Route	Name	Additional information
27	Jane South	Southbound to Jane station
32	Eglinton West	Westbound to Renforth station
34	Eglinton	Eastbound to Kennedy station
35A	Jane	Northbound to Pioneer Village station
35B		Northbound to Pioneer Village station via Hullmar Drive
71	Runnymede	Northbound to Industry Street and southbound to Runnymede station
73B	Royal York	Southbound to Royal York station via Emmett Avenue and La Rose Avenue
89	Weston	Northbound to Albion Road and southbound to Keele station
161	Rogers Road	Eastbound to Ossington station
164	Castlefield	Eastbound to Cedarvale station via Keelesdale station
168	Symington	Southbound to Dundas West station
171	Mount Dennis	Northbound to Industry Street and southbound to Jane Street and Alliance Avenue[20]
901	Airport–Eglinton Express	Westbound to Pearson Airport
989	Weston Express	Northbound to Steeles Avenue West and southbound to Keele station

References

1. "Mount Dennis Station + Maintenance and Storage Facility". Metrolinx. October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
2. Ranger, Michael (May 16, 2023). "Eglinton Crosstown won't open until 2024, construction group to take legal action: Metrolinx". CityNews. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
3. Armstrong, James (September 13, 2013). "Community wants to preserve Kodak building while Metrolinx plans LRT station". Toronto: Global News. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013.
4. Lorinc, John (November 23, 2012). "Down (but not out) Mount Dennis area pins hopes on Metrolinx". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
5. Gupta, Rahul (December 12, 2012). "Meeting to provide details on LRT station in Mount Dennis". York Guardian. Archived from the original on December 22, 2012. The Mount Dennis underground stop at Weston Road would serve as the line's western terminus point, said Metrolinx spokesperson Jamie Robinson on Friday, Dec. 7.
6. Bow, James (September 4, 2013). "Future Mount Dennis Station (Kitchener Line/Eglinton LRT)". Transit Toronto. Retrieved September 8, 2013. The connection was given new life with the launch of Eglinton LRT, operating from Jane Street east to Kennedy. A stop near Black Creek Drive would include a connection with the GO Kitchener line and a new stop on the Union Pearson Express.
7. Kalinowski, Tess (February 16, 2010). "Residents ask TTC for LRT tunnel through Mount Dennis". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
8. "background file" (PDF). City of Toronto. April 10, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
9. "Stretch of Eglinton Avenue West to close for weekend Crosstown LRT work". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 19, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
10. "Onetime Kodak building to move 60 metres for new LRT station". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. August 25, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
11. "Eglinton Crosstown LRT Update – November 2017". Metrolinx. November 23, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017. With the new foundation in place, November 13 marked the beginning for moving Kodak Building 9 back to its original location.
12. Mackenzie, Robert (August 30, 2018). "Previewing Mount Dennis LRT Station and Maintenance Facility". UrbanToronto. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
13. Mackenzie, Robert (August 2, 2019). "Hard-Hat Touring Mount Dennis Station on the Crosstown LRT". UrbanToronto. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
14. "Exploring the route – Take a rare ride aboard an Eglinton Crosstown vehicle during testing (video)". Metrolinx. July 20, 2021. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
15. Spurr, Ben (August 29, 2018). "Eglinton Crosstown taking shape, despite legal tussle". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
16. "Hardwood floors for Kodak Building as escalator delivered far below Cedarvale for Crosstown project". Metrolinx. July 20, 2021. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
17. "Mount Dennis Station Open House". Metrolinx. May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
18. "Artists and Artworks". Metrolinx. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
19. "2024 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. November 17, 2023. p. 106.
20. "TTC 5-Year Plan". Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2019.

External links

The following videos were released by the Crosstown project:

• Eglinton Crosstown – Kodak Building Move on YouTube published on November 17, 2017
• Eglinton Crosstown Flyover – Mount Dennis and EMSF on YouTube Published on June 19, 2018.
• Integrated Art – Hadley+Maxwell on YouTube published on January 25, 2018
• Integrated Art – Sara Cwynar on YouTube published on January 26, 2018
• Mount Dennis Station Walk Through on YouTube published on August 10, 2018, giving a virtual tour of the station