Weston GO Station

Weston

Construction on the new station
Location 1865 Weston Road[1]
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates 43°42′02″N 79°30′50″W / 43.70056°N 79.51389°W / 43.70056; -79.51389Coordinates: 43°42′02″N 79°30′50″W / 43.70056°N 79.51389°W / 43.70056; -79.51389
Owned by Metrolinx
Platforms 1 side and 1 island platform
Tracks 3
Connections TTC buses
Construction
Parking 144 (+110 owned by City of Toronto)
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code GO Transit: WSGO
Fare zone 04
History
Opened 1974
Rebuilt 2015
Services
Preceding station   GO Transit   Following station
toward Kitchener
Kitchener
Union Pearson Express
Terminus
UP Express

Weston GO Station is a GO Transit and Union Pearson Express train station[1] on the Kitchener line in Toronto, Canada. It is located on the south side of Lawrence Avenue West, just east of Weston Road,[1] in the neighbourhood of Weston. Two set of platforms have been built; UP Express trains stop at high-level platforms separate from the low-level GO Transit platforms.

The station is fully accessible with pedestrian entrances from Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue. A pedestrian bridge that crosses Lawrence just east of Weston Road allows access to the station. The parking lot in front of the station is accessed from Weston Road and has a capacity of 144 cars. It includes a kiss and ride passenger drop off area.[2] There is an additional 110-space parking lot north of John Street, which is owned by the City of Toronto but leased by GO Transit.[1]

History

Early stations

The first stations at this location were the Weston Stations of the Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The CNR station was built in 1856 by the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR)[3][4] which was absorbed by the CNR in 1923. The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TG&BR) went into service in 1871 on narrow gauge rail, which had been converted to standard gauge track by 1883, and became part of the CPR in 1884.[5]

A Tim Hortons store on the south side of Lawrence Avenue West, east of the tracks, pays homage to the old station with a replica "Weston" station sign on the roof.

First GO Station

The first Weston GO Station opened in 1974 and stretched north from Lawrence Avenue to John Street. A staircase lead to an entrance facing Lawrence Avenue West west of the railway overpass. The station was demolished along with the entrance for the new GO/Union Pearson Express station located on the south side.

Current GO Station

A new Weston GO station was opened on July 23, 2013 on the south side of Lawrence Avenue. The station was built as a part of the Georgetown South railway improvement project, which included eliminating all level crossings of the Kitchener Line in the City of Toronto. The original GO station on the north side of Lawrence Avenue was demolished in order to construct a ramp into the new tunnel under the Weston area.[2] A steel arch pedestrian bridge is located to the west of the railway overpass to allow passengers to exit the new station to the north side of Lawrence Avenue.

Connections

There are no bus stops beside the station, but a short distance west at the intersection of Lawrence Avenue West and Weston Road, connections can be made to Toronto Transit Commission bus routes 52 Lawrence West, 79 Scarlett Road, and 89 Weston.

Recent history

A plan for an airport rail link service to Pearson International Airport, Blue22, did not include a stop at Weston station, which was publicly opposed in 2005 by local residents who claimed that their neighbourhood would be split due to the new rail line that would have been built through their area.[6] With the takeover of the project by Metrolinx, Weston became a stop on the Union Pearson Express on June 6, 2015.[7]

Improvements to the station also included heated shelters, canopies, enclosed entrances, ticket areas, space for future retailers, washrooms and a new pedestrian bridge over Lawrence Ave. The station has also received 220 new parking spaces.[8]

UPX president Kathy Haley said that 10 per cent of UPX riders are expected to board at Weston GO Station.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Weston GO Station". Stations and stops. GO Transit. Retrieved October 2014. 110 parking spaces - leased from the City of Toronto
  2. 1 2 Daniel Garcia and Sean Marshall. "GO Transit's Kitchener Line". Transit Toronto. Retrieved October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Historical Background and Heritage Conservation District Statement" (PDF). Weston Heritage Conservation District Plan. City of Toronto. Retrieved October 2014. The coming of the Grand Trunk Railroad (now the CN) in 1856 and the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (now the CP) provided a tremendous economic stimulus to the village of Weston
  4. ↑ Paul J. Mc Grath (August 2007). "The Lost Village of Weston". OntarioRoots.com. Retrieved April 2015. In 1856 the Grand Trunk Railway ran their major north-west line just east of, and almost parallel to, Weston Road. Fortunately for the village, the railway included a stop at Weston, providing an economic boom to the town.
  5. ↑ "Existing Conditions And Impact Assessment Report" (PDF). Transit Project Assessment Process: Georgetown South Service Expansion and Union-Pearson Rail Link. GO Transit. July 2009. Retrieved October 2014.
  6. ↑ Bow, James. "The Union-Pearson Express". Transit Toronto. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Airport link plan tackles fears in Weston area, premier says" By Tess Kalinowski & Rob Benzie, Toronto Star. January 22, 2009
  8. 1 2 Tess Kalinowski (2015-05-22). "Union Pearson Express riders at Bloor face two-year wait for tunnel to TTC". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2015-05-22.

External links

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