York University GO Station
York University | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 595-A Canarctic Drive Toronto, Ontario M3J 2P9 | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°46′43.8″N 79°29′00.4″W / 43.778833°N 79.483444°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Metrolinx | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Connections | York University shuttle | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Shelter on platform | ||||||||||
| Parking | None | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Station code | GO Transit: YO | ||||||||||
| Fare zone | 19 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | September 6, 2002 | ||||||||||
| Closed | March 17, 2020 (last train) July 19, 2021 (announcement)[1] | ||||||||||
| Key dates | |||||||||||
| Demolished | April 2022 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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York University GO Station was a train station on GO Transit's Barrie line in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Despite its name, the station was located 1.6 km (1 mi) away from York University's Keele Campus in a predominantly industrial area. To facilitate access to the campus, the university operated a private shuttle bus service.
The station only operated on weekdays, serving southbound trains during the morning peak period and northbound trains during the afternoon peak period. Its replacement, Downsview Park station, now offers a connection from midday, evening, weekend, and holiday GO trains to the university at all times via a two-stop trip on the Toronto Transit Commission's Line 1 subway.[2] The station closed in 2021.[3]
History
York University GO Station officially opened on September 6, 2002, the result of an $850,000 provincial investment.[4] It featured a single platform on the west track, equipped with passenger shelters and a ticket vending machine.
Downsview Park station was initially conceived as a full replacement for York University GO Station, given its direct link to the Keele Campus via the Toronto–York Spadina Subway Extension.[5] However, opposition from university members and a local councillor prevented York University GO Station's immediate closure.[6] Instead, a compromise kept the station operational, albeit in a limited capacity, when Downsview Park station began serving GO trains on December 30, 2017.[2] With most trains bypassing the station, daily ridership plummeted to a mere 105 passengers by 2018. The majority of commuters instead opted for the new York University and Pioneer Village subway stations to access the campus.[3]
On March 18, 2020, York University GO Station was temporarily closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of most campus operations.[7][8][1] By October of that year, the station had been removed from schedules and the GO Transit website, and by February 2021, it no longer appeared on GO Transit's system map.[9] On July 19, 2021, Metrolinx announced the permanent closure of York University GO Station, with demolition scheduled to make way for expanded Barrie line tracks.[3] The station was demolished in April 2022.
Services
From January 2018 to March 2020, weekday service consisted of eight southbound morning trains to Union Station, seven northbound afternoon trains to Allandale Waterfront GO Station, and one northbound evening train to Bradford GO Station. With the opening of Downsview Park station in December 2017, weekend service to this station was discontinued.[2]
The station had no public transit links. Its only bus connection was York University's private shuttle, which was only available to students and staff.[10] These shuttles, which ranged from full-sized transit buses to smaller vans, ferried passengers between the Keele Campus, off-campus housing, and the GO platform.[11]
References
- ^ a b "GO Train Shuttle Service". York University. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Barrie Line - table 65" (PDF). GO Transit. January 5, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ a b c "York University GO Station closes to make way for Barrie Line expansion". Metrolinx. July 19, 2021. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "Eves government opens new GO Transit station at York University". Ontario Ministry of Transportation. 2002. Archived from the original on December 30, 2005. Retrieved June 9, 2006.
- ^ "GO Transit Rail Improvements Benefits Case Analysis (BCA)" (PDF). May 19, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
- ^ Fox, Chris (August 29, 2017). "Councillor asks Metrolinx to revisit planned closure of York U. GO Station". CP24. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- ^ GO Transit [@GOtransit] (March 15, 2020). "Hi Brandon, The trains will not be stopping at York University GO. ^BM" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Train Schedule Changes". GO Transit. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ "GO Transit System Map" (PDF). GO Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "GO Train Shuttle Service". York University. December 17, 2017. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ "York University Shuttle - CPTDB Wiki".
External links
- Media related to York University GO Station at Wikimedia Commons
- GO Transit station page for York University GO Station