Dufferin Subway Station's long anticipated renovations and expansion opened yesterday, after a weekend-long closure to put the finishing touches on the station. Designed by the TTC's Engineering Department, the $30 million dollar upgrade features new public art, renovated interiors, an indoor waiting area for the southbound bus—replacing what was previously a cold wait on the sidewalk—and new second exits. The station is now accessible as well, with new elevators from street level to the concourse, and from there to the platforms, as well as a new accessible fare gate and automatic sliding entry doors.

Dufferin Station from above, Image courtesy of the TTC.

The station features some new, environmentally friendly features such as a green roof, seen above. Other green features include reduced storm water runoff and low energy LED lighting.

Changes made to Dufferin station, Image courtesy of the TTC

New features to improve the TTC customers experience include 2 new second exits on the western side of the station, new bike parking, and a renovated station providing a cleaner experience. The station came under criticism when construction, which began in 2009, went beyond its initial construction timeline of 2.5 years. While it ultimately took nearly twice that time to complete, the work is finally complete.

Dufferin Bus picks up passengers outside of the new heated waiting area, image by Craig White

The new second exits increase safety for the station as well, allowing for faster evacuations in the cases of emergencies. The two new exits open onto the corner of Bloor Street and Russett Avenue, further west than the main entrance. The existing entrance has been vastly expanded from its original small entry location to a large, high ceilinged and light filled entrance area with walls covered in the brightly coloured tiles from the projects public art component. It also has a new entrance door facing a laneway connecting to Russett Avenue.

Rear entrance to station, image by Craig White

The new public art by Eduardo Aquino & Karen Shanski of spmb features photos of daily life from the surrounding neighbourhood, pixelated to the point that they are unrecognizable, offering only a passing resemblance. The tiling is inlaid with metallic tiles which feature key aspects of the area, the city, and its identity.

Interior of new entrance, image by Craig White For a full set of images of the station, including several close-ups of spmb's artwork 'Something Happens Here', see our thread for this project. What do you think of the expansion? If you want to add you opinion on the expansion, feel free to add a comment in the space provided below or in our forum thread linked through our dataBase page, also below.