Platforms side platforms Bicycle facilities bike racks Opened 25 February 1966 Platform Side platform | Structure type underground Disabled access No Province Ontario Tracks 2 | |
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Location 22 Chester Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
Canada Connections TTC buses
300 Bloor - Danforth Address Toronto, ON M4K 2Z9, Canada Similar Pape, Broadview, Donlands, Castle Frank, Greenwood | ||
Chester is a subway station on the Bloor–Danforth line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station is located on Chester Avenue just north of Danforth Avenue. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.
Contents
It opened in 1966 as one of the original stations of this subway line. The Toronto Parking Authority operates a public parking lot across Chester Avenue opposite the subway entrance.
History
Chester station was opened on February 25, 1966, along with the rest of the first phase of the Bloor-Danforth line which operated between Keele and Woodbine stations.
Following the design style set by the stations of the Bloor-Danforth line, Chester station uses a two colour theme with the station's name in the Toronto Subway Font. In keeping with the style, Chester's colours match the 'opposing' stations on the western half of the subway line: the trim tiles are blue and complement Lansdowne station, while the light green main tiles complement the original tile colour for Dufferin station.
Facilities
Chester station has one entrance which is located on Chester Avenue just north of Danforth Avenue. A walkway leads to the station from a nearby street to allow access to the station from the west side. The nearby communities that are served by this station are Greektown, Withrow Park, Riverdale, and Broadview North. In addition to serving these communities, Chester station is commonly used to access local street festivals such as the Taste of the Danforth.
Although the station is rated as high priority in the requirement for a second exit, Chester is the only one left on the east end of the Bloor-Danforth line where design work and consultation has yet to be done.
The Gateway Newsstand kiosk at the station, which had been vacant for over six years, was reopened on May 8, 2015 as "The Artist Newsstand" by a group of local artists led by Jess Dobkin. Along with the usual offerings of newspapers, magazines and drinks, The Artist Newsstand is a performance and gallery space for artists as well as being staffed by artists, as a way of funding their work. A $4000 Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund the renovation of the kiosk, with the campaign successfully raising $4,931. The Artist Newsstand will operate in the space for one year.
Service
Chester station is served by the Bloor-Danforth line which operates between Kennedy and Kipling stations. The station was designed to be serviced with side platforms as it mainly serves the surrounding neighbourhood. As it is the only station in the system that is not connected to a regular bus or streetcar route it is one of the least used subway stations in Toronto. The 300 Bloor-Danforth Night Bus operates on Danforth from 1:30-5:30 a.m. after the line is shut down for nightly maintenance.