What’s going on subway surfers, we’re back on the surface today taking a look around
the future Finch West Maintenance and Storage Facility. Located in North York near the intersection
of Finch Avenue West and Norfinch Drive, this facility will be the base of operations for
the Finch West LRT. We visited the site this past week to check in on the construction,
and get an understanding of the scope of this project. I’m Zach with Vanishing Underground,
and let’s take a look.
The Finch West Maintenance and Storage Facility
is located roughly 16 kilometres northwest of downtown Toronto. On the north
side of Finch Avenue, between York Gate Blvd and Norfinch Dr, this will be the second
light rail storage facility in the city, after the Mount Dennis facility on the Eglinton
Crosstown. The 10,000 square metre facility will contain storage for 26 light rail vehicles,
which will run on the Finch West LRT between Humber College and Finch West Station. Outdoor
tracks and overhead catenary wires are in the process of being installed on the north
side of the property, which will be surrounded by a noise barrier on three sides. The building
includes a train wash facility, storage building, administration office and a general area for
vehicle repairs. Outside, a 122 space parking lot will be constructed, as well as LRT tracks
linking out onto York Gate Blvd on the east side of the site. The buildings will also be designed
to meet a LEED Silver certification standard, with a green roof and stormwater management
pond on site. An electrical substation will also be located at the west end,
providing overhead power to the route.
Once open in 2023, the Finch West LRT will provide 11 kilometres of light rail across
the north-west corner of Toronto. Running from Finch West Station in the east to Humber
College in the west, the line will run every 5 minutes in peak, and every 7-10 minutes
at other times of the day. The route contains 18 stops, only two of which will be below
grade. Between the Jane and Finch and Norfinch Oakdale stops, a turnoff track from Finch
Avenue West will travel north onto York Gate Blvd. This will provide access into the maintenance
and storage facility for trains entering and leaving service, with special transit signals
at the intersection controlling these movements. The facility itself is set back from Finch,
allowing for future community development along the corridor. A community hub and centre
for the arts has been proposed to be located on this property, which would begin construction
after the completion of the LRT in 2023.
Thanks for watching! We hope you enjoyed this
video, and learned something new about the future Finch West Maintenance and Storage
Facility. With construction progressing well, we look forward to the LRT being opened in
2023. Feel free to leave a like and a comment if you want to see more, and as for us here,
we’ll be Vanishing Underground, until the next one.