Dupont (TTC)

Dupont is an underground subway station in Toronto. It lies on the Yonge- University - Spadina line of the Toronto Subway, at the corner of Spadina Road and Dupont Street. The station has side platforms, is used daily by an average of 16,870 passengers (2009 /10). In the vicinity are the Casa Loma and Spadina House. It offers connecting flights to two bus lines. Near the station in 1995, the hitherto most serious accident occurred on the Subwaynetz.

Architecture and Art

For the design of the station, the architectural firm Dunlop, Farrow & Aitkin was responsible. The two inputs to the Dupont Street and Spadina Road present itself as glass "bubbles" that are surrounded by an orange latticework of metal. Similar to that appearance, the sculptor Ron Baird created round, interlocking doors which provide access to the hidden sub-station and give the impression of monumental portals.

The interior of the station stands out from all others from the use of round surfaces and shapes. The walls are covered with orange tiles. The benches on the platforms are also unique, both through their roundness, on the other hand, by using the same tiles as on the walls. Overall, the forms and the colors give the impression of a natural cave. Using thousands of small pieces of glass James Sutherland created directly on the tiles two large colorful flower mosaics called Spadina Summer Under All Seasons, which are inspired by the botanical illustrations by Georgia O'Keeffe. You are on both sides of the platform level and extend up into the distribution level, which is decorated with small floral mosaics.

History

At this point, the metro station was originally supposed to come to rest in the median strip of the planned urban motorway Spadina Expressway. After protests from local residents, the provincial government decided in 1971, south of the former city limits ( near the station Eglinton West) to promote only the construction of the subway and not as planned to complete the expressway to the city center. The elimination of the urban motorway meant that the Subwaystrecke was built in a tunnel. The opening took place on 28 January 1978.

In the tunnel under the Russell Hill north of Dupont station, the previously most serious accident occurred in the history of the Toronto Subway. On August 11, 1995, shortly after six clock in the evening, drove a moving train at a standing. Three people were killed and 30 others seriously injured. This was due to human error on the one hand, on the other hand, a design flaw in a mechanical safety device. The driver had an easy to ambiguous signal misinterpreted and drove at full speed, rather than slow down. Simultaneously failed an emergency braking device, which would in such a case must be activated. After the accident, the track was closed for five days.

The investigating authorities gave in its report of 18 recommendations for improving the safety regulations. The Toronto Transit Commission created a 236 point checklist Based on these recommendations and reviewed annually thereafter their implementation. In August 2009, only two points were open, which affect a system for speed control ( this system was then in the implementation phase ).