The future Ontario Line stop originally called the Science Centre Station has been renamed the Don Valley Station after the Science Centre was permanently closed last June.
The 15-stop, nearly 16-kilometre Ontario Line will begin at the Exhibition Place, not far from where the new Science Centre will be built and end at where the Science Centre used to be near Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East in North York.
In a statement, Metrolinx said they explored many potential naming options for the station and said that Don Valley Station “reflects the station’s proximity to the Don Valley Parkway, Don River, and the Don Valley itself.”
“Public facing signage for the light trail transit station will soon be updated to “Don Valley” to ensure the station’s infrastructure is updated in time for the opening of Line 5. The cost will be covered through the overall project budget.”
The final three stops; Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, and Don Valley will be above ground and serviced by light rail transit.
The Ontario Science Centre was abruptly closed in June of 2024 due to an engineering report that found that the roof was at risk of collapsing.
Several critics slammed the move by the provincial government as advocates had been fighting the move of the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place during the revitalization of the waterfront area. The new location isn’t expected to open until 2028 at the earliest.
The Science Centre first opened in 1969 at the Don Mills location and was the world’s first interactive science centre.
Once completed, the Ontario Line will connect with 40 other transit routes, including GO train lines, TTC subway and streetcar stops, and a new east-west light rail line currently being built.
Metrolinx has pegged the total cost of the project at $27.2 billion. Over $6 billion has been spent so far.
