Chester station (Toronto)
Chester is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station is located on Chester Avenue just north of Danforth Avenue. Wi-Fi service is available at this station. It opened in 1966 as one of the original stations of this subway line. There is currently one entrance to the station, though a second exit is under construction.
Facilities
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.Chester station has one entrance, 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 Toronto Parking Authority operates a public parking lot across Chester Avenue opposite the subway entrance.
Second exit
Although the station's need for a second exit was rated as a high priority in 2004, Chester was the last station left on the east end of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth where design work and consultation on the addition of a second exit had not started. In May 2014, a list of 15 potential second exit sites was developed. In June 2016, the location of the second exit was announced as the west side of the parking lot across the street from the main entrance. Two new elevators from platform level to street level will be located at the existing entrance. The construction of the elevators and the second exit started in 2018, with the elevators expected to open in 2020 and the second exit expected to open in 2021. As part of the accessibility upgrades, the station was closed for two weeks in June 2020.Communities served
The nearby communities that are served by this station include 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.History
Chester station was opened on February 26, 1966, along with the rest of the first phase of the Bloor–Danforth line which operated initially between and stations.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 and was staffed by artists as a way of funding their work. A $4,000 Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund the renovation of the kiosk, with the campaign successfully raising $4,931. The Artist Newsstand operated in the space for one year.
As part of its public art program announced in June 2017, the TTC intended to install an artwork titled FLORAE by artist Katharine Harvey. The work is a series of wall mosaics and art glass elements inspired by native plants and flowers of the area.
Surface connections
This is the only station in Toronto with no TTC bus service during the day. When the subway is closed, however, the following TTC routes connect with Chester station:| Route | Name | Additional Information |
| 300A | Bloor–Danforth | Eastbound to Warden, westbound to Pearson Airport |
| 300B | Bloor–Danforth | Eastbound to Kennedy station, westbound to West Mall |