New TTC manager plans King elevators, community consultations

Dennis Hanagan –

Downtown’s old subway stations are small compared to newer ones yet they’re expected to handle the highest passenger volumes in the TTC’s underground system.

That’s what Eve Wiggins, Group Station Manager for the nine stops from St. Andrew to Summerhill (except Bloor-Yonge) has to deal with, and she’s got improvements in mind.

“They (the stations) are smaller. We would not build them like this today,” Wiggins said in an interview. “They take the heaviest volume … when these stations were designed we were not sending trains down with 1500 people on them … but they’re still absolutely integral to the city’s growth, to the city’s continued success.”

It’s not lost on the GSM, who’s put in 20 years as a customer service leader in the transportation industry, that her stations serve what she considers to be “the most important business community, the most important communities in the country, right downtown.

“I have an appreciation who is down here. The country runs off the businesses that are in the core and also the residents that live in the area and use (the subway) to come and go every day, all day, seven days a week,” Wiggins said.

The TTC announced in April 2013 it was appointing six GSMs, each responsible for the management of several stations in six zones, as part of the commission’s commitment to modernize and transform its operations.

The GSMs oversee teams of duty station managers, station supervisors, janitors and station collectors. The model is meant to improve efficiency and response to customer needs.

One of the problems dogging the stations under her care is water leaks. “Downtown, with the old stations, we are heavily impacted by watermain breaks being that we are under the utilities that run under the road.”

When that happens she’s in touch with her staff who liaise with the city to get the water turned off as soon as possible. The area is cordoned off and the cleanup work begins to make it safe for customers again.

Wiggins said a significant amount of work is planned for the King station. The two escalators, one for the northbound platform and the other for the southbound, are 30 years old and in “desperate need of replacement,” she said.

Work will start early next year to renovate and replace the southbound escalator. Following the Pan Am games in the summer of 2015 work will begin on the northbound platform and the replacement of that escalator. In total, the work will take 12 months, Wiggins predicts. In 2016, the King station will get elevators installed.

St. Andrew is on track for platform rehabilitation. As for the Wellesley station, it’s going to get a second exit with the construction of a nearby condo building on Dundonald St. “I’m excited that’s well underway,” Wiggins said.

Some business associations have asked for improvements to the Dundas station. Some of that work will be cosmetic, said Wiggins, and there’s a plan in the books to give the station a second access.

“However, it’s finding an entrance connection where we’d ideally like to bring the exit from the subway up into one of the buildings. It’s finding one of the properties that we can have an agreement with,” she said.

The outdoor entrance to the Dundas station on the northwest corner of Yonge and Dundas is slated for a canopy to protect the steps from bad weather—“anything we can do to protect and cover the stairs, to keep the weather out and keep them safe for customers,” said Wiggins.

Also, riders can look for improvements to subway signage to help them find their way around. “We have, certainly Downtown I think, almost every era of signage that the TTC has ever used,” said Wiggins.

She said riders can expect to see an increase in management and supervisory presence in stations so the public can ask questions and get answers on the spot. She’s arranging meet-the manager sessions at lunch times.

“Basically (it’s) continuing to bring up the tone, the atmosphere and the experience for customers,” said Wiggins.

Wiggins wants to meet business and resident groups to hear what they have to say about Downtown’s stations. “I see myself doing more engagement with more community groups, resident associations and business associations. I’m aware that both are customers, heavy users of the system.”

Wiggins sees her role with her Downtown stations in a historical context. “The older stations are smaller spaces and their history is apparent all the time. I was admiring Wellesley station and how the roof and ceiling curve over the platform and the tracks. It’s an honour and a privilege to look after and be responsible for the management of these older stations,” said Wiggins.

Wiggins can be reached by visiting www.ttc.ca.