Lost Stations

In the early 1890s, Toronto’s Belt Line looped through new residential neighbourhoods, linking them to the city’s core. Although commuter rail service on this route ceased in 1894, part of the line was used for freight transport between 1910 and its 1970 decommissioning. Local resident Kay Gardner and other activists subsequently persuaded the City to acquire this extant portion and transform it into the Beltline Trail, a tree-lined, 4.5-km recreation trail.

PLANT is designing two of the City’s Lost Stations commemorative sites, which mark former Belt Line stops with deck-mounted seating and interpretive displays along the trail. The preferred concept for Fairbank Lost Station has been selected through public consultation and will be constructed in fall 2024. Recent area development changes have put the implementation of our Fairbank Junction design on indefinite hold, but we are now designing the Forest Hill Lost Station. PLANT’s designs reflect the industrial heritage of these station stops and will incorporate environmentally sensitive features to avoid impeding drainage on a swale site.