Sunnybrook Park LRT station

Sunnybrook Park
Looking east from Leslie St along Eglinton Ave East at the site of the future light rail station platforms
Location	Eglinton Ave at Leslie St Toronto, Ontario Canada
Coordinates	43°43′02″N 79°20′58″W / 43.71722°N 79.34944°W / 43.71722; -79.34944Coordinates: 43°43′02″N 79°20′58″W / 43.71722°N 79.34944°W / 43.71722; -79.34944
Platforms	Side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	TTC buses
Construction
Structure type	At grade
Other information
Status	Under construction
History
Opening	2021
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station Laird toward Mount Dennis Eglinton Opens 2021 Science Centre toward Kennedy

Sunnybrook Park is a surface light rail transit (LRT) stop to be constructed on Line 5 Eglinton, a new line that is part of the Toronto subway system. It will be located at the intersection of Leslie Street and Eglinton Avenue. The intersection is largely surrounded by park lands in the valley of the West Branch of the Don River, which includes destinations such as E.T. Seton Park, Serena Gundy Park, Wilket Creek Park, Sunnybrook Park and Edwards Gardens. This will be the westernmost at-grade surface stop. The Crosstown line is scheduled to open in 2021.

Metrolinx is planning to locate the stop on the east side of the intersection of Leslie Street and Eglinton Avenue East. The stop will have parallel side platforms. Access to the platforms is via the pedestrian crossing on the east side of the signalized street intersection. As of January 14, 2017^[update], Metrolinx says these plans are still subject to change.

During the planning stages for Line 5 Eglinton, the stop was given the working name "Leslie", which is identical to the pre-existing Leslie station on Line 4 Sheppard. On November 23, 2015, a report to the TTC Board recommended giving a unique name to each station in the subway system (including Line 5 Eglinton). Thus, the LRT stop was renamed "Sunnybrook Park".

The environmental assessment was for the line to run in the middle of Eglinton Avenue through the valley at Leslie Street. However, in late 2012 and early 2013, there were proposals to locate the tracks elsewhere.

In 2012, Metrolinx discovered that there would be minimal cost differential between tunnelling under the West Don River at Leslie Street versus laying the track on the surface. Also, tunnelling here would have provided "significant improvements to construction staging, schedule and traffic impacts", according to Jamie Robinson at Metrolinx. Thus, in December 2012, Metrolinx proposed continuing the LRT tunnel from Laird station to Science Centre station and eliminating the planned surface stop at Sunnybrook Park (Leslie Street). It did not want to build an underground station at that location as it would cost $80 to $100 million (as compared to about $3 million for a surface stop). Metrolinx considered the cost of an underground station to be unjustified given its low projected ridership (650 passengers at the busiest hour). Local residents objected to the elimination of their stop, and by mid-2013, Metrolinx had relented and the surface stop was restored.