TTC construction work at Queen's Park Station created accessibility hazard for wheelchair user
Emily Mills says platform work narrowed her mother's accessible route, forcing a backwards wheelchair exit and nearly trapping her on the platform when train doors closed quickly on October 15.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
A Toronto woman says ongoing construction work at Queen's Park Station created a dangerous accessibility situation for her wheelchair-using mother on October 15, forcing her to exit the train backwards and nearly leaving her stranded on a narrowed platform.
Emily Mills described arriving at the station for a trip to Princess Margaret Hospital for her mother's chemotherapy appointment. The station, which is officially designated as accessible, has three elevators, but Mills found the platform extremely narrow due to construction work at platform level. The yellow tactile warning line was filled with bumps, and gaps between the train and platform created a hazard for wheelchair wheels.
"I exited backwards because wheelchair wheels would catch in the gap between train and platform," Mills said. After she maneuvered her mother off the train, the doors closed quickly, trapping them on the platform. Mills was afraid the wheelchair would go over the yellow line with each bump as they crossed to safety.
The TTC had previously inspected the work zone and found the fencing met the required 1.8-metre clearance. What changed since that inspection is unclear — something narrowed the platform further after the initial assessment. The agency apologized and said it is correcting the issue and installing additional signage.
Mills described a pattern of transit accessibility failures affecting her mother's medical care. A previous appointment at St. Michael's Hospital was disrupted when an elevator at Bloor-Yonge station wasn't working, forcing them to return to Union Station. In October 2025, a bus driver rushed them up a ramp and raised it too soon, starting the bus before her mother was secured in the accessible seating area.
The TTC has not specified when the platform correction and signage installation will be complete, nor whether Mills's mother made the October 15 chemotherapy appointment. The station's accessibility challenges underscore broader elevator outages and lengthy Wheel-Trans delays affecting disabled Torontonians.
What caused the platform to narrow after the TTC's initial 1.8-metre clearance inspection?
When will the TTC complete repairs and signage installation at Queen's Park?
How many other accessible stations have similar construction-related hazards?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
What accessibility problem did Emily Mills encounter at Queen's Park Station on October 15?
Construction work had narrowed the platform at Queen's Park Station, creating hazards including a tactile warning line filled with bumps and gaps between the train and platform that could catch wheelchair wheels. Mills was forced to exit her mother's wheelchair backwards and the train doors closed quickly, nearly trapping them on the platform.
Why was Emily Mills at Queen's Park Station on October 15?
She was accompanying her mother to Princess Margaret Hospital for a chemotherapy appointment.
What did the TTC say about the platform conditions?
The TTC said it had previously inspected the work zone and found the fencing met the required 1.8-metre clearance. The agency apologized, said it is correcting the issue, and is installing additional signage, though it has not specified when these corrections will be complete.
