Security is being beefed up at Kennedy Station after the stabbing of a 16-year-old boy on a bus platform that police say was sparked by a fight over music.

The boy and three friends were in a bus bay listening to music at about 11:30 p.m. ET Wednesday when they were confronted by three men believed to be in their 20s, police said.

About 80,000 people pass through Kennedy Station daily, making it one of Toronto's busiest transit hubs.
(Kellie Hudson/CBC)

The victim and his friends were told to turn the music off, police say, and soon after, the confrontation came to blows.

Police say the victim's friends fled, leaving him alone in the bus bay with the three attackers.

When paramedics arrived on scene, they found the teen suffering from two stab wounds in the back, a knife still jutting out, police say. He is in serious condition at Sunnybrook Hospital, but expected to survive.

'More scary every year'

In response to the latest incidents, the Toronto Transit Commission plans to increase patrols of the commission's special constables.

"Kennedy is one of the stations we're most concerned about.… It has so much traffic in it," said Coun. Adam Giambrone, TTC chair.

More than 80,000 people travel through Kennedy Station each day, one of the TTC's busiest stations.

Located at Eglinton Avenue East and Kennedy Road in the city's east end, the station is a hub for the Scarborough Rapid Transit Line, TTC buses and the Bloor-Danforth subway line.

Kennedy Station is one of the few to have security cameras installed, and more cameras are on the way, says Giambrone.

"It's not a safe place. It's getting violent and more scary every year," said Martha Westgate, who uses the station daily, usually alone.

She's one of many passengers calling for more security cameras and officers.

Usha Nanathini, 29, was working the late shift at the station when Wednesday's stabbing happened. Calling the shift spooky, she says she often witnesses fights and is looking for another job.

'Doing our best'

Wednesday's stabbing is the latest in a string of violent incidents at the Kennedy Station.

Last Friday, a 21-year-old was found stabbed to death inside a subway car on the last train of the night as it pulled into Kennedy station.

In 1996, the stabbing death of 15-year-old Ischmael Spence prompted an extensive safety review of the station, with the Toronto Transit Commission consulting the community and police. But it continues to be a trouble spot.

For the past five years, plainclothes or uniformed officers have patrolled the station nearly every day between 3 and 5 p.m. ET during afternoon rush hour as students return home, says Toronto police Det. Sgt. Rick Searl.

"We're doing our best and so is the TTC," said Searl, about security at the station.

Searl urged caution to passengers — try to travel in a group, stay in lighted areas and, if alone, stand near others.

Toronto police are in the process of viewing security camera footage to look for shots of the three attackers.

The three suspects are described as of Sri Lankan or East Indian descent. All three were in their early 20s, about five feet seven or eight inches, and ranging from 140 to 160 pounds. At the time of the attack, they were wearing dark clothing.