Parc station (Montreal)

Parc station, also known as Park Avenue station and formerly Jean-Talon station (French: Gare Jean-Talon), is a historic railway station building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its western end currently houses the Montreal Metro's Parc station, while businesses occupy the rest of the building. The main building no longer serves the railway; the Exo commuter rail Parc station is adjacent. It is located on Jean-Talon Street at the end of Park Avenue in the Park Extension neighbourhood of the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.

Park Avenue station
Gare Jean-Talon
General information
Type	Metro station, Retail, and former railway station
Architectural style	Art Deco
Location	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Address	395 Jean Talon Street West
Coordinates	45.5305°N 73.6237°W
Current tenants	Joe Fresh
Inaugurated	1931
Design and construction
Architect	Colin Drewitt

The station was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1931. Its traffic declined in the 1950s and it closed in 1984 when Via Rail transferred service to lines headed into Montreal Central Station. The City of Montreal purchased the building and the western end was converted as a metro station and the remainder of the building was adapted for business use. It currently houses a Joe Fresh outlet.

History

The Canadian Pacific Railway built the Park Avenue station, which was designed by architect Colin Drewitt and opened in 1931.[1] It was inaugurated in the presence of Camillien Houde, the mayor of Montreal at the time. Park Avenue station replaced the Mile End railway station, which was located near the corner of Saint Laurent Boulevard and Bernard Street.

The station as it was in 1936.

In its time, all trains headed toward Quebec City, Ottawa and the Laurentians, including Le Petit Train du Nord, travelled through Park Avenue Station.

The station's role as an important railway stop permitted the station to host many important figures. One such event occurred in 1939, when the station was the site of a royal visit by King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth, who were accompanied by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Park Avenue station was an important stop for railway passengers until the early 1950s. Following the closure of Place Viger in 1951, Park Avenue station suffered a swift decline in traffic. It was closed itself in 1984 when Via Rail Canada transferred the southern terminal of the Montreal-Quebec City (Sainte-Foy) via Trois-Rivières train service from Windsor Station to Montreal Central Station. The same year, the city of Montreal acquired the building and ceded part of the building to the Montreal Urban Community for the construction underground of the Montreal Metro's Parc station, which opened in 1987. In 1997, Exo's commuter rail station opened, using the name Jean-Talon; but this was later changed in 2000 to Parc in order to avoid confusion with the Jean-Talon metro station.

The central portion of the building became an Indigo Books and Music store, which closed and was replaced by a Société des alcools du Québec store, which itself closed in 2010.

Current use

The central portion of the building currently houses a Joe Fresh outlet. The Montreal Metro's Parc station occupies the western end of the building. Adjacent is the separate Parc commuter rail station.

Montreal Metro station

Parc
Location	7245, Hutchison Street, Montreal Quebec, Canada
Coordinates	45°31′49″N 73°37′26″W
Operated by	Société de transport de Montréal
Connections	Parc (Exo)   Société de transport de Montréal
Construction
Depth	15.1 metres (49 feet 6 inches), 35th deepest
Architect	Blouin, Blouin & Associés Colin M. Drewitt (Park Avenue Station)
History
Opened	15 June 1987
Passengers
2019[2][3]	3,101,394  8.5%
Rank	41 of 68
Services
Preceding station   Montreal Metro   Following station Acadie toward Snowdon Blue Line De Castelnau toward Saint-Michel

Parc station serves the Blue Line of the Montreal Metro. It is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).[4]

The Metro station was built after the city purchased Jean-Talon station in 1984, and opened in 1987. The entrance was built in and under the building's far west end, with the entrance in the former men's smoking room. It is a normal side platform station. The platform level features a frieze by Huguette Desjardins, and the skylight at the foot of the stairs to the exit contains a sculpture called Métamorphose d'Icare by Claire Sarrasin, an homage to the local Greek community.

Commuter trains

Parc
Location	300 Ogilvy Avenue, Montreal, Quebec [5]
Operated by	Exo (public transit)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Parc (Montreal Metro)   STM transit bus service
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	None[5]
Bicycle facilities	7 spaces[5]
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1[5]
History
Opened	May 12, 1997
Passengers
2019[6]	863,500 (Exo)
Services
Preceding station Exo Following station Chabanel toward Saint-Jérôme Saint-Jérôme Montréal-Ouest toward Lucien-L'Allier

The Exo commuter rail operates a station immediately adjacent to the historic building. Parc station is part of Exo's Saint-Jérôme line. The Exo station's platforms are built along the main line; the space between the old Jean-Talon railway station building and the railway line, where the original platforms were located, is now occupied by a Provigo Le Marché supermarket.[7]

Connecting bus routes

Société de transport de Montréal
Route
16 Graham
80 Avenue du Parc
92 Jean-Talon Ouest
93 Jean-Talon
365 Avenue du Parc
372 Jean-Talon
480 Express Du Parc[8]

Nearby points of interest

• CLSC Parc Extension

See also

• OPUS card

References

1. Parc station at IMTL.org
2. Société de transport de Montréal (2020-05-21). Entrants de toutes les stations de métro en 2019 (Report) – via Access to Information Act request, reference no. 0308.2020.091.
3. Société de transport de Montréal (2019-08-08). Achalandage du métro mensuel, station par station (Report) – via Access to Information Act request, reference no. 0308.2019.197.
4. Parc Metro Station
5. Parc
6. Exo (2020-06-17). Réponse à votre demande d'accès à l'information (Report) – via Access to Information Act request, reference no. 2020-25.
7. "A new Provigo Le Marché™ store opens its doors at Place de la gare Jean-Talon in Montreal". investors.loblaw.ca. May 22, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
8. "Latest bus news for September". Société de transport de Montréal. Retrieved 2019-08-22.

External links

• Parc station on STM website
• Montreal by Metro, metrodemontreal.com
• 2011 STM System Map
• Metro Map
• Parc Commuter Train Station Information (RTM)
• Parc Commuter Train Station Schedule (RTM)