Queen station

Queen is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[2] It is located under Yonge Street north from Queen Street to Shuter Street. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.[3]

For the Kitchener LRT station, see Queen station (Kitchener).

Queen
Location3 Queen Street East
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°39′09″N 79°22′45″W
PlatformsSide platforms
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedMarch 30, 1954 (1954-03-30)
Passengers
2018[1]48,700
Rank12 of 75
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station
toward Vaughan
 Yonge–University
toward Finch

History

Queen Station opened in 1954 as part of the original stretch of the Yonge subway line from Union to Eglinton stations. The original address given to the station, 171 Yonge Street, is still commonly used in Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) system maps, but this address is not used for any nearby buildings and points to the actual intersection. The address provided by the TTC website, 3 Queen Street East, is located across from the Maritime Life Tower, by the 1 Queen Street East subway entrance.

In 1997, this station became accessible with elevators.

On December 13, 2013, the Toronto Police were called in after gun shots were fired on board a subway train at the station. The Passenger Assistance Alarm was pressed, and the station was evacuated soon after. A man in his 20s was shot and was rushed to nearby St. Michael's Hospital[4] in life-threatening condition, but stable on the day after. The station continued to be closed on December 14, 2013, with subway service from Bloor–Yonge to Union stations being replaced by shuttle bus service.[5]

Lower Queen

Early subway expansion plans called for an east–west subway for streetcars under Queen Street, and a lower Queen station for these was roughed-in under the subway station. Priorities changed and the line was never built, but many people unknowingly pass through this lower station every day; the tunnels that go under the station so that riders can move between northbound and southbound platforms use portions of this intended station, with most of the excess infrastructure walled off.[6]

What exists is a roughed-out second set of platforms built underneath a currently-operating station. It is located directly underneath the existing station. The station was designed as part of a planned but never-built streetcar subway that would have run east and west along Queen Street. A similar station was planned underneath the existing Osgoode (also situated along Queen Street). Although underground pipes and conduits were specifically routed around this intended site, construction was never started.[6]

The trackway was planned for streetcars rather than dedicated subway trains, similar to the much newer streetcar-only underground track originating at Union station used for the 510 Spadina and 509 Harbourfront routes. The Queen subway would have allowed streetcars from the 501 Queen, 504 King, 503 Kingston Road, and 505 Dundas to avoid centre-city traffic, and then surface to run on regular streets in outlying areas.

The plan to build a streetcar subway under Queen Street was delayed and then cancelled in favour of an east–west line further north, which became Line 2 Bloor–Danforth. As a result, the Lower Queen Station was never put into service. Unlike the abandoned platform at Lower Bay, this station is not used in any way save as an occasional storage facility and film set, and the aforementioned passageway.

Plans for the future Ontario Line subway would see the activation of Lower Queen, providing platforms for the new east–west line that would run from Exhibition to Science Centre.[7]

Station description
Entrance on the north side of the Maritime Life Tower is the designated Wheel-Trans pick up location

The station lies under Yonge Street north of Queen Street to Shuter Street. The station has seven entrances from street level, which includes accessible entrances from inside the Eaton Centre and the Maritime Life Tower. Other entrances include a sidewalk staircase entrance from Shuter Street, and other entrances from 1 Queen Street East, 8 Queen Street West, by The Bay, and from the north entrance outside the Eaton Centre.

Below street level are the concourses, with one above and across the north end of the platforms and at the south there is one on each side at track level with an underpass to connect them.

The only tenant in the station is Gateway Newstands, and there is one located on both platforms inside the fare-paid area.

Architecture and art
Our Nell by John Boyle

The station contains painted murals by John Boyle at the platform level entitled Our Nell,[8] featuring depictions of Nellie McClung, William Lyon Mackenzie, as well as the former Simpson's and Eaton's department stores.

Nearby landmarks

Nearby landmarks include the Hudson's Bay Company's Queen Street store, the south end of the Eaton Centre, the Old City Hall courts, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto City Hall, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, and Massey Hall.

Surface connections
Main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes

A transfer is required to connect between the subway system and these surface routes:

A 501 Queen streetcar stops outside the station entrance.

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route Name Additional Information
97B Yonge Northbound to York Mills station and southbound to Queens Quay
301 Queen Streetcar; Blue Night service; Eastbound to Neville Park and westbound to Long Branch
301A Blue Night service; Westbound to Humber
320 Yonge Blue Night service; northbound to Steeles Avenue and southbound to Queens Quay
501 Queen Streetcar; Eastbound to Neville Park and westbound to Long Branch
501H Streetcar; Westbound to Humber Loop
502 Downtowner Streetcar service eastbound to Bingham Loop and westbound to McCaul Loop suspended indefinitely and replaced by 503 Kingston Road at King station on a trial basis[9]

Future

The Toronto Transit Commission plans to construct the Ontario Line – a rapid transit line connecting the south loop of Line 1 Yonge–University to the east wing of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth and north to Science Centre station where the line will interchange with Line 5 Eglinton. The preferred route of the subway line is from Science Centre to Exhibition. Queen station is planned to be a station on this new subway line and will use the roughed-in section of Lower Queen station.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Subway ridership, 2018" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved February 5, 2019. This table shows the typical number of customer-trips made on each subway on an average weekday and the typical number of customers travelling to and from each station platform on an average weekday.
  2. "TTC Queen Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  3. "Wi-fi Now Available At". TCONNECT. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015. Each of the 65 underground stations will have wireless and Wi-Fi service by 2017.
  4. "Man shot on Queen subway platform". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  5. Nguyen, Andrew (December 14, 2013). "SIU investigating Queen subway shooting". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  6. Bow, James. "Toronto's Lost Subway Stations". Transit Toronto. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  7. "Zooming in on Ontario Line plans from Osgoode to the Don River – Delivering a line below Toronto's Queen Street that's been anticipated for more than a century". Metrolinx. September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  8. Sandy Fairbairn (September 18, 2013). "Boyle's 'Our Nell' has historic value". Readers' Letters. Toronto Star. Retrieved June 3, 2015. they are titled “Our Nell” and depict Nellie McClung, women’s rights activist
  9. "Editorial – November Board Period Service Changes". The Coupler. Toronto Transit Commission. October 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  10. "The Ontario Line - Neighbourhood Updates - Downtown | Metrolinx Engage". Metrolinx Engage. Retrieved September 28, 2020.

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