Queen (TTC)

Queen TTC Subway Station
Station statistics
Address	171 Yonge Street
Coordinates	43°39′09.75″N 79°22′45.75″W
Lines	Yonge–University–Spadina
Structure	underground
Platforms	side
Other information
Opened	30 March 1954
Presto card	No
Traffic
Passengers (2011-12)	58,070 Ranked 9th of 69
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station King toward Downsview Yonge–University–Spadina Dundas toward Finch

Queen is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada subway. It is located at 171 Yonge Street at Queen Street West/East.

Entrances

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

The main entrances are at the intersection of Yonge and Queen streets

• Northwest entrance - via street level entrance and Toronto Eaton Centre
• Northeast entrance - via Maritime Life Tower
• Southwest entrance - via street level cut in to The Bay Queen Street store
• Southeast entrance - via One Queen Street East

A secondary entrance is located at what was the intersection of Yonge and Albert streets (street long since removed after opening of the Eaton Centre) - just south of Shuter street.

• West entrance - via Toronto Eaton Centre
• East entrance - sidewalk staircase

History

Queen Station opened in 1954 as part of the original stretch of the Yonge subway line.

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.

Strictly speaking, it is only 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 station (also situated along Queen Street). Although underground pipes and conduits were specifically routed around this intended site, construction was never started.

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 Queen line (now route 501), King line (now route 504), Kingston Road line (now routes 502 and 503), and Dundas lines (now route 505) 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 the Bloor-Danforth line. 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.

Public art

John Boyle's Our Nell at Queen Station

The station contains painted murals by John Boyle at the platform level entitled Our Nell, featuring depictions of Nellie McClung, Sir John Graves Simcoe, 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, Toronto City Hall, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, and Massey Hall.

Surface connections

Main article: List of bus routes in Toronto

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

• 97B Yonge - rushhour only
• 141 Downtown/Mt Pleasant Express - rushhour only, extra fare required
• 142 Downtown/Avenue Road Express - rushhour only, extra fare required
• 143 Downtown/Beach Express - rushhour only, extra fare required
• 144 Downtown/Don Valley Express - rushhour only, extra fare required
• 501 Queen
• 502 Downtowner

See also

• Queen Street subway

External links

• Queen Station at the Toronto Transit Commission
• Cygnals Complete: Queen Subway Special
• Toronto's Lost Subway Stations: Lower Queen