Wellesley is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Wellesley Street East, east of Yonge Street. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.[2]

Wellesley
General information
Location16 Wellesley Street East
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°39′55″N 79°23′02″W / 43.66528°N 79.38389°W / 43.66528; -79.38389
PlatformsSide platforms
Tracks2
Connections
  •  94  Wellesley
  •  97  Yonge
  •  320   Yonge
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
AccessibleYes
Other information
WebsiteOfficial station page
History
OpenedMarch 30, 1954; 70 years ago (1954-03-30)
Passengers
2022[1]26,152
Rank26 of 70
Services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station
College
towards Vaughan
Line 1 Yonge–University Bloor
towards Finch
Location
Map

History

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Wellesley station opened in 1954 as part of the original stretch of the Yonge line from Union to Eglinton stations, and was listed as a heritage property by the City of Toronto in 1984.[3] The address given for this listing of 16 Wellesley Street East/15 Dundonald Street, which differs from the TTC address, more accurately describes the location of the station structure which runs between those streets, to the rear of the properties fronting on the east side of Yonge Street.

On February 6, 2006, the only baby to be born on the subway, Mary Kim of Scarborough, was delivered on the Wellesley platform. Her mother Sun Hee Paik took the subway with her family to St. Michael's Hospital from their Scarborough home. She did not make it to the downtown hospital, going into labour on the train. Her husband delivered the baby after they disembarked at Wellesley and Toronto EMS arrived later to help finish the birth and send the mother and child to St. Michael's. TTC officials later promised to provide Mary with lifetime transit access.[4]

Construction began in early 2018 to make the station fully accessible, including the addition of two elevators and accessible fare gates. On July 22, 2020, the station became accessible with the completion of the elevator construction.[5] As part of the enhancements for accessibility, provision was made for the future installation of an artwork on the curved wall opposite the two new elevators.[6]

Wellesley was the last downtown TTC subway station with only one street entrance. In July 2020, a secondary entrance was opened on Dundonald Street (entry or exit here is by Presto card or Presto ticket only).[5][7]

Station description

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This station is located on the north side of Wellesley Street East east of Yonge Street. It is built on two levels, with the main Wellesley Street entrance and bus platform at street level and the subway platforms located on the lower level.[8] There are elevators from street level to the two platforms.[5] A Gateway Newstands can be found in the station. There is a second automatic entrance on Dundonald Street.[9][10][7]

Subway infrastructure in the vicinity

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Station entrance

North of the station the tunnel was constructed by cut and cover into Bloor station, where it crosses over Yonge station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth. South of the station, the tunnel is mostly of a similar construction towards College station. The strip of land occupied by this section of the subway is distinguished by being used mainly for public parks or parking lots.

Surface connections

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Bus routes below can be boarded at a curbside stop with a valid transfer.

References

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  1. ^ "Subway ridership, 2022" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved May 4, 2024. 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. ^ "Wi-fi Now Available At". TCONNECT. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015. Each of the 65 underground stations will have wireless and Wi-Fi service by 2017
  3. ^ "Heritage Property Detail – 16 Wellesley St E., Wellesley Street Subway Station". Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  4. ^ "Woman gives birth on subway platform". CBC News. February 7, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Wellesley Station - Easier Access project". TTC. July 22, 2020. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "TTC celebrates accessibility at Wellesley, Chester stations". Toronto Transit Commission. October 1, 2020. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "CEO's Report August 2020" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "TTC Wellesley Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Wellesley Station Second Exit and Automatic Entrance" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  10. ^ "TTC Wellesley Station – Second Exit and Automatic Entrance". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
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  Media related to Wellesley station at Wikimedia Commons