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Queen (TTC)
Encyclopedia
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.
The main entrances are at the intersection of Yonge and Queen streets
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.
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.
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.
'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
.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
subway
Toronto subway and RT
The Toronto subway and RT is a rapid transit system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of both underground and elevated railway lines, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . It was Canada's first completed subway system, with the first line being built under Yonge Street, which opened in...
. It is located at 171 Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
at Queen Street West
Queen Street West
Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...
/East.
Entrances
The main entrances are at the intersection of Yonge and Queen streets
- Northwest entrance - via street level entrance and Toronto Eaton CentreToronto Eaton CentreThe Toronto Eaton Centre is a large shopping mall and office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, named after the now-defunct Eaton's department store chain that once anchored it. In terms of the number of visitors, the shopping mall is Toronto's top tourist attraction, with around one...
- Northeast entrance - via Maritime Life Tower
- Southwest entrance - via street level cut in to The Bay Queen StreetThe Bay Queen StreetThe Bay Queen Street store is the flagship store of the The Bay in Toronto and head office of the Hudson's Bay Company. Located at 160 Yonge Street on the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Queen Street West, the building is actually a complex of buildings built between 1896 to 1969.The 1896...
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
Lower Queen
Early subway expansion plans called for an east-west subwayQueen Street subway
The Queen Street subway line was one of many subway lines planned for Toronto, Canada, but never built by the Toronto Transit Commission.-1911 proposal:...
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
Osgoode (TTC)
Osgoode is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway/RT system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Osgoode Station is located at 250 University Avenue at Queen Street West...
(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
Union (TTC)
Union Station is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. Opened in 1954 along with the first twelve subway stations of Toronto, it is located between the Yonge Street and University Avenue sections of the line at 55 Front Street West between Bay Street and York...
used for the 510 Spadina and 509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront is a streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission.-History:The Harbourfront LRT, originally designated 604 Harbourfront, began service in 1990...
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
Bay (TTC)
Bay is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 64 Bloor Street West at Bay Street.One major amenity of this station is the Toronto Transit Commission's Lost articles office, where objects lost on TTC property are kept.-History:Bay Station was...
, this station is not used in any way save as an occasional storage facility and film set, and the aforementioned passageway.
Public art
Nellie McClung
Nellie McClung, born Nellie Letitia Mooney , was a Canadian feminist, politician, and social activist. She was a part of the social and moral reform movements prevalent in Western Canada in the early 1900s...
, Sir John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
, as well as the former Simpson's
Simpson's
The Robert Simpson Company, or Simpsons , was a Canadian department store chain, founded by Robert Simpson. The chain was eventually bought by the Hudson's Bay Company.- History :...
and Eaton's
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
department stores.
Nearby landmarks
Nearby landmarks include the Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
's Queen Street store
The Bay Queen Street
The Bay Queen Street store is the flagship store of the The Bay in Toronto and head office of the Hudson's Bay Company. Located at 160 Yonge Street on the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Queen Street West, the building is actually a complex of buildings built between 1896 to 1969.The 1896...
, the south end of the Eaton Centre
Toronto Eaton Centre
The Toronto Eaton Centre is a large shopping mall and office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, named after the now-defunct Eaton's department store chain that once anchored it. In terms of the number of visitors, the shopping mall is Toronto's top tourist attraction, with around one...
, the Old City Hall courts
Old City Hall (Toronto)
Toronto's Old City Hall was home to its city council from 1899 to 1966 and remains one of the city's most prominent structures. The building is located at the corner of Queen and Bay Streets, across Bay Street from Nathan Phillips Square and the new City Hall in the centre of downtown Toronto...
, Toronto City Hall
Toronto City Hall
The City Hall of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the home of the city's municipal government and one of its most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong, and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in 1965...
, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres are a pair of stacked theatres in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Winter Garden theatre is seven stories above the Elgin Theatre....
, and Massey Hall
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
.
Surface connections
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