Museum station (Toronto)

Coordinates: 43°40′02″N 79°23′37″W / 43.66722°N 79.39361°W / 43.66722; -79.39361
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Museum
Centre platform
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
AccessibleNo
Other information
WebsiteOfficial station page
History
OpenedFebruary 28, 1963; 61 years ago (1963-02-28)
RebuiltApril 2008
Passengers
2019[1]10,865
Rank61 of 75
Services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station
St. George
towards Vaughan
 Line 1 Yonge–University Queen's Park
towards Finch
Location
Map

Museum is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1963 and is located under Queen's Park at Charles Street West, beside the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) after which it is named. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.[2]

Structure

South of the station, the tunnel can be seen curving to the east.

The station structure was created in the middle of the road using

pedestrian underpass to cross Queen's Park, a wide and busy thoroughfare without a centre median. This station does not have an elevator and is not wheelchair accessible. Following a police audit in 1982 in response to the murder of Mariam Peters at St. Patrick station in 1975, the south end of the station had metal "prison" bars installed to allow for ventilation and storage.[3]

When plans for the adjacent and now closed McLaughlin Planetarium were drawn up in the mid-1960s, a tunnel that would lead directly to the Planetarium was contemplated, but this plan was scrapped as being too expensive.[4]

Connection to Line 2 Bloor–Danforth

Lower Bay
stations, while the tracks along Bloor use lower St. George and upper Bay.

The decision by Metro Council in 1960 to build a wye from the University line to the eastbound Bloor line between Museum and Bay stations was a controversial one. TTC Chairman Clarence Downey opposed the construction, estimated to cost about $10 million, saying that $10 million would build an extra mile of subway on the Bloor–Danforth line. The construction was estimated to cost $3 million for the basic interchange, and $7 million for the “intricate trackage system”.[5]

From February to September 1966, all three sides of the wye were used in regular service: from each of three terminals—Eglinton, Keele, and Woodbine—trains ran alternately to the other two (between Eglinton and Museum via Union). Thereafter, Line 2 Bloor–Danforth became a separate route, Lower Bay was closed, and upper St. George became a terminus for the Yonge–University line until it was extended to Wilson in 1978. The tunnel to Lower Bay is visible from northbound trains shortly after they leave Museum Station.

Station access upgrades

In August 2022, construction started on a second entrance at the south end of Museum station that will also make the station accessible and replace the space within the metal bars. The new entrance will be located at the north end of Queens Park Circle on the south side of the War Memorial monument. The entrance will have elevator access to a new concourse level providing access to a second elevator to the platform level. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2024.[6][7]

Architecture and art

Original cream and blue tiles

The station opened with the same tile scheme which would become standard on

Toronto subway typeface
was used for the station name, sandblasted into the wall and painted in the same shade of blue as the narrower strip of tiles.

Designed by

hieroglyphic inscription from the ROM.[9]

Before and after
Original platform design with unadorned tiles
Museum-inspired columns after the makeover

Nearby landmarks

In addition to its proximity to the

Faculty of Music
).

Surface connections

Museum station's west exit in front of its bus stop
Main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes

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

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route Name Additional information
13A Avenue Road Northbound to Eglinton station
13B Avenue Road Northbound to Eglinton station and southbound to Gerrard Street West
94A Wellesley Eastbound to Castle Frank station via Wellesley station and westbound to Ossington station. Board buses at Queen's Park Crescent West.

References

  1. ^ "Subway ridership, 2019" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2023. 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. ^ "There's now free WiFi at over 40 TTC subway stations". blogTO. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  3. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions about Toronto's Subway and the Scarborough RT". Transit Toronto. April 12, 2020. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  4. ^ Clarke, Thomas, "Stars in the Ceiling", Rotunda, Summer 1982, Volume 15, Number 2, p. 17.
  5. ^ Baker, Alden (September 6, 1963). "$1,000,000 Subway Link May Never be Used". The Globe and Mail.
  6. ^ "TTC to begin Easier Access construction at Museum Station; lane restrictions on Queen's Park". Toronto Transit Commission. August 11, 2022. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "Museum Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  8. ^ "Revitalized Museum Subway Station unveiled". World Architecture News. April 11, 2008. Archived from the original on August 7, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  9. ^ "TTC Museum Station Renovation". Ontario Panelization. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2011.

External links

Media related to Museum Station at Wikimedia Commons

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