King station (Toronto)

King is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University of the Toronto subway system. The station is located at the intersection of King Street and Yonge Street in Toronto's Financial District.[2] Wi-Fi service is available at this station.[3]

King
General information
Location3 King Street East,
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°38′57″N 79°22′40″W
Owned byToronto Transit Commission
PlatformsSide platforms
Tracks2
Connections
  •  97  Yonge
  •  304   King
  •  320   Yonge
  •  501  Queen
  •  503  Kingston Rd
  •  504  King
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
AccessibleNo
Other information
WebsiteOfficial station page
History
OpenedMarch 30, 1954 (1954-03-30)
Passengers
2019[1]75,784
Rank9 of 75
Services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station
Union
towards Vaughan
 Yonge–University Queen
towards Finch
Location

History
Interior of the station on opening

King station opened in 1954 as part of the first stretch of subway line built in Toronto, between Union and Eglinton stations.[4]

The original address for the station was 70 Yonge Street, which is still used in Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) maps, but the official website uses the address 3 King Street East, which both point to the intersection of the two streets, and the numbers are not used by nearby buildings.

A scissors crossover was installed just north of the station when the line was built, so that trains could easily crossover from one track to another, but was later removed in May 1984 during track rehabilitation because of maintenance costs. In 2012, the TTC decided to restore this crossover, as it would allow trains to turn back during service disruptions after the implementation of automatic train control,[5] which occurred on February 24, 2020.[6]

Station description

The station lies underneath Yonge Street at King Street, and is built on three levels. All five entrances are located on ground level, with three of them being sidewalk staircases from the northeast, southwest, and southeast corners of the Yonge Street and King Street intersection. The northwest corner entrance is through Scotia Plaza, and a semi-automatic entrance from Commerce Court East at 21 Melinda Street is staffed by a collector during rush hour. There is also an "exit only" sidewalk staircase from the southbound subway platform, just south of Melinda Street.[2] There are no elevators in this station, and it is not accessible for persons with physical disabilities.

Below ground level are two separate concourses, located under King Street (north concourse), and under Commerce Court (south concourse). All entrances and exits connect to the north concourse except for ones along Melinda Street. Below the concourses are the subway platforms, connected by stairs and one escalator to the northbound platform on weekdays from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm.[7]

Gateway Newsstands located in the north concourse is the only tenant in the station.

Escalators to Scotia Plaza and Path
Commerce Court / Melinda Street automatic entrance

Station improvements

As part of its Public Art Program announced in June 2017, the TTC intends to install an artwork titled Light Canopy by artist Sean Martindale. The work is an animated lighting system to be set into the ceiling above the stairwell at King station's western entrance, and will give passers-by the feeling of passing under tree foliage.[8]

As part of its Easier Access program, construction started in January 2023 to add elevators to the side platforms; they will connect the north- and southbound platforms to the street level concourse.[9]

Subway infrastructure in the vicinity

North of the station, the subway travels through a scissors crossover through its tunnels underneath Yonge Street, past Queen Street, and into Queen station. South of the station, the subway continues underneath Yonge Street, until it reaches Front Street, where it turns 90 degrees west and passes through a crossover into Union station.

Nearby destinations

The destination for many people using King station is the financial district and its numerous office towers, connected to the station by the underground PATH system of pedestrian tunnels. These include the Canadian Pacific Building, Scotia Plaza, Commerce Court, Toronto-Dominion Centre and First Canadian Place.

This is also the closest station to One Yonge Street, the King Edward Hotel, St. James Cathedral, Toronto Sculpture Garden, St. Lawrence Hall and the St. Lawrence Market.

Surface connections
Passengers connect between the streetcar and King station by the staircase (left, rear)
Main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes
See also: King Street Transit Priority Corridor

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

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route Name Additional information
97B Yonge Northbound to York Mills station and southbound to Queens Quay
304 King Streetcar; Blue Night service; eastbound to Broadview station and westbound to Dundas West station
320 Yonge Blue Night service; northbound to Steeles Avenue and southbound to Queens Quay
503 Kingston Road Streetcar; weekday daytime service (upgraded from rush-hour only service on a trial basis);[10] eastbound to Victoria Park Avenue from York Street and westbound to King Street and Spadina Avenue
504A King Streetcar; westbound to Dundas West station and eastbound to Distillery Loop
504B Streetcar; eastbound to Broadview station and westbound to Dufferin Gate Loop

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. "TTC King Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  3. "Wi-fi Now Available At". TCONNECT. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015. Each of the 65 underground stations will have wireless and Wi-Fi service by 2017
  4. "A Cavalcade of Progress, 1921–1954". Toronto Transit Commission. 1954. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  5. Bow, James. "A History of the Original Yonge Subway". Transit Toronto. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  6. "TTC's new signaling system extended to Queen Station". Toronto Transit Commission. February 24, 2020. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020. As part of the work, a train turn-back was added to King Station, providing more operational flexibility during operational issues on Line 1.
  7. "TTC King Station – Elevators and Escalators". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  8. "TTC Public Art Program". Toronto Transit Commission. June 5, 2017. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  9. "King Station – Easier Access Program". TTC. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. "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.

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