Bessarion station

Bessarion is a station on Line 4 Sheppard of the Toronto subway. Opened in 2002, it was consistently ranked the least-used station on the heavy-rail portion of the subway system (serving an average of 2,080 passengers per weekday in 2013),[2] until being displaced by Downsview Park station in 2018.[3] Wi-Fi service is available at this station.[4]

Bessarion
Location731 Sheppard Avenue East,
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°46′09″N 79°22′35″W
PlatformsCentre platform
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedNovember 24, 2002 (2002-11-24)
Traffic
Passengers (2018[1])2,990
Rank72 of 75
Services
Preceding station   TTC   Following station
Sheppard
toward Don Mills

History

Bessarion opened on November 24, 2002, along with the other stations of the Sheppard line.[5] Due to budget overruns that came up on several occasions, there were many suggestions to remove it from the original plan for a cost savings of $34 million. When the question was raised a last time in 1998, it was decided that the station should be built, because it was in a prime redevelopment area and the station was an important selling feature for these proposed housing units pushed by Councillor David Shiner.[6][7]

When the site was excavated, the soil was found to be contaminated with various levels of hydrocarbons (likely from the former Canadian Tire service station on the site). This was removed and decontaminated during the construction of the subway station.[8]

As of the late 2000s, Concord Park Place, a 45-acre (18 ha), master-planned multi-tower condominium and townhouse complex, is under construction on the former Canadian Tire warehouse site that adjoins the station.[6]

Station description

Like all stations on the Sheppard line, Bessarion is fully accessible and has been since 2002, the year it opened. The main entrance on the south side of Sheppard Avenue is fully accessible, with elevator, escalator, and stair access to the concourse level, where another elevator connects to the subway platform level. The north entrance provides direct access to the concourse level only with stairs.[9]

The subway continues underground in a bored tunnel in both directions; east into Leslie and west to Bayview.

Architecture and art

The public art in the station,[10] titled Passing by Toronto artist Sylvie Belanger,[11] is a frieze of hands, feet, and backs of heads, which represent the users of the station. The images of feet appear on the concourse level, while the heads appear on the platform level. The images of hands appear along the stairs between the Sheppard Avenue north side entrance/exit and the concourse.[12]

  • images of feet greet passengers at the concourse level
  • backs of heads decorate a pillar on the platform
  • legs & feet, dog & boy

Surface connections
Main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes

There are no off-street bus platforms at this station, and connecting service is available at the bus stops on Sheppard Avenue with a valid transfer.[9]

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route Name Additional Information
85 Sheppard East Westbound to Sheppard–Yonge station and eastbound to Meadowvale Road
85B Westbound to Sheppard–Yonge station and eastbound to Toronto Zoo
85J Westbound to Sheppard–Yonge station and eastbound to Don Mills station
385 Blue Night service; Westbound to Sheppard–Yonge station and eastbound to Meadowvale Road

Nearby landmarks

Nearby landmarks include the Bessarion Parkette, a Canadian Tire and Canadian Tire Park (Concord Place Park), an IKEA, and Mark's Work Wearhouse. Mountain Equipment Co-op's new North York store is now open a short distance from the station.

References
  1. "Subway ridership, 2018" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved February 5, 2019. 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. "Looking for Bessarion: TTC's least-used subway station goes viral". June 27, 2013.
  3. "New subway service is transforming Vaughan, but not all stations are busy, TTC figures show". CBC News. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  4. "OUR STATIONS – TCONNECT.ca". TCONNECT.ca. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  5. City of Toronto (June 1998). "Sheppard Subways Status of Permits and Approvals". Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  6. City of Toronto (August 2007). "Sheppard East Subway Corridor Secondary Plan" (PDF). Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  7. Eric Andrew-Gee (June 27, 2013). "Looking for Bessarion: TTC's least-used subway station goes viral". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  8. City of Toronto (July 2000). "Sheppard Subway – Bessarion Station Initiation of Civil Lawsuit to Recover Contamination Costs" (PDF). Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  9. "Bessarion Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  10. "Sylvie Belanger: cv". Artists. Robert Birch Gallery. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2015. PUBLIC COMMISSION: Bessarion Station, Toronto Subway, Can.
  11. Donovan Vincent (August 19, 2011). "TTC art: What works, what doesn't". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 1, 2015. photographic works in the Bessarion station, titled "Passing," by artist Sylvie Belanger
  12. "The Sheppard Subway". Transit Toronto. Retrieved July 28, 2011.

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