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 2,500 passengers per weekday between 2008 and 2018),[2][3] until being displaced by Downsview Park station in 2018.[4] Wi-Fi service is available at this station.[5]

Bessarion
General information
Location731 Sheppard Avenue East,
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°46′09″N 79°22′35″W
PlatformsCentre platform
Tracks2
Connections
  •  85  Sheppard East
  •  385   Sheppard East
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
AccessibleYes
ArchitectURS Cole Sherman
Other information
WebsiteOfficial station page
History
OpenedNovember 24, 2002 (2002-11-24)
Passengers
2019[1]3,290
Rank72 of 75
Services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station
Bayview
towards Sheppard–Yonge
 Sheppard Leslie
towards Don Mills
Location

History

Bessarion opened on November 24, 2002, along with the other stations of the Sheppard line.[6][7] Due to budget overruns that came up on several occasions during construction, there were suggestions to remove the station from the project for a cost savings of $34 million.[8][9] In October 1998, it was decided that the station should be built because its surrounding area was a prime target for redevelopment and the station was an important selling feature for proposed housing units pushed by Councillor David Shiner.[3][10]

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). The soil was removed and decontaminated during the construction of the subway station.[11]

Bessarion Community Centre under construction in May 2021, behind the station entrance

Upon opening, the area surrounding Bessarion station was the low-rise residential neighbourhood of Bayview Village, big box stores and a Canadian Tire distribution centre.[12][13]

In the mid-2000s, Line 4 was criticised as a "white elephant", with ridership below expected levels.[14] TTC officials privately joked that "keeping ticket sellers awake is the biggest challenge amid the boredom that is Bessarion station".[15]

Since 2007, Concord Park Place, an 18-hectare (45-acre) condominium and townhouse complex was constructed by developer Concord Adex on a former Canadian Tire distribution centre adjacent to the station.[16] Upon completion, the development was set to consist of 20 residential towers with around 10,000 residents, 2 new schools and a community centre.[17] Early phases of the development (completed in the early 2010s) were criticized for being located far away from the station entrance; however, the developer noted that the development and the community centre would increase ridership at the station.[16][18] Other residential developments along Sheppard Avenue close to the station have also been proposed.[19][7]

Between 2008 and 2018, ridership at Bessarion increased by 3%, a small increase compared to a 14% rise in ridership on Line 4 Sheppard overall during the same period.[2] The station maintained roughly half the number of riders of Don Mills, the next busiest station on the line.[2]

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.[20]

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

Architecture and art

The station was designed by URS Cole Sherman, with the station generally outfitted in tiles of cream and deep red.[21][22] The public art in the station,[23] titled Passing by Toronto artist Sylvie Belanger,[24] is a frieze of hands, feet, and the 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 and the concourse.[21][25]

  • Concourse level
    Concourse level
  • Back of heads at platform level
    Back of heads at platform level
  • Feet and legs greet passengers at the concourse level
    Feet and legs greet passengers at the concourse level

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

There are no off-street bus platforms at this station. Connecting service is available at the bus stops on Sheppard Avenue with a valid transfer.[20]

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route Name Additional information
85A Sheppard East 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 Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Park and the Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Community Recreation Centre and Library (part of the Concord Park Place development),[26] Bessarion Parkette, a Canadian Tire, Mark's Work Wearhouse and Mountain Equipment Co-op North York.

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 station ridership - 2008 to 2018". Urban Toronto. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  3. Andrew-Gee, Eric (June 27, 2013). "Looking for Bessarion: TTC's least-used subway station goes viral". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  4. Boisvert, Nick (October 15, 2018). "New subway service is transforming Vaughan, but not all stations are busy, TTC figures show". CBC News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  5. "OUR STATIONS – TCONNECT.ca". TCONNECT.ca. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  6. Van Bastelaer, Sophie (November 19, 2016). "November 22, 2002: The Sheppard Subway Line opens its doors". Press Reader. Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  7. Morrow, Adrian (November 16, 2012). "Lessons from Toronto's Sheppard subway line". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  8. Moloney, Paul (October 6, 1998). "TTC Chair feels station threatened". Toronto Star. p. B3. Money is short because the subway line, originally budgeted at $875 million, has sustained cost overruns of up to $58 million
  9. Moloney, Paul (October 29, 1998). "Subway station okayed". Toronto Star. TTC staff pointed out that scrapping Bessarion would save $34 million
  10. Moloney, Paul (October 29, 1998). "Subway station okayed". Toronto Star. Bessarion, one of five stations, is located in a redevelopment area that city planners say could become home to thousands of residents and potential subway riders.
  11. City of Toronto (July 2000). "Sheppard Subway – Bessarion Station Initiation of Civil Lawsuit to Recover Contamination Costs" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  12. Morrow, Adrian (November 16, 2012). "Lessons from Toronto's Sheppard subway line". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  13. "Still a subway to nowhere?". The Toronto Star. November 24, 2007. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  14. McGran, Kevin (November 24, 2003). "Critics say few use "stubway"". Toronto Star. p. B7.
  15. McGran, Kevin (November 24, 2003). "Anniversary for Sheppard line". Toronto Star. p. B1. even though some TTC officials privately joke that keeping ticket sellers awake is the biggest challenge amid the boredom that is Bessarion station, they call the Sheppard subway line a success.
  16. Bansal, Parul (May 20, 2019). "How Bessarion, one of Toronto's least-used subway stations, offers lessons for avoiding 'bad planning'". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  17. "Concord Park Place community". Concord Park Place. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  18. Landau, Jack (April 26, 2021). "Construction Progresses on Seasons and Saisons at Concord Park Place | UrbanToronto". urbantoronto.ca. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  19. Debergh, Ryan (August 8, 2019). "12-Storey Mid-Rise Proposed Near Bessarion Subway Station | UrbanToronto". urbantoronto.ca. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  20. "Bessarion Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  21. "The Sheppard Subway". Transit Toronto. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  22. Ruckle, Chelsea. "The Gaze and the Glance in Transitional Spaces: Public Art in Toronto's Sheppard Line Stations" (PDF). Carleton University. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  23. "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.
  24. Vincent, Donovan (August 19, 2011). "TTC art: What works, what doesn't". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015. photographic works in the Bessarion station, titled "Passing," by artist Sylvie Belanger
  25. Ruckle, Chelsea. "The Gaze and the Glance in Transitional Spaces: Public Art in Toronto's Sheppard Line Stations" (PDF). Carleton University. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  26. "Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Community Recreation Centre & Library". toronto.ca. July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.

Media related to Bessarion Station at Wikimedia Commons Official station page

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