Eglinton station

Machine boring holes for Line 5 station sidewalls at existing station entrance

Twenty-four weekend closures of Line 1 Yonge–University at Eglinton station were scheduled for 2018 alone for construction activities related to the Crosstown (Line 5 Eglinton). The first closure was scheduled for February 10–11, 2018.[4]

Structures to be constructed at Eglinton station as part of the Crosstown project are:

• Main entrance to Line 5 to be located just west of the existing, to-be-retained station entrance at the southwest corner of Eglinton Avenue and Yonge Street.[12][7][13]
• Replacement entrances at the northwest, northeast and southeast corners of the intersection of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue connecting to underground concourses.[13]
• LRT platforms with rails laid 22 metres below ground.[4]
• Separate Line 5 concourse at a lower level than the Line 1 platform.[13]
• Northward extension of the existing Line 1 platform providing room for escalator/elevator access down to the Line 5 concourse level.[13]
• Emergency exit and ventilation shaft at 7 Eglinton Avenue East in a four-story structure to also be used as a Salvation Army church.[14]
• Facility services building to be located over the Line 1 portal at Berwick Avenue, which will house a ventilation capable of emergency smoke extraction.[15]

In November 2013, the TTC originally proposed to shift the current Line 1 platform approximately 70 metres (230 ft) northward of its current location. Such a change would have allowed smoother flows of passenger traffic between the platforms for Lines 1 and 5, and avoided a situation where all transferring passengers are bottlenecked by only one transfer path, similar to the busy Bloor–Yonge station. The pocket track at the north end of the station would have had to be abandoned.[16] However, this proposal was modified by March 2018 to shift the Line 1 platform north by only 24 metres (79 ft), allowing the pocket track to be retained. In the new area there will be an elevator and escalators down to the Line 5 concourse. At the south end of the platform, the elevator and stairs to the south station entrance would be retained but the platform edge would be walled off in this area.[13][17] The northern platform extension opened on May 14, 2023.[18]

Eglinton station opened in 1954 as the northern terminus of the original Yonge subway line, today a part of Line 1 Yonge–University. In 1954, the Yonge subway ran from Eglinton station to Union station, and replaced the Yonge streetcar line. Eglinton station sits on the site of the former Eglinton Carhouse, a streetcar facility opened in 1922, partly closed in 1951 to construct the subway line, and fully closed in 1954.[19]

When opened in 1954, Eglinton station had a different bus terminal from what exists today. Eglinton's first bus terminal was located at the south side of Eglinton Avenue, just north of the current bus terminal. It initially had nine parallel bays within the fare-paid zone, each with a covered platform and staircases leading down to an east–west, underground concourse. There was also a platform 10 outside the fare-paid zone. In 1963, platforms 11–13 were added on the west side of platform 10 to handle increasing suburban traffic. The bus terminal had its own street entrance facing Eglinton Avenue at the north end of platform 10, about 50 metres east of Duplex Avenue.[9]

With its opening in 1954, Eglinton station hosted trolley bus service serving neighbourhoods north of Eglinton Avenue. One bay was for 97 Yonge trolley buses to Glen Echo Loop, and two bays were for 61 Nortown trolley buses with separate bays for eastbound and westbound trips. The Nortown route was U-shaped serving Mount Pleasant Road east of the station, and Avenue Road to the west. The Eglinton garage, at the site of today's Eglinton station bus terminal, serviced trolley buses as well as diesel buses.[9]

In 1973, Line 1 was extended to York Mills station and Eglinton station ceased to be a terminal station. Along with the extension, a pocket track was installed on the north side of the station to reverse some Line 1 trains.[9] Also with the extension, Glen Echo Loop was closed and the Yonge trolley bus route was converted to diesel. This left Nortown as the only trolley bus route serving Eglinton station.[20]

In 1991, the Nortown trolley bus route was converted to diesel, ending trolley bus service at Eglinton station.[21]

In 2004, the original bus terminal from 1954 was closed because of safety concerns over its aging infrastructure.[12] A replacement bus terminal was opened in the former bus garage just south of the old bus terminal.[9]

The original open air bus platforms were reached by individual stairwells from the concourse.

The new bus bay area is located at ground level under the Canada Square building.

Eglinton station concourse in 2023

In 2004, this station became accessible with the addition of elevators, and also with the closure of the old bus terminal which had required passengers to use stairs to reach the buses.[9]

In 2016, the original bus terminal from 1954 was demolished to make way for construction of Line 5.[12]

On November 17, 2016, Eglinton became the last station on Line 1 to be Presto enabled.[22]

In October 2021, automatic train control (ATC) was extended to Eglinton station.[23] On May 14, 2023, the northern platform extension on Line 1 opened. ATC had been adjusted the previous day so that trains stopped 24 metres (79 ft) further north. The southern 24 metres of the platform was closed off for passenger boarding and disembarking.[18]

There are several high-rise buildings at or near the corner of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue. Built directly over the station is the Canada Square Complex, which is home to TVOntario studios and the head offices of Canadian Tire. Yonge Eglinton Centre is at the northwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton. Further south is the residential Minto Midtown. Another nearby destination is Eglinton Park, west of Eglinton station.

TTC routes serving the station include:

• Yonge–Eglinton

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eglinton station.

• Official station page
• A photo tour and detailed history of the station are available on the Transit Toronto website
• Integrated Art - Rodney LaTourelle with Louise Witthöft on YouTube published by Metrolinx about an art piece to be installed at the new Line 5 main entrance
• Underpinning Explainer on YouTube published by Metrolinx about excavation work to build Line 5 under Line 1 at Eglinton Station