Glencairn station

Glencairn
General information
Location785 Glencairn Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°42′31″N 79°26′26″W / 43.70861°N 79.44056°W / 43.70861; -79.44056
PlatformsCentre platform
Tracks2
Connections  14  Glencairn
Construction
Structure typeAt grade in highway median
AccessibleYes
ArchitectAdamson Associates
Other information
WebsiteOfficial station page
History
Opened28 January 1978; 47 years ago (1978-01-28)
Passengers
2023–2024[1]5,878
Rank65 of 70
Services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station
Lawrence West
towards Vaughan
Line 1 Yonge–University Cedarvale
towards Finch
Location
Map

Glencairn is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the median of William R. Allen Road at Glencairn Avenue.

History

Glencairn station opened in 1978 in what was then the Borough of North York. It was part of the subway line extension from St. George to Wilson station.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a station at Glencairn Avenue and Yonge Street was considered for an extension of Line 1 north along Yonge but dropped due to budgetary limitations. Had this station been built, it would have been located between Eglinton and Lawrence stations.

As part of the Easier Access program, construction began in 2022 to add elevators to the centre platform, which connects to the street-level concourse. Construction was completed on 1 October 2024.[2]

Station description

Glencairn station was constructed at ground level within the median of Allen Road, between the Glencairn Avenue and Viewmount Avenue bridges.

Glencairn Avenue, at the north end of the station, has entrances on the north and south side of the street. Here there are both up and down escalators and stairs between the centre train platform, the intermediate concourse where there is a collectors booth and turnstiles, and street level. Viewmount Avenue, at the south end of the station, only has stairs to an automatic entrance on the north side of the street. There are elevators connecting the street-level concourse to the centre platform.[2]

Architecture and art

The artwork Joy in the skylight casts a pink glow.

Glencairn was designed by Adamson Associates.[3][4] A central vaulted glass roof spans the length of the station, allowing the penetration of natural light to all areas of the station during the day and for it to be seen at night as a long illuminated strip of light.

Station entrance on the south side of Glencairn Avenue

The glass roof is directly above the single centre platform. This is similar to the design of Yorkdale station, where the interior walls of the station at platform level are unfinished concrete, with curved sections over the tracks to form a lower ceiling. Unlike Yorkdale, the curve is less sudden, making the walls more rounded in appearance. They are clad with white horizontal panels between vertical concrete "ribs", along with a wider orange panel strip displaying the station name. Platform-level seating is sheltered within glass walls. Wayfinding signage is backlit. Floors and some of the walls are clad with red-brown tiles.

Glencairn features an artistic skylight entitled Joy, designed by Rita Letendre. The original iteration, installed in 1977, comprised a series of translucent acrylic panels. It was removed in the early 1990s at Letendre's request after leakage damaged the panels. The second version, installed in 2020, is a reinterpretation of the original work. It consists of art colours inserted between two glass panels.[5][6]

Surface connections

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route Name Additional information
14 Glencairn Eastbound to Davisville station and westbound to Caledonia Road

Transfers to buses occur at curbside stops outside this station. 109 Ranee runs along Marlee Avenue one block west of Glencairn station.

References

  1. ^ "Subway ridership, 2023–2024" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved 12 November 2024. This table shows the typical number of customer-boardings made on each subway line and the number of customers travelling to and from each station platform on a typical weekday in Sep 2023–Aug 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Easier Access – Glencairn Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on 6 August 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  3. ^ "Design for Transit", Canadian Architect, 21: 35, 1976
  4. ^ "Information on Building Name: Glencairn Subway Station". Architectural Index for Ontario. Toronto Public Library. Retrieved 1 August 2012.[dead link]
  5. ^ TTC (12 July 2017). "Procurement Authorization Glencairn Skylight Replacement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  6. ^ "TTC celebrates newly installed skylight at Glencairn Station". Toronto Transit Commission. 12 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.

Media related to Glencairn station at Wikimedia Commons