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Osgoode station

Coordinates: 43°39′03″N 79°23′12″W / 43.65083°N 79.38667°W / 43.65083; -79.38667
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(Redirected from Lower Osgoode)

Osgoode
General information
Location181 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°39′03″N 79°23′12″W / 43.65083°N 79.38667°W / 43.65083; -79.38667
Owned byToronto Transit Commission
PlatformsCentre platform
Tracks2
Connections
  •  301   Queen
  •  501  Queen
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
AccessibleYes
Other information
WebsiteOfficial station page
History
OpenedFebruary 28, 1963; 61 years ago (1963-02-28)
Rebuilt2006–2008, 2016
Passengers
2022[1]27,396
Rank24 of 70
Services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station
St. Patrick
towards Vaughan
Line 1 Yonge–University St. Andrew
towards Finch
Future services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station
Queen–Spadina
towards Exhibition
Ontario Line
(opens 2031)
Queen
Location
Map

Osgoode is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station, which opened in 1963, is located under University Avenue where it is crossed by Queen Street West and is named for the nearby Osgoode Hall, which honours William Osgoode, the first chief justice of Upper Canada. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.[2]

History and construction

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Osgoode Station Concourse

The station has an island platform and was constructed using the cut-and-cover method. There is a pocket track at the south end of the station which allows a southbound train to change direction.[3]

When Osgoode was built, some utility lines were relocated away from the station to allow for a future "Lower Osgoode" station on the projected but never-built Queen Street subway, but unlike at Lower Queen, no actual construction took place. When it opened, Osgoode, like St. Andrew station, boasted Vitrolite tiles on its walls.[4] Cracks resulting from the high water table at the station forced the TTC to cover over most of these tiles in the 1970s with vertical slats along the outer walls on the far side of the tracks and ceramic tiles on structural elements on the platform itself. In 2016, the slats on the outer walls were replaced by off-white panels, evoking the original design.[5]

Entrances to the station were all built as open stairways from the sidewalk, with the panel above the lintel emblazoned with the scales of justice, which referenced the Superior Court of Justice at Osgoode Hall. Subsequent refurbishment resulted in a generic TTC style replacing the unique symbolism. In 2006, a new entrance, with elevator access to the concourse level, was integrated into the construction of the Four Seasons Centre, at the southeast corner of Queen and University. Along with an elevator to the platform level within the fare paid area, this made the station fully accessible as of 2007.[6] Plans from 2008 call for Diamond and Schmitt Architects, who were responsible for the opera house, to design complementary covered entrances at the other three corners of the intersection.[7]

Entrances
Original design of entrance stairwell
Current stairs with generic TTC signage
Four Seasons Centre subway entrance

Future

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Metrolinx plans to construct the Ontario Line, a rapid transit line connecting the south loop of Line 1 Yonge–University to the east wing of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth and north to Science Centre station, where the line will interchange with Line 5 Eglinton. The preferred route of the line is from Science Centre to Exhibition. Osgoode station is a planned station on this new line. The Ontario Line would be drilled out of rock at a lower level.[8]

Nearby landmarks

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Nearby landmarks include the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, Osgoode Hall, the South African War Memorial, 299 Queen Street West, the Canada Life Building and the United States Consulate.

Surface connections

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

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route Name Additional information
501/301 Queen Streetcar; eastbound to Neville Park Loop and westbound to Bathurst Street.

References

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  1. ^ "Subway ridership, 2022" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved May 4, 2024. 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. ^ "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
  3. ^ Spurr, Ben (June 4, 2021). "'It's a miracle': How two TTC subway trains came within seconds of a disastrous collision". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  4. ^ "The University Subway – Under Construction – Transit Toronto – Content". transittoronto.ca. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  5. ^ "Gordon on Instagram: "Before and after. Osgoode station. #toronto #TTC #beforeandafter #Osgoode #subway #oldandnew "". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "Installation Of Elevators At Osgoode Station" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  7. ^ "Retrofit Of Subway/Srt Open Stairway Entrances" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  8. ^ "The Ontario Line – Neighbourhood Updates – Downtown". Metrolinx Engage. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
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Media related to Osgoode station at Wikimedia Commons