Bessarion
General information
Location731 Sheppard Avenue East,
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°46′09″N 79°22′35″W / 43.76917°N 79.37639°W / 43.76917; -79.37639
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

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]

History

Bessarion opened on November 24, 2002, along with the other stations on the Sheppard line.[6][7] Due to multiple budget overruns that occurred during construction, there were proposals to eliminate the station from the project in order to save $34 million.[8][9] In October 1998, the decision to build the station was made, as its surrounding area was a prime location for redevelopment. Councillor David Shiner promoted the station as a crucial selling point for proposed housing units.[3][10]

During the excavation of the site, it was discovered that the soil was tainted with different levels of hydrocarbons, possibly due to the previous existence of a Canadian Tire service station on the premises. The soil was removed and decontaminated during the construction of the station.[11]

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

During the mid-2000s, Line 4 was dubbed a "white elephant" due to lower-than-anticipated levels of ridership.[12] TTC officials joked that "keeping ticket sellers awake is the biggest challenge amid the boredom that is Bessarion station".[13]

In 2007, developer Concord Adex built Concord Park Place, an 18-hectare (45-acre) condominium and townhouse development, next to Bessarion.[14] The development was set to include 20 residential towers with approximately 10,000 residents, two new schools, and a community centre.[15] Initially, the project drew criticism for being located too far from the station, but the developer asserted that the community centre would increase Bessarion's ridership.[14][16] Other residential developments in the vicinity of the station have also been proposed.[17][7]

Between 2008 and 2018, ridership at Bessarion increased by 3 percent, in stark contrast to the 14 percent surge in ridership along all of Line 4.[2] The station had roughly half the amount of passengers at Don Mills, the second-busiest station on the line.[2]

Station description

Like all stations on the Sheppard line, Bessarion is fully accessible and has been since 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.[18]

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

Architecture and art

The station's interior is generally outfitted in tiles of cream and deep red.[19][20] The public art in the station,[21] titled Passing by Toronto artist Sylvie Belanger,[22] is a frieze of 800 photographs, representing the users of the station. Images of feet appear on the concourse level, heads appear on the platform, and hands appear along the stairs leading to both of the station's entrance pavilions.[19][23]

Surface connections

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.[18]

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, the Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Community Recreation Centre and Library (part of the Concord Park Place development),[24] Bessarion Parkette, a Canadian Tire, 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. 1 2 3 "TTC station ridership - 2008 to 2018". Urban Toronto. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  3. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. ↑ McGran, Kevin (November 24, 2003). "Critics say few use "stubway"". Toronto Star. p. B7.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. 1 2 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.
  15. ↑ "Concord Park Place community". Concord Park Place. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. 1 2 "Bessarion Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  19. 1 2 "The Sheppard Subway". Transit Toronto. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ "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.
  22. ↑ 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
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ "Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Community Recreation Centre & Library". toronto.ca. July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.

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