Queens Quay doesn’t have a collector booth; nor does it serve a subway (in the modern Toronto sense of the word). It isn’t even on the map. However, in the past, the TTC awkwardly insisted that the Harbourfront streetcars constituted an LRT line. And I fancy a visit. So let’s take a brief detour to this overlooked stop!
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| CLRV streetcar entering Queens Quay station |
Sporting a vaguely nautical blue theme, this underground facility was originally supposed to have direct access to the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel (and thus a closer exit to the Toronto Island Ferry Terminal). Wrangling between the city, the Commission, and the hotel over cost sharing and building codes forced the TTC to modify the station and its exits; the resulting delay meant that the station finally opened May 17, 1991—almost eleven months after the 604 Harbourfront officially began operating on June 22, 1990.
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| The pedestrian track crossing, with its fanciful dock crane |
Given its proximity to the lake and the ferry docks, I find it adorably appropriate that the station platform is prone to moisture accumulation. Several permanent signs allude to this condition—it’s common to observe small pools of water along the platform.
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| Slippery when wet. That was a great album. |
Queens Quay has several elements which distinguish it visually from the regular station template: a dock crane and a floor compass, at the pedestrian crossing; round blue dock bumpers (lights?) adorning the walls; decorative mid-track lighting posts; and regrettably generic leaf prints in the west side stairwell. Are these art?
When the Harbourfront East LRT eventually lurches into being, this pleasing little station will undergo an expansion to accommodate the traffic. I hope it retains its charm. See the gallery for details!
Photo Gallery
Tour the station, and view captioned historical images from its past:(hint: turn on the captions)
Transfer:
As mentioned, there’s no collector on duty at Queens Quay. Given the absence of a ‘paid-fare’ area, no station-specific transfer machine exists, although a recently installed Presto machine does have a ticket validation stamper, the utility of which I was confused by, since I’m customarily a Metropass user. Anyway, I didn’t think to get a stamp on my visit (I did on a subsequent visit, on a blank piece of paper, but it’s too generic-looking to merit posting; see the gallery).
More about Queens Quay
Queens Quay doesn’t have a TTC page! | Map | Wikipedia: Queens Quay(Yes, I know the Harbourfront LRT briefly appeared as the orange line on the Ride Guide from 1991-93)
My next stop: Main Street
Previous station: College
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