Castle Frank station

{{short description|Toronto subway station}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}

{{Infobox station

| name = Castle Frank

| symbol_location = toronto

| symbol = 2big

| style = Toronto Transit Commission

| image = Castle Frank TTC Subway Station, March 27 2025.jpg

| caption =

| address = 600 Bloor Street East
Toronto, Ontario

| country = Canada

| coordinates = {{coord|43|40|25|N|79|22|09|W|region:CA-ON_type:railwaystation|display=inline,title}}

|other = {{Collapsible list

|framestyle=border:none; padding:0;

|title={{rail-interchange|toronto|bus}} TTC buses

| 1= {{RouteBox|65||#FF2D16|white}} Parliament

| 2= {{RouteBox|94||#FF2D16|white}} Wellesley

| 3= {{color box|white|300 8px|#034DA9|border=silver}} Bloor–Danforth

| 4= {{color box|white|365 8px|#034DA9|border=silver}} Parliament

}}

| website = {{TTC station page}}

| structure = Underground

| platform = Side platforms

| depth =

| tracks = 2

| parking =

| bicycle =

| opened = {{Start date and age|1966|02|26}}

| closed =

| rebuilt =

| accessible = Yes

| passengers = {{formatnum:{{TTC ridership|Castle Frank}}}}

| pass_year = {{TTC ridership}}

| pass_rank = {{TTC rank|Castle Frank}}

| services = {{Adjacent stations|system=Toronto Transit Commission|line=2|left=Sherbourne|right=Broadview}}

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-custom = {{Infobox mapframe |shape=none |line=none |marker=rail-metro |marker-color=#16A753 |zoom=15}}

}}

Castle Frank is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway. It is located at the northwest corner of Bloor Street East and Castle Frank Road.

Without any major commercial, industrial or entertainment destinations, the station primarily serves the residents of South Rosedale, from which it is within walking distance, and St. James Town and Cabbagetown by way of the 65 Parliament and 94 Wellesley bus routes. Nearby landmarks include Rosedale Heights School of the Arts and St. James Cemetery.

Entrances

The entrance to the station is located on the northwest corner of Castle Frank Road and Bloor Street East.

The station was rated as high priority in the requirement for a second exit{{cite web |url=http://www.ttc.ca/postings/gso-comrpt/documents/report/f2037/_conv.htm |title=Fire Safety and Second Exits at Subway Stations |author=Richard C. Ducharme |date=April 14, 2004 |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=August 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807055806/http://www.ttc.ca/postings/gso-comrpt/documents/report/f2037/_conv.htm |url-status=dead }} which, although scheduled to be finished by January 2010,{{cite web |url=http://transit.toronto.on.ca/archives/weblog/2008/08/09-ttc_buildi.shtml |title=TTC building new exit at Castle Frank Station |author=Robert Mackenzie |date=August 9, 2008 |publisher=Transit Toronto |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=April 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401085939/http://transit.toronto.on.ca/archives/weblog/2008/08/09-ttc_buildi.shtml |url-status=live }} finally opened in December 2012 after many delays.{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/fixer/article/1050366--the-fixer-no-end-of-delays-for-castle-frank-ttc-project |title=No end of delays for Castle Frank TTC project |author=Jack Lakey |date=September 7, 2011 |publisher=Toronto Star |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=January 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101164027/http://www.thestar.com/news/fixer/article/1050366--the-fixer-no-end-of-delays-for-castle-frank-ttc-project |url-status=live }} This project still did not make the station accessible, although the stairs give subway riders a direct connection to the bus bays. Only an exit is provided through turnstile gates, without any way to get into the station using a pass or token that is available at the secondary entrance to many other stations.

Late in the fourth quarter of 2021, construction started to install two elevators to make Castle Frank station accessible, connecting the street-level concourse to each of the east- and westbound platforms. The project was completed in October 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.ttc.ca/about-the-ttc/projects-and-plans/Castle-Frank-Station |title=Easier Access{{snd}}Castle Frank Station |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |access-date=May 20, 2022}}{{update after|2024|11|15|reason=Temporarily not able to request new archiving on Internet Archive as of October 2024. Check after date listed and update either archived copy or this template as needed.}}

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CastleFrankStation2020.jpg|Station entrance

Castle Frank TTC second exit 0205.JPG|The much-delayed second exit, which opened in 2012

Bloor-Parliament Parkette loop site.JPG|Bloor–Parliament Parkette in 2013 has a bus stop beside it

History

Castle Frank station, opened in 1966, is named after the community that it serves. Its streets, and the brook that flows through it, are in turn named after John Graves Simcoe's summer residence in the area overlooking the Don River, which burned down in 1829.{{cite web|last1=Peppiatt|first1=Liam|title=Chapter 1B: Castle Frank|url=http://www.landmarksoftoronto.com/castle-frank/|website=Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto|access-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703142611/http://www.landmarksoftoronto.com/castle-frank/|archive-date=July 3, 2015|url-status=dead}} The residence was named after his son Francis Simcoe. In 1954, a historical marker was placed in Prince Edward Viaduct Parkette, near the site of the historic Castle Frank residence, on the south side of Bloor Street at Castle Frank Road.

The Parliament streetcar line operated to its northerly terminus at the Viaduct Loop until 1966. No consideration was given to construct the short connection, from that location at Bloor Street East and Parliament Street across the Rosedale Ravine, which would have made the streetcar route a major feeder line to the subway station.{{cite web |url=http://transit.toronto.on.ca/streetcar/4120.shtml |title=The Parliament Streetcar (Deceased) |first=James |last=Bow |publisher=Transit Toronto |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=July 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705020203/http://transit.toronto.on.ca/streetcar/4120.shtml |url-status=live }} The site of the streetcar loop is now Rekai Family Parkette.https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-68516.pdf

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Viaduct Loop s0071 it4343.jpg|Viaduct Loop in 1926 was a terminus for streetcars

Castle Frank Historical Marker.jpg|Castle Frank historical marker

Subway infrastructure in the vicinity

File:TTC over Rosedale Valley Road.jpg

East of the station, the line runs under Bloor Street to use the lower deck of the Prince Edward Viaduct. At the end of the Viaduct, it swings to parallel Danforth Avenue on the north side. Immediately west of the station, the line crosses the Rosedale Ravine in a covered concrete bridge, then continues in a tunnel to Sherbourne station.

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Surface connections

{{Main|List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes}}

When the subway is closed, buses do not enter the station. TTC routes serving the station include:

class="wikitable"

! Route

! Name

! Additional information

65

|Parliament

|Southbound to Queens Quay & Lower Sherbourne

94A

| rowspan="2" |Wellesley

|Westbound to Ossington station

94B

|Westbound to Wellesley station

300A

| rowspan="2" |Bloor-Danfoth

|Westbound to Pearson Airport

Eastbound to Warden Avenue

300B

|Westbound to West Mall

Eastbound to Kennedy station

365

|Parliament

|Blue Night service; southbound to the Esplanade

References

{{Reflist}}