Finch (TTC)
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| Finch 5714 Yonge Street |
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| Opened | March 29, 1974 |
| Line | Yonge-University-Spadina line |
| Next station | ≅1.5 km south to North York Centre 2 min |
| Connections | 36 Finch West, 39 Finch East, 42 Cummer, 53 Steeles East, 60 Steeles West, 97 Yonge, 125 Drewry, GO Finch Bus Terminal |
| Platforms | Centre platform
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Finch is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina line of the subway system of Toronto, Canada. It is the northern terminus of the line's Yonge Street section, and the northernmost station in the system (the planned Spadina extension will contain more northern stations). It is also the busiest bus terminal in the TTC system, and the fifth busiest subway station in the system, serving around 91,050 people a day. It is located at 5714 Yonge Street between Finch East and West Avenues. The station was opened on March 29, 1974, by then-Premier William Grenville Davis and North York mayor Mel Lastman, replacing York Mills as the northern terminus of the line. The station also serves as a link to other transit agencies by proximity to the GO Finch Bus Terminal.
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[edit] Geography and layout
[edit] Bus terminal
On street level is a bus terminal. It is bordered on the south by Finch Avenue, and on the north by Bishop Avenue (which is named Hendon when it crosses west of Yonge). To the west of the terminal, separated by a chain link fence, is a parking area behind a strip of small 2-story commercial buildings which stand between the terminal and Yonge Street. To the east, separated by wavy-shaped brick/masonry wall, are several taller buildings. The station interrupts the path of an east-west street, Pemberton Avenue, which runs between Bishop and Finch. It ends east of the station, and a very short length resumes west of the station, intersecting Yonge. The street passes between two of the commercial buildings and is mainly used for its Metered parking and access to the parking lot behind the commercial (see New bus exit below)
The terminal consists of central narrow rectangular building oriented north-south. Doors on the east and west sides allow passengers to exit to two bus platforms. Each bus route has its own assigned boarding location on the platforms which is marked with signs (inside and outside the building) and a route schedule. Busses travel clockwise on a looped roadway that circles the terminal structure. The roadway exits to the public streets at the north and south ends (see new bus exit below). Most busses exit north and board on the west platform. Only Finch Avenue routes exit south, and board on the east platform. Buses typically (but not exclusively) let passengers off on the opposite platform as they board. Pedestrians cannot enter the terminal on street level, and must gain access via the subway station below.
[edit] Subway station
Stairs, escalators, and elevators lead from the bus terminal down three levels to the subway platform. The upper concourse, one floor below the bus terminal, is a corridor running the length of the bus terminal. It collects the landings of all of the terminal's stairs and escalators and leads to another bank of stairs and escalators down to the lower concourse.
The lower concourse level is the main concourse of the subway station. It is divided into the fare-paid and unpaid areas. The unpaid area is a long corridor, part of which runs alongside the fare-paid area lined with several automated token/pass and manned entrances. The unpaid area contains connections to office towers (North American Life, Place Nouveau, and condominiums on Pemberton Avenue), the regional bus terminal, and the “Kiss-n-Ride” passenger drop-off facility; it also contains token machines. The fare-paid area houses a few shops, including Gateway Newsstand and Tim Hortons, and stairs and escalators down to the subway platform.
The platform level consists of a central platform between two tracks with an operations tower at the south end. Since Finch is the last station on the line, trains alternate which track they arrive on, and trains on both tracks travel southbound. When both tracks are occupied, overhead signs indicate which train will depart first.
Krystyna Sadowska's sculpture Rhythm Of Exotic Plants (1965) is displayed on the lower concourse level, outside the fare-paid area; A stainless-steel plaque celebrating the station's opening is also located on the lower concourse. A smaller plaque is located at the south subway platform.
[edit] Access
Pedestrians can enter Finch Station from:
- North American Life Building — lower floor (to lower concourse)
- Yonge Street east side (to upper concourse)
- GO Finch Bus Terminal building by escalator, and an adjacent stairwell exiting on the sidewalk at the north-east street corner of Yonge Street and Bishop Avenue (to lower concourse)
- Kiss-n-Ride entrance, elevators and stairs — north-west corner of Yonge Street and Hendon Avenue (to lower concourse)
- stairs — north-east and north-west corners of Finch Avenue and Yonge Street (to lower concourse)
- Pemberton Avenue cul-de-sac (privately maintained entrance) (to upper concourse)
Additionally, passengers on TTC busses that stop at Finch station can enter the subway station through the bus terminal. It is illegal for pedestrians to enter or exit the bus terminal at street level. This can be frustrating for those coming off a bus at the terminal that would rather not go through the entire subway station to get across the street from the bus terminal, and sometimes people do exit the station at street level.
There is an emergency exit between Finch and North York Centre stations at Church Avenue and Yonge Street. The site was once the Willowdale United Church, demolished to make way for subway construction. Stairs from the tunnel surface in a brick building in the northeast corner, beside a cemetery and a Dominion supermarket.
[edit] Connections
As is often the case with TTC’s larger bus terminals, the bus terminal at Finch station is within the fare-paid area, so pedestrians wishing to board buses will need to enter through the subway station. Once one has entered the fare-paid area of the station (by paying or by arrival on a TTC vehicle), they can access the subway or any bus in the terminal without a transfer.
Bus routes serving Finch include:
- 36 Finch West - 36A, B, C, D
- 39 Finch East - 39, A, B, C, D, E, F
- 42 Cummer - 42, A, B
- 53 Steeles East - 53, A, B, E
- 60 Steeles West - 60, B, C, E, F
- 97 Yonge - 97
- 125 Drewry - 125
With the exceptions of route 97 southbound and “Blue Night” night buses, all TTC buses stop inside the bus terminal to pick up and drop off passengers. Transfers (or fare) would be required on the two aforementioned exceptions.
North of the Finch TTC station, directly across Bishop Ave. from the TTC bus terminal, is the GO Finch Bus Terminal, which connects the subway to GO Transit, Brampton Transit, and York Region Transit buses (including two lines of York Region's Viva rapid transit system).
[edit] New bus exit
Aside from Finch Avenue busses, all other busses exit Finch at the north end, turning left onto Bishop Avenue, in order to turn right onto Yonge Street. Busses must make the left turn into moving traffic, and because of backup at the Yonge & Bishop if the traffic signal is red, the maneuver is sometimes difficult, and sometimes blocks eastbound traffic. A policeman is sometimes used to direct traffic during rush hour. Additionally, busses returning to the station southbound on Yonge must turn left onto Bishop. In rush hour, this can cause significant traffic backup.
As an attempted solution to at least a portion of the difficulties, construction work began in April 2006 with scheduled completion by the end of the year. At the heart of the construction project is a new exit to the bus terminal. On the western stub of Pemberton Avenue (see geography above) the metered parking will be permanently removed (a new Toronto Parking Authority lot was relocated just north on the south-east corner of Yonge and Bishop (formerly a private parking lot)), and the street will be connected to the road loop of Finch station. Once completed, the street will resume two-way public traffic for access to the parking behind the commercial buildings; the connection to Finch will be used as an exit only for busses headed northbound on Yonge (all busses except Finch Avenue busses). Tenants of buildings next to Finch station can also used the exit; a temporary ramp to the lot next to Scotiabank was added, but since removed. This will allow them to bypass Bishop Avenue and simply exit at Pemberton, making a right turn onto Yonge when a break in traffic is provided; typically by a red light at Yonge and Finch. A decorative black iron fence was added to the new exit.
Busses returning to Finch from the north will not have their route affected. However, another possible change involved in the project may involve altering the south-to-east left-turn lane median at Yonge and Bishop to reduce congestion. In addition, there is a proposition in place for a dedicated bus lane on Yonge Street between Finch Avenue and Steeles Avenue.
Due to the construction blocking part of the west end of the road loop, several of the bus routes' stops on platform have been temporarily moved away so that busses do not stop beside the construction and block the loop. Judging by the intended use of the new exit, it is possible, if not likely, that the stops along the platform will be permanently altered once construction is complete; this is given that several buses that would make use of this exit stop in front of the exit would have to make an entire circuit of the road loop to return to that exit.
[edit] Parking lots and passenger drop-off facility
There are two major TTC parking lots (referred to as the car park in directional signage) at Finch station for use by commuters. They are called simply the East Lot and the West Lot, and are located north of Bishop/Hendon, east and west of Yonge Street respectively. The lots have a combined capacity of over 3000 parking spaces; though even with such capacity, the lots are usually full during weekdays. Access to these lots can be either by cash or by Metropass.
In addition to the parking lots, Finch Station also features a relatively elaborate “Kiss-n-Ride” passenger drop-off/pick-up facility, which is connected to the lower concourse level of the station (outside the fare-paid area) by pedestrian tunnels. The area has a round, indoor waiting area for passengers, with about 20 temporary parking spaces circularly surrounding the structure. It is adjacent to the west parking lot.
On the north side of Bishop Avenue, slightly east of the TTC bus terminal (along the southern edge of the GO bus terminal) is a parking lane for taxicabs. This is best accessed by exiting the subway station at the stairs/escalator to the north-east corner of Yonge and Bishop (the GO bus terminal).
[edit] Nearby landmarks
- Plaque on the North American Life building commemorating the birth place of former Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson
- Newtonbrook Plaza
- Finch's Hotel (historic landmark that no longer exists)
