King is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University of the Toronto subway system. The station is located at the intersection of King Street and Yonge Street in Toronto's Financial District.
History
left|thumb|Interior of the station on opening
King station opened in 1954 as part of the first stretch of subway line built in Toronto, between and stations.
The original address for the station was 70 Yonge Street, which is still used in Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) maps, but the official website uses the address 3 King Street East, which both point to the intersection of the two streets, and the numbers are not used by nearby buildings.
A scissors crossover was installed just north of the station when the line was built, so that trains could easily crossover from one track to another, but was later removed in May 1984 during track rehabilitation because of maintenance costs. In 2012, the TTC decided to restore this crossover, as it would allow trains to turn back during service disruptions after the implementation of automatic train control, which occurred on February 24, 2020.
Station description
The station lies underneath Yonge Street at King Street, and is built on three levels. All five entrances are located on ground level, with three of them being sidewalk staircases from the northeast, southwest, and southeast corners of the Yonge Street and King Street intersection. The northwest corner entrance is through Scotia Plaza, and a semi-automatic entrance from Commerce Court East at 21 Melinda Street is staffed by a collector during rush hour. There is also an "exit only" sidewalk staircase from the southbound subway platform, just south of Melinda Street.
Gateway Newsstands located in the north concourse is the only tenant in the station.
Station improvements
As part of its Public Art Program announced in June 2017, the TTC intends to install an artwork titled Light Canopy by artist Sean Martindale. The work is an animated lighting system to be set into the ceiling above the stairwell at King station's western entrance, and will give passers-by the feeling of passing under tree foliage.
In January 2023, the TTC began construction to add elevators to the side platforms, with a new exit to be built at Melinda Street and a second at Yonge and Colborne Streets. The elevators will connect the north- and southbound platforms to the street level concourse. Construction is scheduled to be completed by mid-2026.