This distant Toronto subway station feels like a liminal space
When was the last time you passed through Highway 407 Station? Don't lie... I know you probably never have.
The TTC reported that the average number of people who passed through the station was just 9,042 per day in 2022 (down from 14,000 in 2019) — which, on a transit system that handles over 2 million daily riders, is almost negligable.
For comparison, Bloor-Yonge saw a little more than 155,000 riders a day in 2022. Out of every station on Line 1, Highway 407 has the fourth-lowest ridership.
Not to be deterred by the station's mysterious status, blogTO's own Anton Wong and Briana Briero bravely ventured where few before them have gone: to see Highway 407 Station for themselves.
@blogto We sent our one and only @antonwongvideo to go where no man has ever gone before... highway 407 station.😅 #tiktoktoronto #torontotiktok #toronto #torontoontario #torontocanada #highway407 #ttc #hwy407 #yyz #torontocommute #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound - blogTO
"I'm here today at Highway 407 station, mostly to verify that it does actually exist," says Anton.
Located at Jane and Highway 407 — or, as Anton describes "in a beautiful area between a bunch of power lines and a privately managed highway" — the station opened in 2017 as part of the Vaughan extension.
It would appear that not everyone has gotten the memo about the station being open, though, as Anton pans around a nearly desolate space with only a handful of other souls around.
"There's something so peaceful about this place right now," says Briana.
"We kind of need that in our lives with all this hustle and bustle," agrees Anton. "Somewhere quiet. High Park? Scarborough Bluffs? No. Highway 407 Station."
Designed by AECOM and Aedas (who also designed Sheppard West Station), it's actually a shockingly beautiful building, made even better by the relatively low level of chaos you'll have to endure there.
The station doesn't just service the TTC line: you can also access GO Transit, YRT and Ontario Northland to get where you're going.
Or, if you're like blogTO, you can simply go there just to see it with your own eyes.
Jack Landau
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