Bessarion station
Bessarion is a station on Line 4 Sheppard of the Toronto subway. Opened in 2002, it was consistently ranked the least-used station on the heavy-rail portion of the subway system, until being displaced by Downsview Park station in 2018. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.
History
Bessarion opened on November 24, 2002, along with the other stations of the Sheppard line. Due to budget overruns that came up on several occasions, there were many suggestions to remove it from the original plan for a cost savings of $34 million. When the question was raised a last time in 1998, it was decided that the station should be built, because it was in a prime redevelopment area and the station was an important selling feature for these proposed housing units pushed by Councillor David Shiner.When the site was excavated, the soil was found to be contaminated with various levels of hydrocarbons. This was removed and decontaminated during the construction of the subway station.
As of the late 2000s, Concord Park Place, an, multi-tower condominium and townhouse complex, is under construction on the former Canadian Tire warehouse site that adjoins the station.
Station description
Like all stations on the Sheppard line, Bessarion is fully accessible and has been since 2002, the year it opened. The main entrance on the south side of Sheppard Avenue is fully accessible, with elevator, escalator, and stair access to the concourse level, where another elevator connects to the subway platform level. The north entrance provides direct access to the concourse level only with stairs.The subway continues underground in a bored tunnel in both directions; east into and west to.
Architecture and art
The public art in the station, titled Passing by Toronto artist Sylvie Belanger, is a frieze of hands, feet, and backs of heads, which represent the users of the station. The images of feet appear on the concourse level, while the heads appear on the platform level. The images of hands appear along the stairs between the Sheppard Avenue north side entrance/exit and the concourse.Surface connections
There are no off-street bus platforms at this station, and connecting service is available at the bus stops on Sheppard Avenue with a valid transfer.TTC routes serving the station include:
| Route | Name | Additional Information |
| 85 | Sheppard East | Westbound to Sheppard–Yonge station and eastbound to Meadowvale Road |
| 85B | Sheppard East | Westbound to Sheppard–Yonge station and eastbound to Toronto Zoo |
| 85J | Sheppard East | Westbound to Sheppard–Yonge station and eastbound to Don Mills station |
| 385 | Sheppard East | Blue Night service; Westbound to Sheppard–Yonge station and eastbound to Meadowvale Road |