Lawrence station (Toronto)

Lawrence is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located under Yonge Street at Lawrence Avenue, in the Bedford Park, Lawrence Park and Lytton Park neighbourhoods.

Description

The station is on four levels, all the entrances to the station are at street level, the concourse and collector level is on the second level, the bus platform is on the third level, and the subway platform is on the lower level. Both the subway and bus levels have a centre platform.
Out of view from customers, there is an attic extending above and along the length of the subway platform. The attic contains ventilation equipment, a TTC substation and a city sewer pipe. There is a double crossover just south of the subway platforms.
There are four entrances to the station located in the surrounding area:

Entrance on Lawrence Avenue, west of Yonge Street, leading to the south-side mezzanine level
Entrance on Lawrence Avenue, east of Yonge Street, leading to the south-side mezzanine level
Entrance via sidewalk staircase at Bedford Park Avenue, leading to the north-side mezzanine level
Entrance via sidewalk staircase at Ranleigh Avenue, leading to the north-side mezzanine level

The south-side mezzanine leads down to the bus and subway levels. The unstaffed north-side mezzanine leads directly to the subway level.

History

Lawrence station opened in 1973 as an intermediate stop between, the former northern terminus of the Yonge line, and, which acted as a temporary terminus until the line was extended to. Constructed using the cut-and-cover method, Lawrence is one of the deepest stations in the subway system. It was also the first station to have an underground bus terminal.
On April 23, 2007, TTC employee Antonio Almeida was killed in the tunnel just south of the station when a platform on his work car was dislodged.
In 2012, a series of renovations repaired the deteriorating concrete of the bus roadway and tunnel walls. Between the fourth quarter of 2012 and mid-2015, four high-capacity fire ventilation fans were installed at the station.
In 2015, the owner of the building at 3080 Yonge Street proposed to incorporate the TTC entrance at that corner into a renovation project for the building. The old TTC entrance building would be demolished; the renovated building would incorporate a new TTC entrance at ground level. The TTC requested that there be provision for an elevator. These renovations were carried out, and the renovated TTC entrance was opened.

Easier access enhancements works

By mid-2022, work had begun to make Lawrence station accessible. The project entailed the addition of two elevators, one from street level to the concourse level and a second from the concourse to the bus and subway levels. A new stairway would be added from the concourse to the subway platform. Signage and wayfinding would be improved throughout the station. Once the project is completed, the station will have a fifth entrance to house the elevator from street level to the concourse; it will be located on the north side of a Tim Hortons outlet, a few doors north of the existing entrance at the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue. The project required partial closures within the station. In November 2023, the underground bus terminal was closed, resulting in the diversion of buses from Lawrence Avenue West to Eglinton station via Avenue Road, and buses from Lawrence Avenue East to the Roe Loop at Roe Avenue and Avenue Road. In July 2024, the main entrances at the south side of the station were closed, limiting station access to the northern secondary entrances. On August 31, 2025, the bus terminal and south side entrances were reopened. Elevators went into service in December 2025, rendering the station accessible. Minor work is expected to be completed through the second quarter of 2026.

Nearby landmarks

Parks that run through Chatsworth and Blythwood ravines from Chatsworth Drive and Cheritan Avenue to Bayview Avenue.
Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens
Toronto Public Library Locke Branch
Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute

Surface connections

Buses enter the station counter to the normal traffic directions so that bus doors will face the centre bus platform.
TTC routes serving the station include:

Route	Name	Additional information
52A	Lawrence West	Westbound to Pearson Airport via Dixon Road
52B	Lawrence West	Westbound to Westwood Square in Mississauga via Dixon Road
52D	Lawrence West	Westbound to McNaughton Avenue in Mississauga via Dixon Road
52F	Lawrence West	Westbound to Royal York Road
97A	Yonge	Northbound to Steeles Avenue and southbound to St. Clair station
97B	Yonge	Northbound to Steeles Avenue via Yonge Boulevard and southbound to St. Clair station via Yonge Boulevard
124	Sunnybrook	Eastbound to Sunnybrook Hospital
162	Lawrence–Donway	Eastbound to Don Mills Road
320	Yonge	Blue Night service; northbound to Steeles Avenue and southbound to Queens Quay
352	Lawrence West	Blue Night service; eastbound to Sunnybrook Hospital and westbound to Pearson Airport
952	Lawrence West Express	Westbound to Pearson Airport via Dixon Road

George Milbrandt Parkette

George Milbrandt Parkette is located at the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue East, and shares the small rectangular plot of land with the Lawrence station entrance at that location. At the request of George Milbrandt, acting on behalf of the Bedford Park Residents' Association, the Toronto City Council created the park in 1998. In 1999, the City named the parkette after Milbrandt, who had promoted the parkette's creation for 25 years. The parkette has simple landscaping including shade trees, park benches, grading and grass.