Castle Frank Station
Without any major commercial, industrial or entertainment destinations, the station primarily serves the residents of South Rosedale, from which it is within walking distance, and St. James Town and Cabbagetown by way of the 65 Parliament and 94 Wellesley bus routes. Nearby landmarks include Rosedale Heights School of the Arts and St. James Cemetery.
Entrances
The entrance to the station is located on the northwest corner of Castle Frank Road and Bloor Street East.
The station was rated as high priority in the requirement for a second exit which, although scheduled to be finished by January 2010, finally opened in December 2012 after many delays. This project still did not make the station accessible, although the stairs give subway riders a direct connection to the bus bays. Only an exit is provided through turnstile gates, without any way to get into the station using a pass or token that is available at the secondary entrance to many other stations.
Late in the fourth quarter of 2021, construction started to install two elevators to make Castle Frank station accessible. The elevators will connect the street-level concourse to each of the east- and westbound platforms. Completion is expected in 2024.
History
Castle Frank station, opened in 1966, is named after the community that it serves. Its streets, and the brook that flows through it, are in turn named after John Graves Simcoe's summer residence in the area overlooking the Don River, which burned down in 1829. The residence was named after his son Francis Simcoe. In 1954, a historical marker was placed in Prince Edward Viaduct Parkette, near the site of the historic Castle Frank residence, on the south side of Bloor Street at Castle Frank Road.
The Parliament streetcar line operated to its northerly terminus at the Viaduct Loop until 1966. No consideration was given to construct the short connection, from that location at Bloor Street East and Parliament Street across the Rosedale Ravine, which would have made the streetcar route a major feeder line to the subway station. The site of the streetcar loop is now Rekai Family Parkette.