McGill (Montreal Metro)

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McGill

Inaugurated	14 October 1966
Line	Green Line
Architect	Crevier, Lemieux, Mercier and Caron
Platform Depth	10.7 metres
Rank	49th deepest
Traffic	11,545,037 entrances in 2002
Rank	Busiest
Interstation Distance	296.52 metres to Peel (shortest) 345.69 metres to Place-des-Arts

McGill is a station on the Green Line of the Montreal Metro in Montreal, Québec, Canada. It is in downtown Montreal in the borough of Ville-Marie. It was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, as part of the original network of the metro. It is currently the busiest station in the network measured by number of passengers entering the system here, with 11,545,037 in 2002.

Designed by Crevier, Lemieux, Mercier and Caron, it is a normal side-platform station built in open cut under boul. De Maisonneuve, with two ticket halls joined by corridors that surround the platforms. The ticket halls are linked to the platforms by four stairways per platform, including the shortest escalators in the network. The station has large pillars, which were originally painted orange, but painted in their present blue-greenish color in the late 90's.

As an important part of the underground city, the station has had its mezzanine level substantially enlarged since its opening, by construction of new buildings around the station: the western end of the mezzanine was added with the construction of the Tour BNP and Eaton Centre, while the southern corridor between the ticket halls was added to link the Promenades de la Cathédrale with the station.

No fewer than six buildings are directly connected to the station via underground city, and one, the Eaton Centre, has an entrance directly on the Honoré-Beaugrand platform. (Another access to 2020 de Maisonneuve from the Angrignon platform has been closed.) The station has a further six direct street-level entrances, all of which are integrated into the façades of other buildings.

Among this busy station's amenities are several shops and services directly in the station, a web terminal, and MétroVision information screens (the second station after Berri-UQAM to have them installed). At one time an "open-concept" branch of the Montreal public library was located next to the exit onto University (Universite) Street.

This station contains several pieces of art. The most prominent is Nicolas Sollogoub's Montreal Scenes Circa 1830, depicting the industrial era in the city as well as its early mayors and civic arms. This set of five stained-glass murals was donated by MacDonald Tobacco. Maurice Savoie created a set of terra cotta murals depicting fruit and flowers, surrounding the entrance to Eaton's (now the Complexe les Ailes). The construction of the Promenades de la Cathédrale in 1992 brought two new works of art, a light sculpture called Passūs by Murray MacDonald, and an installation of an aerial view of Montreal complete with miniature figures of the buildings, by art collective Les Industries perdues. The latter work is entitled To rise, we must push against the ground onto which we have fallen.

Finally, a tapestry by Kelvin McAvoy depicting the life of James McGill was donated by Canadian Universal Limited Insurance in 1969; however, after being vandalized, it was removed by the company for restoration, and then given as a perpetual loan to McGill University instead, where it is now exhibited at the MacLennan Library.

1 Origin of the name
2 Connecting bus routes
- 2.1 Regular routes
- 2.2 Night routes
3 Address of entrances
4 Nearby points of interest
- 4.1 Connected via the underground city
- 4.2 Other
5 External links

[edit] Origin of the name

McGill is named for McGill University. Founded in 1821 with money and on land bequeathed by Scottish-Canadian businessman James McGill, this is one of Canada's most prestigious institutions of higher education.

[edit] Connecting bus routes

The images of Montreal's first two mayors, Jacques Viger and Peter McGill, in stained glass in the McGill Station of the Montreal Metro. The image of Peter McGill is sometimes mistakenly believed to be James McGill, the founder of the nearby university.

[edit] Regular routes

15 Sainte-Catherine
61 Wellington
125 Ontario
168 Cité-du-Havre
420 Express Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

[edit] Night routes

358 Sainte-Catherine

[edit] Address of entrances

De Maisonneuve Ouest entrance: 690, boul. de Maisonneuve ouest, between av. McGill College and rue University
De Maisonneuve Est entrance: 640, boul. de Maisonneuve ouest, at rue University
McGill College entrance: 811, boul. de Maisonneuve ouest, at av. McGill College
University entrance: 2055, rue University, at av. du Président-Kennedy
Union Nord entrance: 2021, av. Union, between av. du Président-Kennedy and boul. de Maisonneuve
Union Sud entrance: 1445, av. Union, at boul. de Maisonneuve