The
Toronto subway and RT is a
rapid transitA rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system in
TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
,
OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, consisting of both underground and elevated
railwayRail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
lines, operated by the
Toronto Transit Commission-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
(TTC). It was Canada's first completed subway system, with the first line being built under
Yonge StreetYonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
, which opened in 1954 with 12 stations. Since then, the system has expanded to become Canada's largest rapid transit rail network and the second busiest, behind the
Montreal MetroThe Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
, in number of daily ridership, encompassing four lines and 69 stations on 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) of track. The subway system is a very popular mode of
public transportPublic transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
in Toronto, with an average of 948,100 passenger trips each weekday (as of Q1 2010).
The TTC sometimes uses the term "rapid transit" internally to describe all four lines, but in public usage they are called subway lines, with the exception of the Scarborough RT, which is simply called "the RT."
Current priorities for expansion is extending the western branch of the Yonge–University–Spadina line north of Toronto, creating a new line under
Eglinton AvenueEglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
, and extending the Sheppard line in both directions from its current termini.
System map
| Subway and RT system map |
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Between FinchFinch is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 5714 Yonge Street between Finch Avenue East and West...
and DownsviewDownsview is a station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at the intersection of William R. Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue West. The station is currently the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the...
via UnionUnion Station is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. Opened in 1954 along with the first twelve subway stations of Toronto, it is located between the Yonge Street and University Avenue sections of the line at 55 Front Street West between Bay Street and York...
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Between KiplingKipling is the western terminus station of the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the westernmost station in the system. It is located on St...
and KennedyKennedy is the terminal subway station of the Bloor-Danforth and Scarborough RT lines of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 2455 Eglinton Avenue East, just east of Kennedy Road. The station opened in 1980 in what was then the Borough of Scarborough with the Bloor-Danforth platform, and the...
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Between KennedyKennedy is the terminal subway station of the Bloor-Danforth and Scarborough RT lines of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 2455 Eglinton Avenue East, just east of Kennedy Road. The station opened in 1980 in what was then the Borough of Scarborough with the Bloor-Danforth platform, and the...
and McCowanMcCowan is a station on the Scarborough RT line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 1275 McCowan Road, just north of Ellesmere Road at Bushby Drive/Town Centre Court...
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Between Sheppard–Yonge and Don MillsDon Mills is the eastern terminus station of the Sheppard line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is also a "Vivastation" on the Viva Green line of York Region's Viva bus rapid transit system...
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Early proposals
The first serious proposal for a subway system in Toronto was made in the early part of the 20th century, with a series of proposals to bury the streetcar line on Yonge. A number of proposals emerged between 1909 and 1912, but the public rejected subways in a plebiscite in 1912, and discussions ended for a time. In 1931, City Controller Hacker proposed a north-south subway running from Avenue Road and St. Clair south to Front and York Streets, making a wide loop via Front, Scott, Victoria and Gerrard.
Yonge route
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, workers travelling from their homes in "northern Toronto" (parts that would now be considered part of the core) to the industrial areas to the east and west of the downtown area on Yonge seriously strained the existing road and streetcar networks. There was considerable worry that the expected post-war boom in car ownership would choke the city with traffic.
The TTC formed a Rapid Transit Department and studied various solutions between 1942 and 1946, finally deciding on a cut-and-cover route that would allow streetcars to travel underground from Eglinton Avenue to Front Street, and then the short distance westward along Front to Union Station. In addition, a cut would allow the existing Queen Street streetcars to run underground from just east to just west of Yonge, and then for an additional short distance in an open cut to the west. The matter was put to voters on a 1 January 1946, plebiscite and overwhelmingly approved. Toronto City Council approved construction four months later.
The plebiscite contained the condition that the federal government would subsidize 20% of the project. The federal Minister of Reconstruction,
C.D. HoweClarence Decatur Howe, PC , generally known as C. D. Howe, was a powerful Canadian Cabinet minister of the Liberal Party. Howe served in the governments of Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent continuously from 1935 to 1957...
, promised federal support in a 3 October 1945 letter. However, the funding fell through over a disagreement about the details of the employment arrangements. A scaled down proposal, about 20% smaller, was agreed to in its place. The work along Queen Street was abandoned temporarily, and the original $42.3 million was reduced to $28.9 million plus $3.5 million for rolling stock. Due to a two-year delay due to postwar labour shortages, construction on the new subway did not start until 8 September 1949. A total of 1.7 million cubic yards (1.3 million cubic metres) of material was removed and some 14,000 tons (12,700 metric tons) of reinforcing steel and 1.4 million bags of cement were put into place.
Since the system was envisioned as an expansion of the existing streetcar network, the current subway system retains one feature unique to the Toronto system. The streetcar system was originally installed on dirt roads used by wagon traffic. In order to allow the wagons to continue using the same roads, as well as to reduce wear and tear on the dirt portions, the streetcar rails were designed to allow the wagon wheels to run within the rail, while the streetcar wheels would run on top of them. Since the days of the
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, wagons have used
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
at 4 feet 8 ½ inches, so the streetcar gauge had to be slightly wider, and runs at 4 feet 10 ⅞ inches. Rolling stock for the new "rapid transit subway" also adopted this gauge.
Service on the Yonge route would be handled by new rolling stock, and the TTC was particularly interested in the Chicago PCC cars, which had been adapted from existing streetcars. However, due to the onset of the
Korean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, metal prices in the United States had substantially increased, resulting in the PCC cars becoming too expensive. Instead, in November 1951 an order was placed with the
Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon CompanyGloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company was a railway rolling stock manufacturer based at Gloucester, England; from 1860 until 1986....
for
104 carsThe G-series rapid transit cars were a Toronto subway car model, built between 1953 and 1959.The cars were built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company for the Toronto Transit Commission....
for $7,800,000, including spare parts.
Ontario Premier Leslie Frost and Toronto Mayor
Allan A. LamportAllan Austin Lamport, CM was Mayor of Toronto, Canada, from 1952 to 1954. Known as "Lampy", his most notable achievement was his opposition to Toronto's Blue laws which banned virtually any activities on Sundays. Lamport fought to allow professional sporting activities on Sundays...
officially opened the 7.4 km (4.6 mi) long Yonge subway on 30 March 1954. Trains operated at average speeds of 20 miles per hour (32.2 km/h). The route was an instant success. The original plan to operate two-car trains during off-peak hours was abandoned in favour of four-car trains, and six-car trains were standard during most periods, with some eight-car trains used during peak periods.
The 1960s to the 1980s
In 1963, an extension was added, curving north from Union station, below
University AvenueUniversity Avenue is a major north-south road in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At its north end, University Avenue is the site of the Ontario Legislative Building. The eight-lane wide street is the location for several hospitals, numerous office buildings, Osgoode Hall and the Four Seasons...
and Queen's Park to near
Bloor StreetBloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
, where it turned west to terminate at
St. George and Bloor StreetsSt. George is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina and Bloor-Danforth lines of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 323 Bloor Street West at St. George Street. This is the second busiest station, after Bloor-Yonge Station, serving a combined total of approximately ...
.
The Bloor-Danforth Line opened in 1966 along
Bloor StreetBloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
and
Danforth AvenueDanforth Avenue is an east-west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its western end begins in Old Toronto from the Prince Edward Viaduct as a continuation of Bloor Street and continues through East York until intersecting with Kingston Road in Scarborough...
from
Keele StreetKeele is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 1733 Bloor Street West at Keele Street/Parkside Drive...
to
Woodbine AvenueWoodbine is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. The address of the station is 2072 Danforth Avenue and it is physically located at the intersection of Woodbine Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard....
, and was extended in 1968 to run from
Islington AvenueIslington is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 3286 Bloor Street West at Islington Avenue. A central platform serves trains running in both directions....
to
Warden stationWarden is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 3276 St. Clair Avenue East, on the southeast corner of the intersection with Warden Avenue....
at Warden and
St. Clair AvenueSt. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road , north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street....
s. For six months, the subway was operated as a single system, with trains from Eglinton station running through to either Keele or Woodbine, while other trains connected the latter two points; after this the two lines were permanently segregated.
The routing of the line across the Don Valley was possible thanks to a decision made more than forty years earlier. When the
Prince Edward ViaductThe Prince Edward Viaduct System, commonly referred to as the Bloor Viaduct or the viaduct, is the name of a truss arch bridge system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that connects Bloor Street East, on the west side of the system, with Danforth Avenue on the east...
was built in 1918, its designer insisted on providing for twin decks below the roadway to allow for future rail traffic. As a result, the subway is able to cross the Don Valley to Danforth Avenue on the east side.
The Yonge-University line was extended north 8.7 km (5.4 mi) from
Eglinton AvenueEglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
to
Finch Avenue and YongeFinch is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 5714 Yonge Street between Finch Avenue East and West...
in 1973 and 1974.
A further 9.9 km (6.2 mi) was added to the Yonge-University Line in 1978 when it was extended from St. George and Bloor, running north and northwest to
Eglinton AvenueEglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
and
William R. Allen RoadWilliam R. Allen Road, known more commonly as Allen Road, The Allen Expressway or simply The Allen and formerly as the Spadina Expressway, is a short expressway/freeway in Toronto, Ontario, which runs from Kennard Avenue in the north, to Eglinton Avenue West in the south...
, then north along the median of the Allen Road to Wilson Avenue. This extension was originally proposed as part of the
Spadina ExpresswayThe Spadina Expressway was a proposed north-south freeway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was only partially built before being cancelled in 1971 due to public opposition. It was proposed in the mid-1960s as part of a network of freeways for Metropolitan Toronto. Its cancellation prompted the...
, but when the expressway portion south of Eglinton Avenue was cancelled, the subway was still built following the original route through
Cedarvale RavineCastle Frank Brook is a buried creek and south-west flowing tributary of the Don River in central and north-western Toronto, Ontario, originating near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Dufferin Street....
. Hence, it is called the Spadina subway line, though it follows
Spadina RoadSpadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods....
for less than 2 km (1.2 mi).
In October 1976, an arson caused the destruction of four subway cars and damage to
ChristieChristie is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 726 Bloor Street West at Christie Street/Grace Street.-History:...
station, resulting in the closure of the Bloor-Danforth Line for three days, and the by-passing of Christie station for some time afterwards for repairs. Extensions were added in 1980 at both ends of the Bloor-Danforth Line. These extensions each added a single station, much needed bus bays to connect to surface routes, and, on the eastern end, room to connect to the Scarborough RT.
Spanning six stations over 6.8 km (4.2 mi) of track, the Scarborough RT is an intermediate-capacity line built almost entirely above ground, which has no direct track connections to the other lines and uses a separate fleet of
Intermediate Capacity Transit SystemAdvanced Rapid Transit or ART is the current name given to a rapid transit system manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The original versions look like small subway cars that typically run in two-, four- or six-car trains, but the latest versions are more streamlined two-car articulated...
(ICTS) trains based on dramatically different technology (similar to the those on the
Vancouver SkyTrainSkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...
). Nevertheless, its operating practices are the same as those of the three subway lines: the route is fully isolated from road traffic and pedestrians, the stations are fully covered, and the trains are boarded through many doors from high platforms within a fare-paid zone set off by a barrier. The TTC therefore includes it with the other rapid transit lines for mapping and administrative purposes.
Since the 1990s
An additional 1.6 km (0.994196378639691 mi) was added to the north end of the Spadina section of the Yonge-University-Spadina Line, adding one station (
DownsviewDownsview is a station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at the intersection of William R. Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue West. The station is currently the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the...
), with bus bays for connections to surface routes. At the time, a newly elected provincial
Progressive ConservativeThe Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
government cancelled their share of funding that would have extended this route northward to
York UniversityYork University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
and
Steeles AvenueSteeles Avenue is an east-west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of York Region, Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western Greater Toronto Area from Milborough Townline in Halton Region east to the Scarborough-Pickering limit. It runs for within...
. This extension is under construction, and funding has been committed by governments (
see Future expansion).
In August 1995, the TTC suffered the deadliest subway accident in Canadian history known as the Russell Hill accident, on the Yonge-University-Spadina Line south of
St. Clair WestSt. Clair West is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is at 370 St. Clair Avenue West between Bathurst Street and Tweedsmuir Avenue. The sports field of St. Michael's College School is directly above the length of the station; a...
station. Three women died and 100 people were injured, a few seriously. This led to a major reorganization at the TTC, since contributing to maintaining a "state of good repair" (i.e., an increased emphasis on safety and maintenance of existing TTC capital/services) and less so on expansion.
The subway's newest line, Sheppard, opened in 2002. It was the only one of three subway projects backed in the mid-1990s by the
RaeRobert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
government to be completed. It runs 5.5 km (3.4 mi) east, underneath
Sheppard AvenueSheppard Avenue is an east-west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A small portion of a continuation of the road in Pickering, Ontario is also called Sheppard Avenue.-History:...
from Sheppard station on the Yonge line (now renamed Sheppard-Yonge), to
Don Mills stationDon Mills is the eastern terminus station of the Sheppard line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is also a "Vivastation" on the Viva Green line of York Region's Viva bus rapid transit system...
at Sheppard and Don Mills Road. The Sheppard line has fewer users than the other two subway lines, and shorter trains are run.
In its over fifty-year history, the first baby to be born on a TTC subway station platform occurred on February 6, 2006. This incident occurred at
Wellesley stationWellesley is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada subway. It is located at 551 Yonge Street at Wellesley Street East.Wellesley is the only downtown TTC subway station with only one street entrance.-History:...
and caused delays on the subway system. It was front-page news for many days.
An automated voice system was added to announce each station (e.g., "The next station is Bloor, Bloor station.") and replace the need for the train operator to announce each stop. The automated system is used throughout the entire subway and RT system. The system uses a pre-recorded female voice taken from one of the TTC employees. Station announcements by the operators originally commenced on January 8, 1995, under pressure from visually-impaired advocate groups. However, this policy was not enforced and announcements were sporadic until the TTC began to enforce the policy in around 2005, until automated announcements could be implemented under further pressure from the advocate groups. Years later, the automated stop announcements were expanded on TTC surface routes which also have the
LEDA light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
board indicating the next stop. However, while the surface route automatic announcements are both audible and visible, it is not until new subway trains arrive in the Toronto subway system will provide audible and visible automatic stop announcements. The
Ontario Human Rights CommissionThe Ontario Human Rights Commission was established in the Canadian province of Ontario on March 29, 1961 to administer the Ontario Human Rights Code...
later urged other transit operators across Ontario, such as
York Region TransitYork Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....
,
Brampton TransitBrampton Transit is public transport bus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974....
, MiWay (formerly known as Mississauga Transit),
GO TransitGO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
and
Durham Region TransitDurham Region Transit is the regional public transit operator in Durham Region, east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are at 605 Rossland Rd East in Whitby, Ontario, and there are regional centres in Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa.-Overview:...
, to call out all stops for the visually-impaired passengers.
Operations and procedures
Like most subways, the Toronto subway/RT trains collect their electric power from a
third railA third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
mounted alongside the tracks. 'Shoes' mounted on the trucks are located on both sides of each coach for the required contact. Power is supplied at 600
VThe volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
DCDirect current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
. Scarborough RT trains cannot switch directions except at the ends of the line as there are no turnback switches between the two termini. In contrast, the subway system was built in multiple segments, thereby providing multiple x-pattern crossovers. Current service patterns do not provide regular
short turnIn public transport, a short turn or turn-back is an earlier terminus on a bus or rail line that is used on some scheduled trips that do not operate along the full length of the route....
service aside from the procedure at St. Clair West in the AM rush hour; however, the flexible crossovers have come in handy during emergencies where service is suspended in certain areas. Subway trains maintain their normal schedule, serving every station on a particular line, except during the morning and evening rush hours when some northbound trains short-turn at the
St. Clair WestSt. Clair West is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is at 370 St. Clair Avenue West between Bathurst Street and Tweedsmuir Avenue. The sports field of St. Michael's College School is directly above the length of the station; a...
station or, in rarer cases,
Glencairn stationGlencairn is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on William R. Allen Road at 785 Glencairn Avenue....
. Electric-mechanical signs, left over from the 1966 integrated subway lines experiment, were used to indicate if a train was going to short turn or not. This service was discontinued in 2004, though the signs were not even used at all in various stations.
Safety procedures have progressed over time, usually in response to a mishap. One such incident was in March 1963, when there was an electrical short in a subway car's motor. The driver decided to continue operating the train, despite visible smoke in the affected car, until the train reached
UnionUnion Station is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. Opened in 1954 along with the first twelve subway stations of Toronto, it is located between the Yonge Street and University Avenue sections of the line at 55 Front Street West between Bay Street and York...
station. This decision resulted in the destruction of six subway cars and extensive damage to the tunnel and signal lines west of Union station. Following this incident safety procedures, involving electrical malfunctions and/or fire in subway trains, were revised to improve safety and reduce the likelihood of a similar incident occurring.
GO TransitGO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
commuter trains stop at or near the
KiplingKipling is the western terminus station of the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the westernmost station in the system. It is located on St...
(GO's Kipling station),
Dundas WestDundas West is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line in Toronto, Canada. It now ranks as the 29th busiest station in the system. Its postal address is 1525 Bloor Street West; the main entrance, however, is on Dundas Street, at the corner of Edna Avenue...
(GO's Bloor station),
Main StreetMain Street is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 2550 Danforth Avenue at Main Street, in Danforth Village. 350 metres to the south, Main Street connects to Danforth station on GO Transit's Lakeshore East railway line.This station is...
(GO's Danforth station),
LeslieLeslie is a station on the Sheppard line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 1209 Sheppard Avenue East at Old Leslie Street. It was opened in 2002....
(GO's Oriole station), and
KennedyKennedy is the terminal subway station of the Bloor-Danforth and Scarborough RT lines of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 2455 Eglinton Avenue East, just east of Kennedy Road. The station opened in 1980 in what was then the Borough of Scarborough with the Bloor-Danforth platform, and the...
(GO's Kennedy station) subway stations. The TTC's
UnionUnion Station is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. Opened in 1954 along with the first twelve subway stations of Toronto, it is located between the Yonge Street and University Avenue sections of the line at 55 Front Street West between Bay Street and York...
subway station connects with
Union StationUnion Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Toronto, located on Front Street West and occupying the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street in the central business district. The station building is owned by the City of Toronto, while the...
, Toronto's main railway station, which serves not only GO trains, but also
ViaVia Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
,
AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, and
Ontario NorthlandThe Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario....
. GO buses connect with the TTC at a number of stations, and some other GO stations, while not connected to the subway, are served by buses or streetcars.
A train guard is responsible for opening and closing the subway car doors, and making sure no one is trapped in a door as the train leaves a station. A light in the drivers cab lights up when the doors are closed and it is all clear. The car carrying the guard can be identified by the white or the orange light outside the subway car. For safety reasons, since 1954, a transit-worker notified patrons that the subway car doors were closing with two short blasts from a whistle. In 1991, due to lawsuits, electronic chimes, using a descending three-note
arpeggioAn arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
(either G-E-C
[C majorC major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
,
root positionIn music theory, the root of a chord is the note or pitch upon which a triadic chord is built. For example, the root of the major triad C-E-G is C....
], or between one or two semitones lower (F♯-D♯-B
[B majorIn music theory, B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps....
, root position] or F-D-B♭
[B♭ major, root position])) and a flashing pair of orange lights above the doorway, added for the hearing impaired, were tested and gradually introduced system-wide during the 1990s.
During rush hour, up to 50 trains will be on the Yonge-University-Spadina line simultaneously, and 40 trains on the Bloor-Danforth line. During non-rush hour periods, there are approximately 27 trains on the Yonge-University-Spadina line at any one time.
On weekdays and Saturday, subway service runs from approximately 6:00 am to 1:30 am, but Sunday service begins at 9:00 am. Start times on holidays may vary.
| Line |
Off-peak frequency |
Rush hour frequency |
}|
|Bloor–Danforth
| 4–5 minutes
| 2–3 minutes
|-
| bgcolor=|
| Scarborough RT
| 5–6 minutes
| 4–5 minutes
|-
| bgcolor=|
| Sheppard
| 5–6 minutes
| 5–6 minutes
|-
| bgcolor=|
| Yonge–University–Spadina
| 4–5 minutes
| 2–3 minutes
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Stations and features
Most stations are named for the nearest major arterial road crossed by the line in question. A few are named for major landmarks, such as shopping centres or transportation hubs, served by the station. The University Avenue section of the Yonge-University-Spadina line, in particular, is named entirely for landmarks (public institutions and major churches).
All trains, with the exception of short turns, stop at every station along their route and run the entire length of their line from terminus to terminus.
Accessibility
A growing number of Toronto's subway/RT stations are accessible to wheelchair users in general and riders with accessibility issues. Upgrade plans to stations call for all stations to have barrier free, and elevator access by 2020.
Cleanliness
The May 2010 TTC cleanliness audit of subway stations found that none of them meet the transit agency's highest standard for cleanliness and general state of repair. Only 21 stations scored in the 70-80% range in the TTC's cleanliness scale, a range described as "Ordinary Tidiness," while 45 fell in the 60-70% range achieving what the commission describes as "Casual Inattentiveness." The May audit was the third in a series of comprehensive assessments that began in 2009. The Commission announced a "Cleaning Blitz" that will see 30 new temporary cleaners added for the latter part of 2010 to address major issues and has other action plans that include more full time cleaners, and new and more effective ways at addressing station cleanliness.
Public art
Over time, Toronto's transit system has become a hidden art gallery, home to more than two dozen pieces scattered along the subway and streetcar routes.
One of the most memorable art pieces in the subway system is Charles Pachter’s "Hockey Knights in Canada", added to
CollegeCollege is a subway station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada subway that opened in 1954. It is located at 448 Yonge Street at College Street/Carlton Street.-Entrances:...
station in 1985. The two-part installation, just steps from
Maple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
, depicts the
Montreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
and
Toronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
squaring off from opposite sides of the subway tracks, with the Canadiens on the northbound side and the Leafs on the southbound side. The name of the artwork is a pun derived from
Hockey Night in CanadaHockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
.
The Spadina Line features many art installations.
SpadinaSpadina is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina and Bloor-Danforth lines of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Out of all the interchange stations, this one is the least-used with approximately 47,570 people using both platforms each day...
station on that line features a tilework mural with approximately 10,000 circular tiles and another mural called
Barren Ground Caribou by
Joyce WielandJoyce Wieland, OC was a Canadian experimental filmmaker and mixed media artist.-Life:Joyce Wieland was an experimental filmmaker and artist, whose work challenged and bridged boundaries among avant garde film factions of her time...
.
St. Clair West StationSt. Clair West is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is at 370 St. Clair Avenue West between Bathurst Street and Tweedsmuir Avenue. The sports field of St. Michael's College School is directly above the length of the station; a...
features an enamel mural called
Tempo by Gordon Rayner. Unusually,
Eglinton WestEglinton West is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Allen Road/Everden Road at 1300 Eglinton Avenue West....
station features an artwork called
Summertime Streetcar by Gerald Zeldin, which consists of two enamel murals depicting
PCC streetcarThe PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
s facing each other, although these streetcars had never served this station.
DupontDupont is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Spadina Road at 278 Dupont Street....
station features
A Spadina Summer Under All Seasons, an installation from the 1970s. Using thousands of pieces of glass, artist James Sutherland built colourful mosaics of flowers directly into the station’s tiling. Two giant flowers face each other across the tracks, reaching upward into a mezzanine level lined with smaller flower mosaics.
The artwork at Dupont station was the most extensive in the Toronto transit system until the Sheppard line opened in 2002. The Sheppard–Yonge station features
Immersion Land, a mosaic composed of 1.5 million one-inch tiles, created by Toronto artist
Stacey SpiegelStacey Spiegel is a Canadian artist, artistic director, and new media visionary.-Life and work:Stacey Spiegel was born in Hespeler, Ontario, Canada and attended York University in Toronto where he studied fine arts...
. The installation was developed from a
digitizedDigitizing or digitization is the representation of an object, image, sound, document or a signal by a discrete set of its points or samples. The result is called digital representation or, more specifically, a digital image, for the object, and digital form, for the signal...
and
pixelatedIn computer graphics, pixelation is an effect caused by displaying a bitmap or a section of a bitmap at such a large size that individual pixels, small single-colored square display elements that comprise the bitmap, are visible to the eye...
blend of 150 photographs depicting lush landscapes, country homes, and rural scenes from
Yonge StreetYonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
as it stretches towards
North BayNorth Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
.
Each Sheppard line station has an artistic feature. The most notable of these is
LeslieLeslie is a station on the Sheppard line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 1209 Sheppard Avenue East at Old Leslie Street. It was opened in 2002....
, a station that approaches the expanse of Dupont and Sheppard-Yonge’s installations. Five years before the station opened, artist Micah Lexier began collecting writing samples from the public of the words “Sheppard” and “Leslie”. Over 3,000 of these samples were used in the installation, and the words were silk-screened onto tiles. In total, 17,000 of these tiles are on the walls of the station, each featuring the handwritten contribution of a community member. The installation was dubbed
Ampersand in recognition of the “
&An ampersand is a logogram representing the conjunction word "and". The symbol is a ligature of the letters in et, Latin for "and".-Etymology:...
” symbol – the only consistent element of each tile.
Yorkdale stationYorkdale is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on William R. Allen Road just south of Highway 401. It opened in 1978 in what was then the Borough of North York, and was named for the nearby Yorkdale Shopping Centre, to...
formerly had a sculpture called "Arc-en-Ciel" (
FrenchFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "
RainbowA rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
"), in which neon lights in various colours flashed in the appropriate direction when a train passed by. However, this stopped working soon after it was installed. Because the TTC had not budgeted for its maintenance, and at the artist's request, it has now been removed.
At
BayviewBayview is a station on the Sheppard line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 550 Sheppard Avenue East, at Bayview Avenue. It opened in 2002.- Architecture and art :Stevens Group Architects designed the station...
station, shadows of common objects such as apples and ladders silk screened to the linoleum and walls framed by patches of coloured tile gives it a kind of surreal look called Trompe-l'œil. Panya Clark Espinal is the artist who designed the art in the Bayview Station.
At
BessarionBessarion is a station on the Sheppard line of the subway/RT system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 701 Sheppard Avenue East at Bessarion Road and Burbank Drive, and was opened in 2002. The station is, , the second least-used in the TTC’s subway network...
, images of the backs of peoples' heads have been silk-screened onto wall tiles that highlight the platform walls.
At
Don MillsDon Mills is the eastern terminus station of the Sheppard line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is also a "Vivastation" on the Viva Green line of York Region's Viva bus rapid transit system...
, metallic inlays of shells in the floor of the platform make it appear underwater, while in the concourse, tile patterns representing geological strata make it appear underground (which it is).
USA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
said of Toronto's Sheppard Subway: "Despite the remarkable engineering feats of this metro, known as Sheppard Subway, [it is] the art covering walls, ceilings and platforms of all five stations that stands out. Each station is 'a total art experience where artists have created imaginative environments, uniquely expressing themes of community, location and heritage' through panoramic landscapes and ceramic wall murals."
The
OsgoodeOsgoode is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway/RT system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Osgoode Station is located at 250 University Avenue at Queen Street West...
and
St. PatrickSt. Patrick is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 449 University Avenue at Dundas Street West.-History:...
subway stations will be renovated to provide transit riders with a visual experience linking them to the major cultural institutions in the area, such as the
Royal Ontario MuseumThe Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
,
Gardiner MuseumThe Gardiner Museum is the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to ceramic art. It is located on Queen’s Park just south of Bloor Street in Toronto, opposite the Royal Ontario Museum. The nearest subway station is Museum.-History:...
,
Textile Museum of CanadaThe Textile Museum of Canada, located Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is the only Canadian museum dedicated to the collection, exhibition, and documentation of textiles. The museum was founded in 1975 by Max Allen and Simon Waegemaekers.-Collection:...
,
Art Gallery of OntarioUnder the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
, OCAD University and the
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing ArtsThe Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is a 2,071-seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada which had its grand opening Wednesday, June 14, 2006. The first actual performance however, commenced in September 2006 with the first Canadian production of Richard Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen...
. Renovation began at
MuseumMuseum is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 75 Queen's Park at Charles Street West...
station in June 2007 and completed on April 8, 2008.
At that station, there are columns that resemble
OsirisOsiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
,
First NationsFirst Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
house posts,
DoricThe Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns found in the
ParthenonThe Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
,
ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's
Forbidden CityThe Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
columns, and
ToltecThe Toltec culture is an archaeological Mesoamerican culture that dominated a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo in the early post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology...
warriors, to mimic the nearby institution the station serves.
Inactive stations
The TTC has one
closed subway station platformGhost stations is the usual English translation for the German word Geisterbahnhöfe. This term was used to describe certain stations on Berlin's U-Bahn and S-Bahn metro networks that were closed during the period of Berlin's division during the Cold War...
: the lower level of
Bay subway stationBay is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 64 Bloor Street West at Bay Street.One major amenity of this station is the Toronto Transit Commission's Lost articles office, where objects lost on TTC property are kept.-History:Bay Station was...
. This subway station was briefly used for interlining between two of Toronto's lines in 1966, producing an effect similar to the "branching" lines of metro systems in some other cities. Interlining worked in that one would not have to switch trains to go from one line to another.
The experiment, which lasted six months, proved to be impractical. A problem could hold up much of the system. The interlining trial worked by having one group of trains travelling south from
EglintonEglinton is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is at 2190 Yonge Street at Eglinton Avenue. It is one of the larger stations of the Toronto Transit Commission , with several shops located on the concourse level...
. After leaving
MuseumMuseum is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 75 Queen's Park at Charles Street West...
, they would turn east into Lower Bay, continuing east to
WoodbineWoodbine is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. The address of the station is 2072 Danforth Avenue and it is physically located at the intersection of Woodbine Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard....
. They then travelled west to
KeeleKeele is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 1733 Bloor Street West at Keele Street/Parkside Drive...
via upper Bay and lower St. George, afterwards returning east to upper St. George, where they would switch south onto the University line, and return to Eglinton, producing a wye pattern. The other group of trains would also start at Eglinton, but at the Bloor junction, they would turn west to Keele via upper St. George, reversing east to Woodbine via lower St. George and upper Bay, and returning to the University line via lower Bay.
At Bay, the problem was caused because trains going to Woodbine from Eglinton would arrive in Lower Bay, and trains from Keele would arrive in Upper Bay. Since trains alternated, passengers entering the station did not know where to find their train. The same problem was encountered at St. George, where trains to Keele from Eglinton would arrive in Upper St. George, and trains from Woodbine arrived in Lower St. George (opposite to that of Bay). The problem was not encountered for trains headed for Eglinton, as they would always arrive at Lower Bay and Upper St. George-due to track layout, and Museum did not have the same problems, because it had a single level. Track layout was the cause for the issues at St. George and Bay because both levels had sets of tracks headed for their corresponding terminal. (At St. George, westbound tracks on both levels went to Keele. Bay & Woodbine had the same issue, but with east-bound tracks.) It was impossible to make both trains headed for the same terminal arrive on the same level (as in the New York City Subway's
Queensboro PlazaQueensboro Plaza is an elevated New York City Subway station over Queens Plaza in Long Island City, at the east end of the Queensboro Bridge, with Queens Boulevard running east from the plaza. It stands over the south side of the roadway, but formerly spanned the whole plaza...
Station), because at the University line junction on both sides (west and east), both tracks on the same level went in the same direction.
Chaos ensued as passengers at St. George did not know which platform their next train might end up on, causing people to wait on the stairs. Switching trains also did not significantly lengthen a commute, since at the point of departure one would have to wait anyhow for an interlined train heading to the desired destination.
Today, Lower Bay is best known for its use in movie shoots and special events. The station has been modified several times to make it look like a "common" American subway station, and the TTC owns a pre-built set to disguise it as a
New York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
station. While open, the setup of staircases between Upper and Lower Bay resembled that of St. George. The stairs to Lower Bay have been walled up, but are still fairly obvious in that they were walled up using green tiles, in contrast to the white tiles of the rest of the station.
The tracks through Lower Bay still exist and are used from time to time to move equipment between lines. The junctions are just north of Museum station northbound and just west of Bloor-Yonge station. A second double-track connection links junctions just east of Spadina (Bloor-Danforth line) and just north (physically west) of St. George on the Yonge-University-Spadina Line.
A lesser known station is Lower Queen. In the plan that produced the original section of the Yonge subway, the TTC planned to build a second subway under Queen Street that would have been used not by dedicated rapid-transit trains but instead by regular streetcars in order to speed up their east-west passage through the downtown section. When the federal government refused to provide funding for the subway project, the TTC deferred the Queen subway, and by the time it came to revisit the east-west question, changing traffic patterns made the route under Bloor Street more sensible. The original Yonge subway's
QueenQueen is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada subway. It is located at 171 Yonge Street at Queen Street West/East.-Entrances:The main entrances are at the intersection of Yonge and Queen streets...
station, however, had been built with a roughed-in streetcar station on a lower level, ready for the second line if it should ever be built. Many people unknowingly pass through this second station every day, as the tunnel that goes under the station so that riders can move between northbound and southbound platforms is a portion of this underground station, with most of the excess infrastructure walled off. The access to the lower space is from the passageway between the platforms.
The TTC also planned a similar platform under
OsgoodeOsgoode is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway/RT system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Osgoode Station is located at 250 University Avenue at Queen Street West...
station for the Queen line, but all that was done was the relocation of utility lines to allow for future construction.
In the 1990s, the TTC began digging a platform under the existing
Eglinton WestEglinton West is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Allen Road/Everden Road at 1300 Eglinton Avenue West....
station for the Eglinton subway project, but it was filled in again when the Government of Ontario cancelled the line in 1995. However, with the announcement that the Eglinton Crosstown line is to be constructed as part of the
Transit CityTransit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced by then-Toronto Mayor David Miller and Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Adam Giambrone on March 16, 2007...
proposal, the TTC will dig the same hole again in late 2011.
Rolling stock
The TTC has a fleet of 678 subway cars of various ages. The oldest cars in the fleet are the
H-series units (H4s, H5s and H6s)The H-series rapid transit cars are a subway car model built from 1965 to 1990 for the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1965 to 1975, the cars were built by Hawker Siddeley Canada and later by its new owner the Urban Transportation Development Corporation...
, many of which were built over 30 years ago, and are scheduled for retirement upon delivery of the new Toronto Rocket trains, which had been slated to come into service in late 2010 but have been delayed until July 21, 2011, when the first TR train entered revenue service.
All Toronto subway cars were manufactured by
Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
or one of its predecessors (
Montreal Locomotive WorksMontreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company...
,
Hawker SiddeleyHawker Siddeley Canada was the Canadian unit of the Hawker Siddeley Group of the United Kingdom and manufactured railcars, subway cars, streetcars, aircraft engines and ships from the 1960s to 1980s.-History:...
and
UTDCThe Urban Transportation Development Corporation, or UTDC as it was commonly known, was an Ontario, Canada, Crown corporation created in the 1970s as a way to enter what was then expected to be a burgeoning market in advanced light rail mass transit systems...
), except the TTC's original
G-seriesThe G-series rapid transit cars were a Toronto subway car model, built between 1953 and 1959.The cars were built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company for the Toronto Transit Commission....
cars, which were manufactured by the
Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon CompanyGloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company was a railway rolling stock manufacturer based at Gloucester, England; from 1860 until 1986....
. All Bombardier cars (starting with the Hawker Siddely H-series) have been built in Bombardier's
Thunder Bay-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
,
OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
plant.
The Scarborough RT fleet consists of 28
ICTS Mark IThe ICTS Mark I cars are Scarborough RT rolling stock. They were built in 1983-1986 for the Toronto Transit Commission.The cars were built by the UTDC in Millhaven, Ontario. The RT initially operated with 2 car units, then later as 4 car units. A test run began in 1984 and full service in 1985.The...
vehicles built by UTDC (now Bombardier) in
Millhaven, OntarioLoyalist is a township in central eastern Ontario, Canada on Lake Ontario. It is in Lennox and Addington County and consists of two parts: the mainland and Amherst Island. It was named for the United Empire Loyalists, who settled in the area after the American Revolution.-Communities:The primary...
similar in design to those found on the
Vancouver SkyTrainSkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...
. The Mark I's are the original vehicles of the SRT and have been in service for over 25 years. They will be replaced by new streetcars as part of the Eglinton–Scarborough Crosstown line by 2020.
The TTC also maintains a fleet of various specialized work cars for both the subway and the RT.
The Toronto Rocket, as the new subway trains, ride the TTC's new accessible subway trains on the Yonge-University-Spadina Subway.
Delivery of 70 accessible train sets (420 cars), from Bombardier Transportation in Thunder Bay, is scheduled to take up to three years to complete.
These trains will replace the TTC’s oldest subway cars, most of which date from the 1970s, and will allow the TTC to meet future ridership demands once the Spadina Subway Extension opens for revenue service.
The Toronto Rockets, and the re-signalling of the Yonge-University-Spadina Subway, will ultimately allow the TTC to improve subway train headways (time between trains) up to 90 seconds, as well as carry more people.
The TTC’s new subway trains are a “six-car-fixed” configuration with open gangways and which will enable riders to move freely from one end to the other. Each train is composed of two cab cars (one at each end) plus four non-cab cars.
Toronto Rocket trains are equipped with evacuation ramps at each end of the train. These detrainment devices can be easily deployed in a matter of seconds to allow for quick and easy evacuation.
The new fleet of Toronto Rocket subway trains is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto.
Principal specifications
Fleet class … Toronto Rocket
Number of cars … 420
Fleet numbers … 5381-6076
Seating (perch seat included) … 64 seated (cab car), 68 (non-cab car)
Standing … 199 (average)
Length … 23.190 m
Height … 3.137 m
Weight … 205,000 kg
Maximum design speed … 88 km/h
Signals
The TTC, like most transit systems, uses a system of light-based signals to give instructions to their trains. They use block signals commonly, as well as interlocking signals. The system has been relatively unchanged since it was first installed on the Yonge Line in the 1950s.
The system works on fixed signal blocks (a section of track that can be occupied by a train), with lit aspects indicating whether it is safe for a train to proceed into the next fixed block. Interlocking signals or protected signals are used where track features such as crossovers and pocket tracks exist where it is possible to route trains in either direction. The signals are directly connected to a
trip armPart of a railway signalling system, a train stop or trip stop is a train protection device that automatically stops a train if it attempts to pass a signal when the signal aspect and operating rules prohibit such movement, or if it attempts to pass at an excessive speed.- Basic operation :The...
that has the ability to stop a train if it violates a signal (runs a red light).
If a train is occupying a block the next two- to four signals behind the train will be red with the trip arms in the danger position so that a train cannot proceed into the area. This allows a safe stopping distance even if a train behind violates a signal (the trip arm would trip the train's emergency brakes).
Grade timing is a method of speed control that is worked into the signaling system. In a grade timed section the signal preceding the timed block has a lunar white aspect below the coloured signal. The following signal is red (only because the section is timed) and the signal will blink the red aspect (or the top red aspect in a home or interlocking signal) for a predetermined time before the signal clears. In addition to lunar white signals grade timed sections are sometimes indicated by a sign with the letters "GT", or just "T" in white.
Station timing, a method of evening out trains, has been imposed on certain stations with interlocking (or home) signals. These signals turn to a red aspect as a train passes it, and is forced red for a variable amount of time. This time depends on the distance between the last train that passed the signal, and the train that comes after the next train. This system is computerized, and can accurately calculate the relative distances. If the next train is closer to the train before than the train after, the signal will hold the train at the station. If the next train is closer to the train after it than the train before it, then the signal will clear.
There are several limitations to this signaling system that can result in "signal problems" and "signal delays". One of the most common problems is
track down. A track down occurs when a block gets a false reading and places signals into the danger position even when there is no train occupying the block. This can occur if debris interrupts the block by grounding out the track circuit mimicking the electric circuit caused by an actual train in the area.
When a signal fails to clear, depending on the area, there are three different ways to rectify the situation. On home signals, and station timed signals transit control can perform a "call-on" where an orange aspect blinks and the trip arm is released even when the aspect displayed is red. The second option is a "key-by". Some signals have a plunger that the operator can stop, reach out the window, operate the plunger dropping the trip arm and then operate the train to a less restrictive signal. Where neither of these options exist, the only way to get past a defective signal is to "trip through". The operator at slow speed must trip the signal (which in turn trips the train and places it into emergency). The crew must then reset the emergency valve (by going out the front door of the train) before proceeding.
Since 2008, the TTC is planning on upgrading their signal system within the next 15 years as they prepare to switch to
automatic train operationAutomatic train operation ensures partial or complete automatic train piloting and driverless functions.Most systems elect to maintain a driver to mitigate risks associated with failures or emergencies....
.
The Scarborough RT uses
Automatic Train ControlAutomatic Train Control is a train protection system for railways, ensuring the safe and smooth operation of trains on ATC-enabled lines. Its main advantages include making possible the use of cab signalling instead of track-side signals and the use of smooth deceleration patterns in lieu of the...
(ATC) to control vehicle movement and therefore does not have traditional wayside signals. In the event that the computer that controls the trains fails to operate normally
in-cab signalingCab signalling is a railway safety system that communicates track status information to the cab, crew compartment or driver's compartment of a locomotive, railcar or multiple unit, where the train driver or engine driver can see the information....
can be used as a backup. This allows the operator to take control of the vehicle and operate it based on information displayed from within the cab of the vehicle. In the event of a total computer failure it is possible to operate the vehicles using the absolute block technique (verification by a controller or supervisory personnel that train movement is safe to the next point and at a speed where the train will be able to stop safely using line of sight observation). This option is usually exercised only to get the train to the next station to offload passengers when it is expected that the delay could be lengthy. The SRT also differs from the subway in that it uses axle block counters to confirm train location instead of a track circuit.
Gauge
The tracks of Toronto's streetcars and subways (apart from the Scarborough RT) are built to the unique gauge of , 2+3/8 in wider than the usual standard of . One popular anachronistic belief is that the City of Toronto feared that the Toronto Railway Company, which held the franchise to run streetcars before the TTC was created, would allow
Canadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
to operate steam locomotives through city streets. (In fact, this gauge was established in 1861, ten years before Canada's adoption of standard gauge and long before the TRC, the TTC, or the CPR existed.) The more practical reason is that early tracks were used to pull wagons smoothly in the days before paved roads, and that they fit a different gauge. Due to the cost of converting all the tracks and vehicles (and the lack of any real benefit in doing so), the unique gauge has remained to this day.
The practical consequence of the gauge was to make it difficult to ever operate standard gauge equipment on city streets.
Some proposals for the city's subway system involved using streetcars in the tunnels and possibly having some routes run partially in tunnels and partially on city streets, so the same gauge was used. The use of standard-gauge tracks on the Scarborough RT makes it impossible for there to be any track connection between it and the other lines, and so when its ICTS vehicles need anything more than basic service (which can be carried out in the RT's own McCowan Yard), they are carried by truck to the
Greenwood Subway YardGreenwood Yard is a rail yard and support buildings that service subway vehicles on the Bloor–Danforth line of the Toronto subway system. It is located at 400 Greenwood Avenue, on the west side of Greenwood south of Danforth Avenue...
.
Track features
Crossover tracks are used throughout the system, particularly at terminal stations to allow trains to reverse direction. Diamond-crossovers also exist outside most stations that once served as terminal stations. A single-crossover just east of Union Station is what remains of the former diamond-crossover which was used when the station marked the southern terminus of the original line. A few crossover tracks which were built as part of the original subway system have since been removed; their locations are marked by tunnel sections where there are no central pillars between tracks. Diamond-crossovers exist in the following locations:
Yonge-University-Spadina line
- South of Downsview Station
- South of Wilson Station
- North of Spadina Station
- South of St. George Station (part of original University line terminus that is still in operation)
- South of King Station (on northbound track)
- North of Dundas, South of College (double crossover was re-installed in early 2011 - not yet operational)
- North of Bloor Station
- South of St Clair Station (double crossover in the process of being re-installed - not yet operational)
- South of Eglinton Station
- South of Lawrence Station
- South of Sheppard Station
- South of Finch Station
Bloor-Danforth line
- East of Kipling Station
- East of Islington Station
- East of Jane Station
- East of Keele Station
- East of St. George Station
- West of Woodbine Station
- East of Victoria Park Station
- West of Warden Station
- West of Kennedy Station
Sheppard line
- East and west of Sheppard-Yonge Station
- East of Bayview Station
- West of Don Mills Station
Centre pocket—or storage—tracks allow a train to enter from either end into a third set of tracks, longer than the length of a standard train, between the two normal tracks. Trains can either rest there, allowing other trains to pass them by, or reverse direction from this position. Sometimes, regular trains are diverted into centre tracks when there is a construction or broken rail on one of the normal routes. Pocket tracks are a variation on the storage-track, accessible only from one end. Storage tracks exist in the following locations:
- East of Islington Station
- East of Ossington Station
- West of Chester Station
- South of Lawrence West Station
- North of St. Clair West Station
- South of Osgoode Station (accessible from north end only)
- South of St. Andrew Station (continues down to Union Station)
- North of Eglinton Station (accessible from south end only)
- South of York Mills Station
- North of Finch Station
Track configurations become more complicated where lines meet (at the
SpadinaSpadina is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina and Bloor-Danforth lines of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Out of all the interchange stations, this one is the least-used with approximately 47,570 people using both platforms each day...
-
St. GeorgeSt. George is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina and Bloor-Danforth lines of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 323 Bloor Street West at St. George Street. This is the second busiest station, after Bloor-Yonge Station, serving a combined total of approximately ...
-
MuseumMuseum is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 75 Queen's Park at Charles Street West...
-
BayBay is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 64 Bloor Street West at Bay Street.One major amenity of this station is the Toronto Transit Commission's Lost articles office, where objects lost on TTC property are kept.-History:Bay Station was...
-
YongeBloor-Yonge is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina and the Bloor–Danforth subway lines operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 733 Yonge Street at Bloor Street West/East...
junction and at Sheppard–Yonge), and at the entrances to subway yards.
Tracks usually continue for roughly the length of a train beyond the last station on a line; these are known as tail tracks. The only exception to this is at Don Mills Station, where the tail tracks are less than two cars in length. This is likely because storage capacity is available at Sheppard–Yonge), which can store enough trains to service the line.
Other track features that exist include the following.
The tracks used for interlining in the late 1960s:
- North of Museum Station the tracks split, one heading for Upper-St. George Station, the other for the now abandoned Lower-Bay.
- The track headed to Lower-Bay joins up with the Bloor-Danforth line just before Yonge Station.
- The track headed to Upper-St. George is what is now used for the University Line.
- The tracks approaching St. George Station from Spadina split, one heading for Upper, the other for Lower-St. George.
- The track headed to Lower-Spadina Station just west of Upper-St. George is what is now used for the Bloor-Danforth Line.
The tracks used for access to yards:
- Single cross-overs act as entrances and exits to and from the Vincent Yards, the Wilson Yards, the Greenwood Yards and the Davisville Yards.
- Between Donlands and Greenwood Stations the track splits in both directions, allowing trains to enter or exit the Greenwood Yards in either direction.
- A maintenance track, accessible from the eastbound track on the Bloor-Danforth line, just west of Warden Station. Trains must back into this track, and leave head first.
The tracks used to transfer between the Sheppard and Yonge Lines are as follows:
- From Northbound Yonge to Eastbound Sheppard: Simple track split on the Yonge Line: This track meets the Sheppard Line East of Sheppard-Yonge Station, so trains must then back into the station.
- From the Westbound Sheppard Track to Southbound Yonge: Trains go west, beyond the Sheppard-Yonge Station; the track then splits, one track onto the Eastbound Sheppard, the other to Southbound Yonge.
Signals have been designed on these transfer tracks so that trains can enter them backwards.
Each of the three subway yards have different features that join them to the mainline. Subway operators generally get their train at a point where the yard meets the main line, at the Greenwood Portal, the Davisville Buildup (third platform - Davisville Station), or the Wilson Hostler (platform-like in appearance seen heading between Wilson and Downsview on the east side of the yard) depending on what yard they are based out of.
Facilities
The Subway and RT have 4 active yards that provide storage, maintenance and cleaning for the fleet.
| Facilities |
Year opened |
Services |
| Davisville Subway Yard The Davisville Subway Yard is a rail yard on the Toronto Transit Commission's Yonge subway line.The yard is located adjoining the Davisville Station, between Eglinton and St. Clair Stations. When the subway line first opened in 1954, this was the only yard on the subway system, as there was only...
|
1954 |
services the Yonge-University-Spadina and Sheppard lines |
| Greenwood Subway Yard Greenwood Yard is a rail yard and support buildings that service subway vehicles on the Bloor–Danforth line of the Toronto subway system. It is located at 400 Greenwood Avenue, on the west side of Greenwood south of Danforth Avenue...
|
1966 |
services the Bloor-Danforth line |
| Wilson Subway Yard |
1977 |
services the Yonge-University-Spadina line |
| McCowan RT Yard |
1985 |
services the Scarborough RT line |
| Vincent Subway Yard |
1966 |
inactive (closed in 1978) |
Emergency responders
While generally a safe system, occasionally emergencies occur. The following organizations provide emergency response:
- Toronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
and Toronto Police Transit Patrol Unit
- respond to more serious crime and life safety related calls
- Toronto EMS
Toronto Emergency Medical Services is the statutory Emergency medical services provider for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The service is operated directly as a branch of the municipal government as an independent, third-service option provider, which means that the service is funded by...
- Respond to all medical emergencies
- A trial program began in 2008 with Toronto EMS and has since been expanded and made permanent with EMS personnel on at several stations during the rush hour (Spadina
Spadina is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina and Bloor-Danforth lines of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Out of all the interchange stations, this one is the least-used with approximately 47,570 people using both platforms each day...
and Yonge & BloorBloor-Yonge is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina and the Bloor–Danforth subway lines operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 733 Yonge Street at Bloor Street West/East...
- morning rush (7am - 10am)) and (UnionUnion Station is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. Opened in 1954 along with the first twelve subway stations of Toronto, it is located between the Yonge Street and University Avenue sections of the line at 55 Front Street West between Bay Street and York...
and EglintonEglinton is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is at 2190 Yonge Street at Eglinton Avenue. It is one of the larger stations of the Toronto Transit Commission , with several shops located on the concourse level...
- evening rush (2pm - 6pm))
- Toronto Fire Services
The Toronto Fire Services is part of the Emergency Services that respond to 911 calls in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The Toronto Fire Services is responsible for responding to fires, rescue and assisting with medical situations within the City of Toronto...
- respond in tiered response to medical related calls
- respond to fire and smoke related emergencies
Emergency devices for passenger use
There are also several safety systems for use by passengers in emergencies:
- Passenger Assistance Alarms: Located throughout all subway and RT trains - When the yellow strip is pressed, an audible alarm is activated within the car, a notification is sent to the train crew and the Transit Control Centre which in turn dispatches a tiered response. An orange light is activated on the outside of the car with the alarm for emergency personnel to see where the problem is.
- Emergency power cut devices: Marked by a blue light, located at both ends of each subway and RT platform - For use to cut DC traction power in the event a person falls or is observed at track level or any emergency where train movement into the station would be dangerous. These devices cut power in both directions for approximately one station each way. They also notify the Transit Control Centre when activated.
- Emergency stopping mechanisms (PGEV - Passenger/Guard Emergency Valve): Located at each end of each subway/RT car (with exception of the Toronto Rocket trains) - Will activate the emergency brakes of the vehicle stopping it in its current location (for use in extreme emergencies I.e. persons trapped in doors as train departs station, doors opening in the tunnel, derailments etc.)
- Passenger intercoms: Located on subway platforms and near/in elevators in stations - For use to inform station collector of security/life safety issues
- Automated external defibrillators
An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of...
(AED's): Located in several subway stations near the collector booth(s) - for use in the event someone suffers cardiac arrest
- Fire extinguishers: Located on subway/RT platforms - not specifically for use by customers but available if necessary
- Public Telephones: Located in various locations in all stations, and at the Designated Waiting Area's on each subway platform. Emergency calls can be made to 911 toll free. Phones located at the DWA's also include a "Crisis Link" button that connect callers - free of charge - to a 24 hour crisis line in the event that they are contemplating self harm.
Training
Subway operators begin their training at Hillcrest with a
virtual realityVirtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
mockup of an H6 car. The simulator consists of the operator cab with full functions, a door and partial interior of a subway car. The simulator is housed in a simulated subway tunnel. Construction of a new subway training centre is underway at the Wilson Complex as part of the Toronto Rocket subway car programme.
Future expansion
Prior to 2011, the TTC had placed a lower priority on subway expansion, preferring to construct surface
light railLight rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
lines instead, under a plan called
Transit CityTransit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced by then-Toronto Mayor David Miller and Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Adam Giambrone on March 16, 2007...
, which was introduced by former Toronto Mayor
David MillerDavid Raymond Miller is a Canadian politician. He was the 63rd Mayor of Toronto and the second since the 1998 amalgamation. He was elected to the position in 2003 for a three-year term and re-elected in 2006 for a four-year term...
in 2007. Extension of the Spadina segment of the Yonge–University–Spadina line to
VaughanVaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
, Ontario, however, began construction work in 2010 and is funded by the
Government of OntarioThe Government of Ontario refers to the provincial government of the province of Ontario, Canada. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
's
MoveOntario 2020MoveOntario 2020 is a plan proposed by the Government of Ontario that would fund 52 rapid-transit projects throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area in Ontario, Canada.-History:...
plan, with its expected completion year being 2015. Toronto Mayor
Rob FordRobert Bruce "Rob" Ford is the 64th and current Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to city council in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, and was re-elected to his council seat in 2003 and again in 2006...
, who took office in December 2010, announced his decision to stop all developments on surface light rail transit outlined in the
Transit CityTransit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced by then-Toronto Mayor David Miller and Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Adam Giambrone on March 16, 2007...
plan and focus on underground rapid transit expansion. In March 2011, Ontario Premier
Dalton McGuintyDalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
and the mayor jointly announced the start of two other expansion plans: constructing a Crosstown LRT line along
Eglinton AvenueEglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
, which would connect to a renovated Scarborough RT line; and the extension of the Sheppard line east from
Don Mills StationDon Mills is the eastern terminus station of the Sheppard line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is also a "Vivastation" on the Viva Green line of York Region's Viva bus rapid transit system...
to
Scarborough CentreScarborough Centre is a station on the Scarborough RT line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located north of Ellesmere Road between Brimley and McCowan Roads, just south of Highway 401...
, and west from Yonge to
Downsview StationDownsview is a station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at the intersection of William R. Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue West. The station is currently the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the...
.
The MoveOntario 2020 plan also considers additional proposals to extend the Yonge–University–Spadina line's Yonge segment from
Finch stationFinch is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 5714 Yonge Street between Finch Avenue East and West...
north along
Yonge StreetYonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
to
Highway 7King's Highway 7, commonly referred to as Highway 7 and historically as the Northern Highway, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario...
in
Richmond Hill, OntarioRichmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
, as well as extending the Scarborough RT line from
McCowan stationMcCowan is a station on the Scarborough RT line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 1275 McCowan Road, just north of Ellesmere Road at Bushby Drive/Town Centre Court...
northeast to the neighbourhood of
MalvernMalvern is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with a population of 44,315. It is located in the northeast corner of the city, in the district of Scarborough. Scarborough was merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new City of Toronto in 1998...
.
Spadina line extension
The extension of the Spadina branch of the Yonge–University–Spadina line north to the City of
VaughanVaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
in the Regional Municipality of York, was announced by the Government of Ontario in its 2006 budget. The six proposed stations are provisionally named
Sheppard WestSheppard West is a Toronto Subway station under construction on the western branch of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located where the GO Transit Barrie line crosses Sheppard Avenue West, on an extension of Bakersfield Street...
,
Finch WestFinch West is a future station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which is under construction. It will be at the corner of Keele Street at Finch Avenue West, and it is expected to open in 2015.-Description:...
,
York UniversityYork University is a planned station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When built, it will be located on the grounds of York University’s main Keele campus, near Ian Macdonald and York Boulevards, and it's expected to open in late 2015...
,
Steeles WestSteeles West is a planned station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to be built on its western branch, the Spadina line. If built, it would be a temporary terminus, until the line is extended further to Vaughan Corporate Centre...
, Highway 407, and
Vaughan Metropolitan CentreVaughan Corporate Centre is the working name of a planned station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to be built on its western branch, the Spadina line. Construction has now begun at Highway 7 and Millway Avenue, west of Jane Street...
. The TTC estimates this expansion could open by 2015. The extension will be approximately 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) long when completed, with an estimated cost of $2.6 billion CAD.
The provincial government has provided
$The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
670 million to a trust fund earmarked for the Spadina subway extension, about one-third of the expected cost. The federal Conservative government has also committed an equal sum. The remaining amount of this $2 billion project should be funded under the
MoveOntario 2020MoveOntario 2020 is a plan proposed by the Government of Ontario that would fund 52 rapid-transit projects throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area in Ontario, Canada.-History:...
plan. An environmental assessment has been completed to Steeles Avenue. The Ontario Realty Corporation and
Hydro OneHydro One Incorporated delivers electricity across the Canadian province of Ontario. It is a Corporation established under the Business Corporations Act with a single shareholder, the Government of Ontario....
, agencies of the Government of Ontario, have attempted to charge the City of Toronto approximately $3.85 million for a 10-year lease for the use of hydro corridor lands for a bus-only transitway to York University.
Eglinton Avenue and the future of the Scarborough RT
The TTC has considered various options for revitalizing the Scarborough RT line, since its fleet of trains are approaching the end of their lifespan and the line was deemed overcrowded during peak hours. Replacing the trains was considered complicated by the fact that the original
ICTSAdvanced Rapid Transit or ART is the current name given to a rapid transit system manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The original versions look like small subway cars that typically run in two-, four- or six-car trains, but the latest versions are more streamlined two-car articulated...
vehicles used by the line were no longer produced, and their newer counterparts were also no longer made and so would require expensive upgrades to the existing track. Extending the Bloor–Danforth line along the same route was also considered many times, but that proposal was rejected as subway cars could not run along the sharp turns on the tracks between
EllesmereEllesmere is a station on the Scarborough Rapid Transit line of the subway/RT system of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 1025 Ellesmere Road, between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue. It was opened in 1985....
and
MidlandMidland is a station on the Scarborough RT line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 2085 Midland Avenue between Ellesmere Road and Cosentino Drive. It was opened in 1985....
stations. A rerouted subway extension plan was also rejected as cost-ineffective. The Government of Ontario provided $1 million for an environmental assessment relating to the future of the line. In 2007, under the
Transit CityTransit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced by then-Toronto Mayor David Miller and Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Adam Giambrone on March 16, 2007...
plan, a proposal was made to replace the ICTS system with the light rail vehicles to be used in other future light rail lines proposed under Transit City, the Toronto Flexity Outlook model, thus eliminating the problems of a unique technology that have plagued the TTC in the past.
After Mayor
Rob FordRobert Bruce "Rob" Ford is the 64th and current Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to city council in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, and was re-elected to his council seat in 2003 and again in 2006...
took office in December 2010, he halted all developments relating the Transit City plan, insisting that he would revisit the idea of replacing the Scarborough RT with a subway extension, among other proposals to expand on subway rather than light rail. After months of negotiating with the Government of Ontario, the mayor along with Ontario Premier
Dalton McGuintyDalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
announced a new plan for developing the Scarborough RT by revitalizing it and extending it westward from its current southern terminus
KennedyKennedy is the terminal subway station of the Bloor-Danforth and Scarborough RT lines of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 2455 Eglinton Avenue East, just east of Kennedy Road. The station opened in 1980 in what was then the Borough of Scarborough with the Bloor-Danforth platform, and the...
along
Eglinton AvenueEglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
to
Black Creek DriveBlack Creek Drive is a north-south arterial road in Toronto, Ontario that extends from Highway 400 at Jane Street, near Ontario Highway 401 to Weston Road in the south. Originally intended to be a freeway extension of Ontario Highway 400, it was built instead as an arterial road after public...
in Etobicoke, the route of the Crosstown LRT that was among the proposals in the Transit City plan, forming a new "Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown line." The new line would use new light-rail vehicles and be built entirely underground while along Eglinton Avenue. The line would create 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) of new tunneling and track as well as 26 new stations. Work on the entire line is expected to be completed in 2020. The majority of this line would be constructed by Metrolinx, a provincial owned Transit provider responsible for GO Transit services.
Other proposals
The MoveOntario 2020 plan proposes to extend the Yonge branch of the Yonge-University-Spadina line north to
Richmond HillRichmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
. Until recently, York Region Transit had proposed to build a busway in the middle of Yonge Street from
Finch StationFinch is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 5714 Yonge Street between Finch Avenue East and West...
, the existing terminus of the subway, north to their Richmond Hill Centre transit terminal in Richmond Hill, a major hub for VIVA express bus service. However, the region has recently shifted its focus onto a subway extension instead of an intermediate busway as of 2008, and was lobbying for its construction as soon as 2009. This did not happen. Presently, demand on the existing subway is at the point, in which there is not enough spare capacity for this extension south of
Lawrence AvenueLawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto....
, however a new signal system promoted by the TTC will allow headways to be reduced from the current 150 seconds to as little as 90, provided costly modifications are carried out at Bloor-Yonge station, the busiest hub in the system. The current plan calls for station stops at Drewry/Cummer,
Steeles AvenueSteeles Avenue is an east-west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of York Region, Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western Greater Toronto Area from Milborough Townline in Halton Region east to the Scarborough-Pickering limit. It runs for within...
, Clark Avenue, Royal Orchard Boulevard, Langstaff Road and Highway 7 (Richmond Hill Centre). An underground bus terminal will be built at Steeles Avenue primarily for the TTC, and the existing terminal at Richmond Hill Centre will be maintained. Langstaff station will mainly serve a massive parking lot to be built in the adjacent hydro corridor, similar to Finch, and the remaining stations will have on-street connections to buses.
According to MoveOntario 2020, a Scarborough RT extension plan outlined a northwest extension from
McCowanMcCowan is a station on the Scarborough RT line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 1275 McCowan Road, just north of Ellesmere Road at Bushby Drive/Town Centre Court...
to the
MalvernMalvern is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with a population of 44,315. It is located in the northeast corner of the city, in the district of Scarborough. Scarborough was merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new City of Toronto in 1998...
neighbourhood.
An east-west line through downtown along Queen Street has been discussed since 1911. In 1985 as part of the TTC's Network 2011 plan,
it was proposed to construct a
Downtown Relief LineThe Downtown Relief subway line is a subway line planned for Toronto, Canada, but not yet constructed. Various plans along the basic right-of-way have been proposed since the earliest history of the Toronto subway system, which are collected in the Queen Street subway article.-History:The Downtown...
from
Pape StationPape is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 650 Danforth Avenue at Pape Avenue. It was opened in 1966...
to a station at the intersection of
Spadina AvenueSpadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods....
and
Front StreetFront Street is an east-west road in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street marks the rough outline of the shoreline of Lake Ontario as it existed during the original English settlement of York, then called Palace Street...
passing under Pape Avenue,
Eastern AvenueEastern Avenue is an east-west street in Toronto, Canada. It runs from just east of Parliament Street in the downtown to just west of Coxwell Avenue, near the Beaches neighbourhood. Originally Eastern crossed the Don River at the Old Eastern Avenue Bridge, but that bridge was disconnected in 1964...
, and through
Union StationUnion Station is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. Opened in 1954 along with the first twelve subway stations of Toronto, it is located between the Yonge Street and University Avenue sections of the line at 55 Front Street West between Bay Street and York...
.
Later extensions were suggest to the Bloor-Danforth subway in the west, and to the intersection of
Eglinton Avenue EastEglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
and Don Mills Road in the east. Since 2008, Metrolinx chair
Rob MacIsaacRobert Scott Alexander "Rob" MacIsaac is the chair of Metrolinx, the provincial planning agency responsible for the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton....
has spoken of starting construction of the Downtown Relief Line or "Queen Line" in 2020.
Toronto council has also expressed support for this plan.
In addition to Rob Ford's announcements of expansion plans in 2011, he suggested the idea of building a new subway line along
Finch AvenueFinch Avenue is an arterial thoroughfare and concession road which travels east–west through the city of Toronto. The road also has short extensions into Peel and Durham Regions as Peel Regional Road 2 and Durham Regional Road 37.-History:...
West, a substitute for the cancelled light rail line under the
Transit CityTransit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced by then-Toronto Mayor David Miller and Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Adam Giambrone on March 16, 2007...
plan, within ten-years' time.
See also
- List of metro systems
- MoveOntario 2020
MoveOntario 2020 is a plan proposed by the Government of Ontario that would fund 52 rapid-transit projects throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area in Ontario, Canada.-History:...
- Toronto subway and RT signals
- Toronto Subway Font
The Toronto subway font is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed for the original section of the Toronto Transit Commission’s Yonge subway.-Description:...
- Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
- Toronto Transit Commission buses
- Toronto streetcar system
The Toronto streetcar system comprises eleven streetcar routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission , and is the largest such system in the Americas in terms of ridership, number of cars, and track length. The network is concentrated primarily in downtown and in...
- Transit City
Transit City was a plan for developing public transport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first proposed and announced by then-Toronto Mayor David Miller and Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Adam Giambrone on March 16, 2007...
- Transportation in Toronto
There are many forms of transportation in the city of Toronto. These include highways and public transit. Toronto's primary airport is Toronto Pearson International Airport , which is along the western boundary with Mississauga...
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