89-430: The Relief Line (formerly the Downtown Relief Line or DRL ) was a proposed rapid transit line for the Toronto subway system, intended to provide capacity relief to the Yonge segment of Line 1 and Bloor–Yonge station and extend subway service coverage in the city's east end. Several plans for an east–west downtown subway line date back to the early 20th century, most of which ran along Queen Street . Since
178-465: A Twitter account, with Twitter's Canadian operations sponsoring the TConnect Wi-Fi network. Users of the network could sign in to enable an automatic Wi-Fi connection for 30 days. This arrangement was resumed on an optional basis from July 2016 to early December 2016. By August 2017, Wi-Fi was available at all existing stations and would be available in all future stations. On June 17, 2015,
267-768: A "Cleaning Blitz" that would add 30 new temporary cleaners 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. The TTC implemented stricter cleanliness protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic . According to a 1991 CBC report, "aesthetics weren't really a priority" on Toronto's subway system, describing stations as "a series of bathrooms without plumbing". Since that time, Toronto's subway system has had over 40 pieces installed in various subway stations. More art appeared as new stations were built and older ones were renovated. In 2004, USA Today said of
356-630: A Relief Line corridor between Pape station and Toronto City Hall , via Pape Avenue and Queen Street. The study was ongoing and examining potential alignments. On 1 June 2016, the provincial government announced $ 150 million funding for Metrolinx to plan and design the Relief Line. Metrolinx would collaborate with the TTC and the City in the design. Mayor John Tory estimated the line could be operational within 12 to 15 years (2028–2031). In late June of
445-576: A Relief Line was one of the three routes proposed. As part of the 2011 Network plan, the Relief Line was proposed to run between Pape station on the Bloor–Danforth line, south to Eastern Avenue, and then west to Union Station , the Rogers Centre (then known as the SkyDome) and Spadina Avenue. Three possible alignments were considered for the westward extension. The least expensive would follow
534-505: A comparison, the average speed of the heavy-rail Line 2 Bloor–Danforth is 32 kilometres per hour (20 mph). The Eglinton line originated from Transit City , a plan sponsored by then–Toronto mayor David Miller , to expedite transit improvement by building several light rail lines through the lower density parts of the city. Of the light rail lines proposed, only the Eglinton and Finch West lines are under construction as of 2022 . Line 5
623-407: A few months before construction of the Eglinton to Finch portion of the system was started, the TTC made clear that a Queen subway line from Roncesvalles Avenue to Donlands station should be the next priority. The Toronto Star reported on 12 June 1968 that the 17-station, 12.5-kilometre (7.8 mi) line would cost between $ 150 million and $ 200 million. The TTC acquired land for
712-565: A second rapid transit line through the Financial District and downtown core. Although a subway line along Queen Street was first proposed in the early 1900s , the Downtown Relief Line was first proposed in the mid-1980s. The Ontario Line project extends further west and north than previous proposals to serve more of the city. The line is scheduled for completion in 2031 at a cost of $ 17 to $ 19 billion. Upon opening,
801-602: A significant capacity shortfall for Union Station beyond 2031, potentially requiring a modified Relief Line with connections to auxiliary GO Transit stations to "offload" demand at Union Station. The proposed route as of April 2017 was to have the line begin at Pape station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth, heading south under Pape Avenue, then veering west between Riverdale Avenue and Gerrard Street. It would continue south under Carlaw Avenue to south of Queen Street East . The line would then curve westward, running approximately along Eastern Avenue to Sumach Street and King Street East, where
890-450: A station. From the subway's inception in 1954 to 1991, the train guard notified patrons that the subway car doors were closing with two short blasts from a whistle . With one-person train operation (OPTO), one person operates the train as well as the doors. The TTC notes that modern technology now allows one person to safely operate the train and close the doors, and that OPTO is in use in many major cities with large subway systems such as
979-404: A train has entered a station. On TTC's Line 2, several symbols of different colours are installed on the station wall for the crew to use as a reference in positioning the train in the platform. A red circle, located at the train exit end of the platform, should be directly in front of the train operator's cab window when the train is aligned properly. A green triangle, located at the opposite end of
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#17327732387741068-534: Is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario , Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The subway system is a rail network consisting of three heavy-capacity rail lines operating predominantly underground. As of October 2024, three new lines are under construction: two light rail lines (one running mostly underground,
1157-484: Is a terminal station" where applicable. As of 2015 , they also announce, except at terminus stations, which side the train doors will open on at each stop based on the direction of train travel. Switches and power rails are vulnerable to malfunction under extreme winter conditions such as heavy snow or freezing rain. During such events, the TTC runs "storm trains" overnight along subway lines to keep power rails clear of ice. The TTC also has trains to apply an anti-freeze to
1246-474: Is first required to insert and turn a key. This action provides system control to the door control panel. The doors are then opened by pushing buttons. After the doors are opened, the guard is required to stick their head out the cab window to observe passengers boarding and exiting. The train doors remain open for at least 15 seconds. When the guard determines that boarding is complete, the doors are closed. Electronic chimes and flashing lights are turned on, then
1335-424: Is generally four to five lanes wide. From east of Brentcliffe Road to Kennedy station, the line will operate on the surface in a reserved median in the middle of Eglinton Avenue, where the street is at least six lanes wide. Building on the surface instead of tunnelling reduces the cost of construction on the eastern end of the line. The average speed of the line is expected to be 28 kilometres per hour (17 mph); as
1424-500: Is planned to run to Exhibition Place . Although the name Downtown Relief Line was used in planning discussions since at least 1985, there was debate about the use of the name. While it will be geographically located to serve downtown, local transit observers have pointed out the line will have benefits for transit riders located in the outer suburbs of Toronto. Given political sensitivity over transit planning in Scarborough during
1513-662: The Government of Ontario under Premier Doug Ford announced that the Ontario Line , a provincially funded, automated rapid transit line running from Exhibition Place to Science Centre station , would be built instead of the Relief Line. Thus, in June 2019, TTC and City staff suspended further planning work on the Relief Line. In October 2019, Toronto City Council voted 22 to 3 to support the Ontario Line plan in place of
1602-746: The London Underground , the Paris Metro , the Chicago "L" and the Montreal Metro . Initially, all the heavy-rail subway lines (1, 2 and 4) used two-person train operation. On October 9, 2016, Line 4 Sheppard was converted to OPTO. On August 1, 2021, the TTC tested OPTO on a portion of Line 1 on Sundays only. Effective November 21, 2021, the TTC introduced OPTO seven days per week on Line 1 between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and St. George stations. Between St. George and Finch stations,
1691-660: The Russell Hill accident , on the Yonge–University line south of St. Clair West station . Halfway between St. Clair West and Dupont stations , a southbound Line 1 subway train hit the rear of a stationary train ahead of it. Three people died and 100 other people were injured, some of them seriously. This led to a major reorganization at the TTC, with more focus on maintaining a "state of good repair" (i.e., an increased emphasis on safety and maintenance of existing TTC capital/services) and less on expansion. On July 24, 2023,
1780-484: The Sheppard subway line : "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." In 2012,
1869-620: The West Toronto Diamond . Plans from 1911 and 1944 also called for the Queen streetcar to be underground. When the original Yonge line was built in 1954, Queen station was built with roughed-in infrastructure for the proposed underground streetcar platform. Most of this unfinished portion of the station is inaccessible to the public ; it is sometimes referred to as Lower Queen . In June 1968, one month after Bloor–Danforth line extensions to Warden and Islington stations opened and
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#17327732387741958-411: The "Relief Line". According to the 2018–2022 TTC Corporate Plan, the Relief Line was being tentatively designated as Line 3 and coloured blue, matching the existing line number and colouring of Line 3 Scarborough , as that existing rapid transit line was intended to be replaced by an extension of Line 2 by the time the Relief Line was projected to be complete. Toronto subway The Toronto subway
2047-514: The 1990s. The Toronto Rocket trains use the same door chimes and flashing orange lights as the older trains do, and also plays the additional voice announcement, "Please stand clear of the doors". Those chimes have become synonymous with the TTC and Toronto in general to the point that the CBC Radio One local afternoon show, Here and Now , includes them in its theme music . There are several basic procedures that need to be completed once
2136-522: The Bloor–Danforth subway (opened in 1966) at the double-deck St. George station . In 1974, the Yonge Street portion of the line was extended from Eglinton station north to Finch station. The Spadina segment of the line was constructed north from St. George station initially to Wilson station in 1978, and in 1996 to Downsview station, renamed Sheppard West in 2017. Part of the Spadina segment runs in
2225-522: The Ontario Line would use a mix of elevated and tunneled right-of-way, would take advantage of a railway right-of-way south of Pape station (particularly GO Transit's Lakeshore East and Stouffville lines ). After negotiations, the governments of Toronto and Ontario reached a tentative agreement in October 2019 to build the Ontario Line, with the Ontario government agreeing to pay for the city's share of
2314-613: The Relief Line to be given higher priority in the regional transportation plan, The Big Move . Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig stressed that the Downtown Relief Line should be prioritized and completed in 15 years, as part of Metrolinx's "next wave" of projects in The Big Move transit expansion plan. In February 2013, the Metrolinx Board approved changes to The Big Move that re-prioritized the eastern segment of
2403-722: The Relief Line to the 15-year plan, and made it one of the 15 top priority projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area . The Downtown Rapid Transit Expansion Study (DRTES) was completed by the TTC in 2012, which examined four alternative Relief Line configurations between Pape and St. Andrew, with varying extensions north to Science Centre station (at Don Mills and Eglinton) and west to Dundas West station. The TTC's 2015 DRL study identified four potential corridors, which involved combinations beginning at Line 2 at Broadview or Pape, and going through downtown via King or Queen Streets. On 31 March 2016, Toronto City Council approved
2492-582: The Relief Line were for underground streetcars as premetros . On 25 August 1910, the first serious proposal for the Relief Line was made by Jacobs & Davies, a New York City ‐based firm of consulting engineers, with The Report on Transit to the Mayor and Council of the City of Toronto . An underground streetcar formed a rough U-shape from today's Broadview station , along the waterfront to Spadina Avenue , and then following Spadina Avenue, College Street , Dovercourt Road, Bloor Street and Dundas Street to
2581-486: The Relief Line, effectively cancelling it. The purpose of the Relief Line is to help reduce current and projected congestion in downtown Toronto. In 2012, it was becoming apparent to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and Metrolinx that even with proposed improvements, Line 1 Yonge–University – and particularly Bloor–Yonge station , the main interchange with Line 2 Bloor–Danforth – were facing significant capacity constraints. In 2011, Line 1
2670-644: The TTC also partnered on the Yonge Relief Network Study (YRNS) in 2015. This was a more detailed benefits case analysis that examined three different options for providing relief on Line 1: The YRNS found that Option 2B (Relief Line Long) would provide the most effective relief on Line 1. Originally, The Big Move had called for the Relief Line to terminate at Danforth Avenue, and for the Don Mills LRT to continue north to Sheppard Avenue and Highway 7 . However, planning studies examined
2759-631: The TTC announced that Wind Mobile (later rebranded Freedom Mobile ) customers would be able to access cellular connectivity at some TTC subway stations. Service was initially between Bloor–Yonge and St. George stations on Line 1, and between Bloor–Yonge and Spadina stations on Line 2. Other carriers declined to use the BAI cellular system because of the price BAI was asking for access. In April 2023, Rogers Communications took over BAI Communications and honoured existing access to Freedom Mobile customers. In August 2023, Rogers implemented 5G wireless service at all
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2848-487: The TTC awarded a contract to BAI Communications Canada to design, build and maintain a celular and Wi-Fi system along Toronto subway lines. BAI agreed to pay $ 25 million to the TTC over a 20-year period for the exclusive rights to provide the service. BAI in turn would sell access to the cellular system to other carriers. On December 13, 2013, Wi-Fi Internet access was launched at Bloor–Yonge and St. George stations. The ad-supported service (branded as "TConnect")
2937-546: The TTC continued using two-person train operation until the full conversion of the line to OPTO on November 20, 2022. From its opening in 1985 to its close in 2023, trains on Line 3 Scarborough were operated by one person. According to a 2020 survey conducted by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 , two-thirds of Torontonians surveyed opposed the TTC's plan to eliminate the train guard on Line 1, and three-quarters of Torontonians disapproved of
3026-517: The TTC if it did not. This line was never extended, and in July 2023, the line was shut down pending its dismantling due to a derailment that resulted in injuries. It is set to be replaced with an extension of Line 2 to Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road via Scarborough Town Centre . Opened in 2002, the Sheppard subway runs under Sheppard Avenue from Sheppard–Yonge station to Don Mills station. The line
3115-400: The TTC network. Throughout 2017 and into mid-2018, the remaining subway station entrances that still use legacy turnstiles (which were retrofitted with Presto readers between 2010 and 2015) and the "floor-to-ceiling" revolving turnstiles (found in automatic/secondary entrances, which do not have Presto readers on them) were replaced by the new Presto-equipped "glass-paddle" fare gates. Most of
3204-560: The TTC operated an elevated light metro service: Canada's first subway, the Yonge subway, opened in 1954 with a length of 7.4 kilometres (4.6 mi). The line ran under or parallel to Yonge Street between Eglinton Avenue and Union station. It replaced the Yonge streetcar line , Canada's first streetcar line. In 1963, the line was extended northwards from Union station under University Avenue to Bloor Street, where it would later connect with
3293-484: The TTC replaced all Line 3 trains with 25 buses. To keep switches in the yards from freezing, crews use switch heaters and manually monitor them to ensure they stay in working order during winter storms. Workcars are run as storm trains within the yards to prevent ice from building up on the power rails. The TTC stores subway trains in tunnels along main lines rather than in exterior yards. The Toronto subway has 70 stations across three lines. Most stations are named for
3382-399: The TTC's downtown stations and within the tunnels between them. In September 2023, the federal government imposed new licence conditions requiring that cellphone and data services be available on the entire subway network by the end of 2026 and that all carriers, including Telus and Bell , were to have access to it. On October 2, 2023, Bell and Telus offered its cellular customers access to
3471-514: The Toronto subway system was built before wheelchair access was a requirement under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA). However, all subway stations built since 1996 are equipped with elevators, and seventy percent (56 of 75) of Toronto's subway stations are now accessible following upgrade works to add elevators, wide fare gates, and access doors to the station, including the stations on
3560-403: The automated announcement "please stand clear of the doors" is played over the train's public address system , and finally the doors are closed. The chimes provide a clear notification and warning to passengers that the doors are closing and are played before the automated announcement is played, because such announcements may not be heard when the station is crowded. After the doors are closed,
3649-611: The capacity of Line 1 to 33,000 people per hour per direction. Other factors are expected to reduce demand such as the extension of the University portion of Line 1 into Vaughan and other local transit improvements. However, after factoring in population and employment growth and the proposed extension of Line 1 north into Richmond Hill , Metrolinx projects it will be at 96 percent of its capacity by 2031 even with committed improvements. The Relief Line will provide an alternate route for commuters heading downtown by allowing them to bypass
Relief Line (Toronto) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3738-690: The closed Line 3 Scarborough. In 2021, the TTC planned to make all of its stations accessible by 2025. By comparison, the Montreal Metro plans for all stations to be accessible by 2038, the Chicago "L" plans for all stations to be accessible in the 2030s, and the New York City Subway plans for 95 percent of stations to be accessible by 2055. All TTC trains offer level boarding for customers with wheelchairs and other accessibility needs, with priority seating and dedicated wheelchair areas onboard each train. The May 2010 TTC cleanliness audit of subway stations found that none of them meets
3827-501: The corridor on the west side of Greenwood Yard and still holds the Oakvale Greenspace. By mid-1969, the line was considered to be ready for construction but was soon considered a lower priority than the Spadina line at the suburban-dominated Metro Council. In the 1980s, the TTC, Metropolitan Toronto and the Government of Ontario did several analyses of forecasted urban growth and alternative transportation scenarios for
3916-433: The costs. Toronto City Council ratified the deal the following week. Potential extensions could have been made northward from the Relief Line's Line 2 connection in the east, as well as westward and northward from downtown to form a wide U-shape. While Metrolinx, the TTC and the City historically considered the Relief Line as a project south of Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue, Metrolinx, the City of Toronto, York Region and
4005-554: The downtown to Bloor area. In 1982, the Accelerated Rapid Transit Study considered multiple options for a "radial line", connecting Dundas West and Donlands stations with a U-shape through downtown. This planning continued into 1985, with downtown alignments following King Street, Queen Street, Front Street and the railways to and from Union Station. The TTC released the Network 2011 plan in 1985, and
4094-585: The early 21st century, studies proposed a line that would run south from Line 2 Bloor–Danforth at a point east of the Don River, before bending westward along Queen Street into Downtown Toronto . The Relief Line was included in the regional transportation plan The Big Move and is one of Metrolinx 's top 15 transit priorities. In August 2018, an alignment was approved by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks . In April 2019,
4183-421: The eastern edge of High Park to Keele station . The Relief Line disappeared from transit plans soon after the province delayed approving Metropolitan Toronto's Network 2011 plan. The provincial government was alarmed over the construction cost and withdrew political support for the new line. There were no serious plans for the Relief Line for the next two decades. In 2008, Metrolinx published The Big Move ,
4272-408: The ends of the line as there were no intermediate crossovers between the two termini. Thus, no short turns on Line 3 were possible. The heavy-rail subway lines use either a one- or two-person crew. With two-person train operation, an on-board train guard at the rear of the train is responsible for opening and closing the subway car doors and making sure no one is trapped in a door as the train leaves
4361-446: The entire length of their line from terminus to terminus. Nearly all stations outside the central business district have terminals for local TTC bus routes and streetcar routes situated within their fare-paid areas. All regular TTC bus and streetcar routes permit free transfers both to and from connecting subway lines. By December 23, 2016, Presto card readers had been installed in at least one priority subway station entrance across
4450-455: The fact that the public was not consulted when train guards were removed from Line 4's daily operations in 2016, citing safety concerns, among other issues, as key reasons motivating their response. In 1991, as a result of lawsuits, electronic chimes, in the form of a descending arpeggiated major triad and a flashing pair of orange lights above the doorway, added for the hearing impaired, were tested and gradually introduced system-wide during
4539-406: The future, thus replacing the proposed Sheppard East LRT. Line 4 Sheppard is also the only subway line in Toronto not to have any open sections. Metrolinx is funding the 19-kilometre (12 mi) Line 5 Eglinton, a light rail line along Eglinton Avenue . From Mount Dennis in the west to Brentcliffe Road (east of Laird Drive), the line will run almost entirely underground where Eglinton Avenue
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#17327732387744628-425: The guard provides a signal to the train operator that the train can proceed. The signal is in the form of a green light that turns on inside the operating cab. When the doors are closed, a light turns on in the operating cab. The guard is instructed to visually observe the platform while the train departs the station. The distance for this visual inspection is typically three car lengths. An orange triangle installed on
4717-641: The last car of a train on Line 3 Scarborough derailed south of Ellesmere station . There were 45 people on board, with five injuries reported. The TTC closed the line while the cause of the accident, which was not immediately apparent, was investigated. Though the TTC planned to close Line 3 in November 2023, it announced on August 24 that the line would not reopen. The heavy-rail subway lines were built in multiple segments with multiple crossovers . These are typically used for reversals at terminal stations, and allow arriving and departing trains to cross to and from
4806-463: The likelihood of a similar incident occurring. On October 14, 1976, arson caused the destruction of four subway cars and damage to Christie station , resulting in the closure of part of the Bloor–Danforth line for three days, and the bypassing of Christie station for some time afterwards for repairs. On August 11, 1995, the TTC suffered the deadliest subway accident in Canadian history, known as
4895-502: The line 38.8 kilometres (24.1 mi) long, over five times its original length. Opened in 1966, the Bloor–Danforth subway runs east–west under or near Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue . It replaced the Bloor streetcar line (which also served Danforth Avenue). Initially, the subway line ran between Keele station and Woodbine station . In 1968, the line was extended west to Islington station and east to Warden station , and in 1980, it
4984-431: The line would veer northwest until about Parliament Street and Queen Street. The line would then have continued westward under Queen Street to terminate at University Avenue. Stations along the first phase (Relief Line South), from the existing Osgoode station to the existing Pape station , would be: As opposed to underground trains used in many modern subway systems , early 20th-century rapid transit proposals such as
5073-487: The median of Allen Road – an expressway formerly known as the Spadina Expressway – and crosses over Highway 401 on overpasses. Six decades of extensions gave the line a U-shaped route running from its two northern terminals (Finch and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations) and looping on its southern end at Union station . The latest extension from Sheppard West to Vaughan opened on December 17, 2017, making
5162-495: The most congested segment of Line 1 and avoid transferring at Bloor–Yonge station. Significant growth is also planned adjacent to the downtown core and throughout the Greater Toronto Area . Population and employment in Toronto's downtown core are projected to increase by 83 percent and 28 percent, respectively, by 2031. This is expected to increase future transit demand into the downtown core by 55 percent. On top of
5251-570: 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 stations along the University Avenue section of Line 1 Yonge–University, in particular, are named entirely for landmarks and public institutions ( Museum , Queen's Park , and Osgoode ) and major churches ( St. Patrick and St. Andrew ). All trains, except for short turns, stop at every station along their route and run
5340-491: The north campus of Humber Polytechnic (formerly Humber College). The line is forecast to carry about 14.6 million rides a year or 40,000 a day by 2031. Construction on this line began in 2019. It was scheduled for completion in the first half of 2024, with an estimated cost of $ 1.2 billion, though it has since been delayed. Ontario Line is an under-construction 15.6-kilometre (9.7 mi) subway line from Exhibition station to Science Centre station , providing
5429-399: The other running mostly at-grade) and one subway line (running both underground and on elevated guideways). In 1954, the TTC opened Canada's first underground rail line, then known as the "Yonge subway", under Yonge Street between Union Station and Eglinton Avenue with 12 stations. As of 2023, the network encompasses 70 stations and 70.1 kilometres (43.6 mi) of route. In 2023,
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#17327732387745518-588: The plan is for the line is take the "Line 3" moniker formerly used by Line 3 Scarborough . On March 27, 1963, 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 Union 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
5607-506: The platform wall. The train operator and guard use them to position the train. The current platform markers used for Lines 1, 2, and 4 are as follows: Prior to 2017, when subway guards operated the doors from the fifth car instead of the trailing car in the T1 trains on Line 2, different platform markers were used. The following markers have now fallen into disuse as a result of a March 2017 policy change that required all guards to work from
5696-401: The platform, is provided as a reference to the train guard that shows that the train is correctly aligned. Before opening the train doors, the guard lowers the cab window and points their finger out the window toward the green triangle when the cab is lined up with the triangle. If the train is not lined up properly, the guard is not permitted to open the doors. To operate the doors, the guard
5785-550: The potential extension of the Relief Line northward, serving the former borough of East York , and an eastern portion of North York . From Danforth Avenue, the extension would have proceeded north on Pape Avenue through Pape Village , across the Don Valley to Leaside ; east on Overlea Boulevard through Thorncliffe Park ; and north again on Don Mills Road to Sheppard Avenue and Don Mills station . As of January 2019, an environmental assessment of this possible extension
5874-419: The power rail once freezing rain starts. These precautions were also used on Line 3 Scarborough, which used two power rails. After reviewing operations during the winter of 2018–2019 , the TTC decided to change its procedures for Line 3. Thus, about two hours before an expected storm, the TTC would decide whether to shut down Line 3 and replace it with bus service. Just before the storm of February 2, 2022 ,
5963-479: The projected congestion on Line 1 and at Bloor–Yonge station, the increase in the downtown population will put pressure on the congested 504 King and 501 Queen streetcars (two of the TTC's busiest surface transit routes). Metrolinx in a separate report projects that with the implementation of GO Transit 's GO Expansion (formerly known as Regional Express Rail service), passenger traffic at Union Station will double or triple 2005 volumes by 2031. This could lead to
6052-631: The railway right-of-way past the Exhibition GO Station and up to the Galt-Weston railway corridor, taking it to Dundas West station. Another alternative would go west of Strachan Avenue along the Oakville Subdivision rail lines to Roncesvalles Avenue , where it would turn north to connect to the Bloor–Danforth line at Dundas West station. The third alignment considered ran along an elevated guideway on Parkside Drive at
6141-472: The regional transportation plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area . The plan called for a Relief Line extending in a U-shape from Pape station, through Queen and Osgoode stations to Dundas West within 25 years. Metrolinx Chair Rob MacIsaac stated in 2008 that the line is unlikely to be brought forward from its projected 2020 start date but deemed it of "regional significance". In 2009, Toronto City Council expressed support for this plan. By late 2011, there
6230-492: The same year, a Toronto Star article reported the estimated cost of Phase 1 with eight stops to be $ 6.8 billion; the project was unfunded. On 16 April 2018, it was announced that the 120-day Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act had begun for the 7.5-kilometre (4.7 mi) Relief Line South from Osgoode to Pape stations. This study
6319-421: The station wall indicates the location where the guard may stop observing the platform and pull their head back into the cab. This is done to ensure that no passengers are being dragged along by the train. All staffed subway operations must verify that the train is properly berthed before the doors are opened. At each subway platform, a set of three 15-centimetre-wide (6 in) platform markers are affixed onto
6408-573: The station's farside platform. They are also used for short turning trains at some through stations in order to accommodate emergency and planned service suspensions. Planned service suspensions generally occur on weekends for planned maintenance activities that are impractical to perform overnight. There is only one regular short turn service that occurs during the morning rush hour on Line 1 Yonge–University when some northbound trains short turn at Glencairn station . On Line 3 Scarborough , light metro trains were not able to switch direction except at
6497-406: The subway's 5G system. By November 2023, wireless service had been expanded to all TTC stations and to the tunnels between Sheppard West and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations, but only for Rogers and Freedom customers. Bell and Telus customers continued to have wireless service at a limited number of stations. In December 2023, Telus and Bell reached a deal with Rogers to provide their customers
6586-682: The system had a ridership of 302,527,000, or about 1,035,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024, making it the second-busiest rapid transit system in Canada in terms of daily ridership, behind the Montreal Metro . There are 60 stations under construction as part of three new lines, two light rail lines and one subway line, and two extensions to existing lines. There are three operating rapid transit lines in Toronto: As of December 2022, three new lines are under construction, two light rail lines and one subway line. Until July 2023,
6675-414: The tenure of former mayor Rob Ford , who was the brother of Doug Ford, using the word "downtown" in a future subway line's name was perceived to be negative from the perspective of Rob Ford's primarily suburban base. In early 2013, TTC chair Karen Stintz said, "There is a general view that that line needs to get renamed." Planning undertaken by the City of Toronto referred to the proposed line simply as
6764-466: The trailing car on Line 2: During rush hour, up to 65 trains are on Line 1 simultaneously, 45 trains on Line 2, and 4 trains on Line 4. During non-rush hour periods, there are 30–46 trains on Line 1 at any one time. On weekdays and Saturdays, subway service runs from approximately 6:00 am to 1:30 am; Sunday service begins at 8:00 am. Start times on holidays may vary. On January 8, 1995, train operators began to announce each stop over
6853-519: The train departs a station (e.g. "The next station is: Dufferin, Dufferin station ") and when it arrives at the following station (e.g. "Arriving at: Dufferin, Dufferin station"). In addition, the TTC's Toronto Rocket subway trains provide visible and audible automatic stop announcements. Unlike the other trains, the Toronto Rocket trains also announce connections to other TTC subway lines, such as "Change for Line 2", and terminus stations, "This
6942-411: The train's speaker system as a result of pressure from advocacy groups for the visually impaired, but announcements were sporadic until the TTC began to enforce the policy circa 2005. Later, automated announcements were implemented under further pressure from the advocacy groups. All Toronto subway trains use an automated system to announce each station, which is played twice over the speaker system: when
7031-439: The transit agency's highest standard for cleanliness and general state of repair. Only 21 stations scored in the 70- to 80-percent range in the TTC's cleanliness scale, a range described as "Ordinary Tidiness", while 45 fell in the 60- to 70-percent 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
7120-425: Was completed on 24 October 2018. In January 2019, it was announced that the project could open by 2029. In April 2019, Ontario premier Doug Ford announced that a new Ontario Line would be built instead of the Relief Line. Thus, in June 2019, TTC and City staff suspended further planning work on the Relief Line. At the time of project suspension, design work on the Relief Line was 15 percent complete, and construction
7209-497: Was expected to be completed in 2024. Line 6 Finch West , also known as the "Finch West LRT", is an under-construction line being built by Mosaic Transit Group along Finch Avenue . It is to be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and was also part of the Transit City proposal announced on March 16, 2007. The 11-kilometre (6.8 mi), 18-stop line is to extend from Finch West station on Line 1 Yonge–University to
7298-466: Was expected to start in 2020 with completion in 2029. First proposed in April 2019, the Ontario Line will replace the Relief Line project. The Ontario Line will run from Science Centre station in the north to Exhibition Place in the south roughly following the Relief Line route between Pape and Osgoode stations with some differences in routing. While the Relief Line would have been completely tunneled,
7387-596: Was further extended west to Kipling station and east to Kennedy station. Opened in 1985, Line 3 (originally the Scarborough RT) was a light metro line running from Kennedy station to McCowan station. The TTC started to construct the line to use Canadian Light Rail Vehicles . However, the TTC was forced to convert to the Intermediate Capacity Transit System technology because the provincial government threatened to cut funding to
7476-476: Was intended to be extended to Scarborough Centre station , but because of the low ridership and the cost of tunnelling, there was a plan to extend rapid transit eastwards from Don Mills station via a surface light rail line, the Sheppard East LRT . However, in April 2019, Premier Doug Ford announced that the provincial government would extend Line 4 Sheppard to McCowan Road at some unspecified time in
7565-448: Was officially over capacity between St. Clair and College stations. After fully converting the line's fleet to higher-capacity Toronto Rocket trains, the section between St. Clair and Bloor–Yonge stations was no longer officially over capacity. However, by 2015, Line 1 still operated 11 percent over its capacity south of Line 2 during the morning rush hour. The future implementation of automatic train control will help further increase
7654-411: Was performed. This extension was later incorporated into the Ontario Line proposal. The Big Move called for the Relief Line to continue west of Osgoode station and connect with Line 2 in the west. From downtown, this extension would have proceeded west on Queen Street West and north on Roncesvalles Avenue and Dundas Street to Dundas West station . This was in contrast to the Ontario Line, which
7743-538: Was provided by BAI Canada. The TTC and BAI Canada planned to offer TConnect at all underground stations. Commuters had to view a video advertisement to gain access to the Internet. It was expected that all of the 70 subway stations would have service by 2017, as well as the six stations along the Line 1 extension to Vaughan. From early December 2015 to late January 2016, users of TConnect were required to authenticate using
7832-453: Was renewed interest in the proposal among mainstream media and the general populace. In March 2012, TTC chief executive officer (CEO) Andy Byford stated there is great need for additional subway capacity with the increasing population of Toronto, and capacity issues along Line 1 Yonge–University: "The downtown relief line has got to be looked at and has got to be talked about right now." Metrolinx officials stated that capacity issues may allow
7921-403: Was under construction when a change in provincial government threatened to terminate the project, but Mel Lastman , the last mayor of the former City of North York (today part of Toronto), used his influence to save the project. Despite the construction of many high-rise residential buildings along the line since its opening, ridership remains low resulting in a subsidy of $ 10 per ride. The line
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