Toronto Subway

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The station Bloor-Yonge
Museum station platform

The Toronto Subway is the subway system of the Canadian city ​​of Toronto in the province of Ontario . The first section opened in 1954, making the Toronto Subway the oldest subway in the country. Through several expansions, it grew to become the longest in Canada. The network operated by the urban transport company Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) comprises four lines with a total route length of 76.9 kilometers and 75 stations.

An average of 1,039,900 passengers are carried on working days. Most of the traffic is carried by the East-West Bloor-Danforth Line and the U-shaped North-South Yonge University Line . The Sheppard Line and the Scarborough Line fulfill feeder functions . While the latter is built in standard gauge (1435 mm), the three other lines have the globally unique gauge of 1495 mm, which was adopted from the Toronto tram . There are also two standard gauge light rail lines under construction.

Line network

line route opening length Gauge Stations
TTC - Line 1 - Yonge-University-Spadina line.svg  Yonge University Line Finch ↔ Vaughan Metropolitan Center 1954 38.8 km 1495 mm 38
TTC - Line 2 - Bloor-Danforth line.svg Bloor Danforth Line Kipling ↔ Kennedy 1966 26.2 km 1495 mm 31
TTC - Line 3 - Scarborough RT line.svg Scarborough Line Kennedy ↔ McCowan 1985 06.4 km 1435 mm 06th
TTC - Line 4 - Sheppard line.svg Sheppard line Sheppard-Yonge ↔ Don Mills 2002 05.5 km 1495 mm 05
Toronto Subway network

The Yonge University Line, roughly shaped like a U, is Toronto's oldest and most widely used subway line. It begins in Vaughan Metropolitan Center and runs south to Spadina , then eastwards parallel to the Bloor-Danforth line to St. George . It then runs south under Queen's Park and University Avenue . Before Union Station she turns east and shortly thereafter north. Then it runs under Yonge Street to Finch terminus . The line is 30.2 km long and has 32 stations (seven of which are above ground). At the Sheppard-Yonge station there is a connection to the 5.5 km long Sheppard Line, which runs completely in the tunnel and has five stations.

The most important west-east connection in the Toronto traffic network is the Bloor-Danforth Line with a length of 26.2 km and 31 stations (six of which are above ground). It begins at Kipling Station and follows Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue , bridging the Don River with the Prince Edward Viaduct . Between Spadina and St. George it runs parallel to the Yonge University Line. After Victoria Park Avenue, the line turns northeast and ends at Kennedy Station .

In Kennedy there is a connection to the 6.4 km long and completely above-ground Scarborough Line to McCowan . This line differs from the others in several ways: The rails are laid in the standard gauge of 1435 mm instead of the usual gauge of 1495 mm for subways and trams in Toronto . In addition, the rolling stock used differs considerably as the vehicles have linear motors .

history

Projects

In 1910 a network consisting of three lines was planned. However, the subway project failed in a referendum in 1912 with 57% of the votes against and was not carried out. When the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) took over all urban transport in 1921, it focused on renewing the run-down tram network. Another suggestion for a south-north subway was made in 1931, but the TTC came to the conclusion in a study that the route was "economically unjustified"; Due to the global economic crisis , the financial situation was already tense.

Construction on Front Street in front of Union Station (1949 or 1950)

In 1941, the TTC assumed a marked increase in population and traffic in the period after the Second World War . For this reason, they planned two subway lines under Bay Street (north-south) and Queen Street (east-west). However, the project was rejected by the city administration in 1942. The TTC then drafted a new plan, which now provided for tunnels under Yonge Street and Queen Street. The latter should continue to be used by trams, which is why their track width of 1495 mm was adopted. The residents of Toronto voted in a referendum in January 1946 with 89% in favor of the project. Finance Minister CD Howe had promised a financial contribution from the federal government in 1945. However, this did not materialize because the federal and provincial governments were unable to agree on a post-war employment program. To make up for the underfunding, the Queen Street Tunnel was postponed and eventually abandoned.

Yonge University Line

In 1949, construction began on Canada's first subway line, the Yonge Subway . The first 7.4 km section between Union and Eglinton was opened on March 30, 1954. On February 28, 1963, the 3.8 km long section from Union to St. George , which was named University Subway , went into operation. A 3.9 km long extension of the east branch from Eglinton to York Mills went into operation on March 31, 1973, on March 30, 1974 by 4.5 km to Finch . On January 28, 1978, the 9.9 km long, known as Spadina Subway section from St. George to Wilson was opened. The Yonge University Spadina Line was thus created. Two smaller additions were made on June 18, 1987 with the opening of the North York Center station between the existing Sheppard-Yonge and Finch stations and on March 30, 1996 a 1.1 km long section from Wilson to Downsview (now Sheppard West ) . In March 2014, the route was given the current name and route number 1. On December 17, 2017, it was extended by 8.6 km from Sheppard West to Vaughan Metropolitan Center in the suburb of Vaughan .

Bloor Danforth Line

In the post-war period, the main load of west-east traffic shifted to Bloor Street , which is why a means of mass transport seemed more suitable there than a subway tram under Queen Street, two kilometers south. It also made it possible to use the lower level of the Prince Edward Viaduct, completed in 1918, which was then built for this very purpose. Construction work on the Bloor-Danforth Line began in 1959. The first section of 12.9 km between Keele and Woodbine went into operation on February 26, 1966. A trial operation in which trains on the Bloor-Danforth line used the lower level of Bay Station to go directly to the Yonge University-Spadina line was abandoned after six months; this part of the station has been a ghost station ever since . On May 11, 1968 there was a combined opening: In the west, the trains now went to Islington , in the east to Warden , the total line length increased by 9.8 km. The last openings so far took place on November 22, 1980; in the west to Kipling and in the east to Kennedy . In March 2014, the route was given route number 2.

Scarborough Line

Scarborough RT train

At the eastern end of the Bloor-Danforth line, the Scarborough line connects, which leads to McCowan in the district of Scarborough and differs from the other lines in technical terms. The 6.4 km long route, which opened on March 23, 1985, is standard gauge and thus 60 mm narrower than that of the subway. Originally, the TTC planned to operate a light rail line on this route, which mainly ran on viaducts. But politicians in the province of Ontario wanted to use it as a reference route for modern technologies and implemented the Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit system . The vehicles run automatically with linear motors . This technology is also used on the SkyTrain Vancouver , for example . For three decades the route was called Scarborough RT (= Rapid Transit) to distinguish it from the rest of the underground network. In March 2014 it was given its current name and route number 3.

Sheppard line

Sheppard-Yonge Station

On November 24, 2002, a fourth underground line was opened with the Sheppard Line. Running under Sheppard Avenue, it connects Don Mills with Sheppard-Yonge , where you can change to the Yonge University Line. This subway line in the north of Toronto will open up a large residential area. Planning began in 1982, but the start of construction was delayed until 1995 due to financing problems and political reasons. In March 2014, the Sheppard Line was given line number 4.

The Sheppard Line is part of a once planned tangential line through the northern districts, but which will probably never be realized in this form. Part of this tangent should have been the Eglinton West Subway , which would have branched off the Yonge University line to the west. Construction work was carried out in 1994, but the provincial government stopped all construction a year later.

Expansion planning

In April 2019, the provincial government announced that it would build the Ontario Line as a light metro ( light metro , trains of smaller size). The 15-kilometer route would run from Science Center Station on the Eglinton Line (under construction) via Downtown Toronto to Exhibition Place. The new route would relieve the Yonge University Line, which is busy in 2019. The line will be standard gauge (1435 mm), with elevated and underground sections. It will use technology that will not be compatible with all other lines. The cost of the new route is estimated at $ 10.9 billion in 2019, funded by the provincial government. The government hopes to complete the line in 2027.

At its northeastern end, the Yonge University Line is to be extended by 6.8 km and six stations to the Richmond Hill Center bus terminal in the suburb of Richmond Hill , but the medium-term realization is currently uncertain. The provincial government will fund the estimated cost of $ 5.6 billion.

For the modernization of the Scarborough line, the TTC examined various options, since the rolling stock used there is approaching the maximum service life and the line is overloaded. To make matters worse, the trains are no longer produced. The successor models are also longer, which would result in expensive modifications to the stations. After an extension of the Bloor-Danforth line over the route of the Scarborough line was no longer considered, the line should have been used instead (as originally planned) by a conventional light rail and extended by 4.9 km. Mayor Rob Ford stopped all light rail planning after taking office in December 2010. In October 2013, the city council decided to extend the Bloor-Danforth line to Scarborough, but on a route further east. It is said to cost around $ 3 billion, of which the federal and provincial governments together would take over a little more than two thirds. The estimated cost of expanding with three new stations in 2019 was $ 5.5 billion, which the provincial government would fund. The government hopes to open the extension by 2030.

Light rail

Mayor David Miller and Adam Giambrone , the chairman of the TTC, announced on March 16, 2007 the ambitious expansion program Transit City , with which the local public transport in the greater Toronto area should be improved significantly. Among other things, the construction of seven light rail lines with a total length of 120 kilometers is planned, which will mainly serve the northern parts of the city. In contrast to the tram lines in the city center, the routes are to be run in standard gauge.

In June 2007, the provincial government announced Dalton McGuinty , the program MoveOntario 2020 on. It envisages numerous transport infrastructure projects in the Greater Toronto - Hamilton area with a total cost of CAD 17.5 billion  that are to be implemented by 2020. In addition to several light rail lines, this also includes three extensions to the Toronto Subway. According to the program, the Province of Ontario will contribute two-thirds of the costs and the federal government one-third.

In November 2012, the Ontario provincial government (through its Metrolinx agency) decided to build four of the Transit City lines. Metrolinx would own the lines and the Toronto Transit Commission would operate those lines.

Today two light rail lines are under construction in Toronto; the other proposed Transit City lines have been deleted:

  • The Eglinton Line (officially Line 5 Eglinton) is a 19 km long light rail line along Eglinton Avenue that has been under construction since 2013. The section from Black Creek Drive to Brentcliffe Avenue (6 miles) will be underground. The route from Brentcliffe Avenue to Kennedy Station will be on its own track in the middle of Eglinton Avenue. There will be 15 underground stations and 10 stations on the surface.
  • The Finch West Line (officially Line 6 Finch West) is an 11 km long light rail line along Finch Avenue West that has been under construction since 2018. Between the two underground terminus, the line will be on its own track in the middle of Finch Avenue West. There will be 2 underground stations and 16 stations on the surface.

Both light rail lines are standard gauge (1435 mm). There will be no track connection between the two new lines as they are about 8 km apart.

vehicles

Broad gauge vehicles

A G-series train in 1971

The Yonge-University, Bloor-Danforth and Sheppard lines use wide-gauge (1495 mm) vehicles. The car bodies of the wide-gauge Toronto subway trains are all 3.15 meters wide and therefore much more receptive than, for example, the much narrower ones in the Berlin large profile with 2.65 meters. On all lines, the trains get their electricity from a conductor rail . The voltage is 600 volts direct current .

First generation railcars

Interior of train type H4

The first 104 cars were ordered from the British Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company . Because of the high prices for lightweight trains at the time, the TTC opted for steel wagons, which were, however, significantly heavier and therefore also used more electricity. When the U-Bahn opened in March 1954, 100 cars were delivered that operated as double multiple units (Dtw). In 1955 and 1956, another 28 cars without a driver's cab were added. The number of passengers had increased significantly and so instead of 4-car trains, 8-car trains with four sidecars were now running. Between 1958 and 1959 another six trains were added, which had various innovations and so can be seen as an experiment.

Interior of train type T1
Toronto Rocket Railcar in George Station 2011

Up to then there were a total of 140 vehicles in service with the subway, which were given the series designation G1 to G4. All vehicles of this type have been out of service since 1990, with the exception of a few company vehicles. The Halton County Radial Railway Transport Museum in Milton received one car, while others were badly damaged in a fire in the Union parking facility and were not refurbished.

Second generation railcars

For the University Subway, which opened in 1963, the TTC purchased new M1 trains in 1962/1963, which, unlike their predecessors, were manufactured in Canada by the Montreal Locomotive Works . These cars were also built using the energy-saving lightweight construction. In the following years for the Bloor-Danforth line there were further orders and so the vehicle types H1 (1965/1966), H2 and H3 (1971) and H4 (1974/1975) manufactured by Hawker Siddeley Canada were delivered. The Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC, now part of Bombardier Transportation ) produced the successor series H5 (1976/1979) and H6 (1986/1989). The vehicles from type H4 received a reduced number of seats, but there was more standing room.

The type T1 manufactured by Bombardier in 1992/1998 also had fewer seats, but for the first time had a separate wheelchair space. After the T1 types were gradually put into service, the TTC withdrew the vehicles of the M1 and H1-3 series from service. The Transport Museum in Milton also received a vehicle of type M1 here. While the older trains reach a maximum speed of 80 km / h, the trains from the H6 series onwards do not exceed 88.5 km / h (55 mph).

For the separate operation of the standard-gauge Scarborough RT, the TTC ordered 28 cars (14 double railcars) of the type S1 in the years 1983–1985 from the UTDC. These 2.5 m wide and 12.7 m long vehicles only offer 30 seats and are therefore clearly too small. The vehicles with a net weight of 15.45 tons reach a speed of 80 km / h. However, this often excessive speed has a significant disadvantage, namely an enormous volume development. The trains are serviced in the McCowan terminus for small repairs, otherwise in the main subway workshop.

Third generation railcars

In 2006, the city approved the purchase of 234 new metro vehicles as the old vehicles were nearing the end of their life. From 2010 Bombardier delivered a new type of train, the Toronto Rocket . These trains deviate from the previous principle of the double multiple unit. They form a fully accessible unit, connected by joints, with two head and four middle cars. The commissioning of the first trains was delayed by a year due to the insolvency of a supplier company. Since 2011 the old vehicles of the types H4, H5 and H6 have been gradually replaced by new vehicles from the manufacturer Bombardier.

Standard gauge vehicles

The standard gauge lines use vehicles of different types that are often incompatible on other lines.

Scarborough Line

The Scarborough line uses 28 high-floor cars of the type ITCS Mark I from UTDC (now Bombardier). They are 12.7 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and weigh 15.445 tons. A car offers 30 seats and 55 standing places, so it is relatively small. As a rule, the cars are coupled to form four-car trains and run at a maximum speed of 80 km / h.

Eglinton line

The Eglinton line under construction will use 76 Bombardier Flexity Freedom low-floor light rail cars . These bidirectional vehicles are 31 meters long and are coupled in trains with 2 or 3 cars.

Depots

Wilson Yard

All broad-gauge trains can be serviced in four depots. The oldest Davisville Yard facility is located at Davisville Station on the Yonge University Line. It was the only one on the Toronto Subway from 1954 to 1966 and is now responsible for trains on the Sheppard Line after a brief shutdown at the turn of the millennium. The second depot, Greenwood Yard, is located at Greenwood station on the Bloor-Danforth line. It was built between 1963 and 1965, is about twelve hectares and has a direct connection to the railway network. The main subway workshop is also located there; the trains can also be lifted off the axles here in order to carry out the necessary general inspections. The third depot, Keele Yard (formerly Vincent Yard ) is located between Dundas West and Keele stations along the Bloor-Danforth Line. Opened in 1966, this is the smallest depot in the subway system with a capacity for 8 trains; however, usually only 4 are stored there. The fourth Wilson Yard depot , built in 1976/1977 also the youngest, is located near Wilson Station on the Yonge University Line. It was initially designed to be much smaller, but was significantly expanded between 1994 and 1998 and also includes a bus garage. The facility is about eleven hectares.

business

On the Yonge University Line and Bloor Danforth Line, a train is usually manned by two drivers, one in the front and one in the rear cab. The rear driver handles the train and controls the doors. This procedure enables a short stay in the end stations. Until October 2016, the Sheppard Line followed the same procedure; since then the line has been using a video-based handling system and only one driver. The Scarborough Line has only ever used one driver.

See also

Web links

Commons : Toronto subway and RT  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Transit ridership report, first quarter 2014. (PDF, 224 kB) (No longer available online.) American Public Transportation Association, archived from the original on July 14, 2014 ; accessed on May 21, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apta.com
  2. ↑ a b Early Subway Proposals. Transit Toronto, 2006, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  3. ↑ A History of the Original Yonge Subway. Transit Toronto, 2009, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  4. ↑ a b c d New TTC signage, color-coded line numbers to ease subway station navigation. Toronto Transit Commission , March 3, 2014, accessed February 7, 2020 .
  5. ^ Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension officially opens to public. CP24, December 17, 2017, accessed December 18, 2017 .
  6. ^ A History of Subways on Bloor and Queen Streets. Transit Toronto, 2009, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  7. ^ The Scarborough Rapid Transit Line. Transit Toronto, 2006, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  8. ^ The Sheppard Subway. Transit Toronto, 2007, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  9. ^ The Eglinton West Subway. Transit Toronto, 2006, accessed May 13, 2010 .
  10. ↑ a b c d Ford promises $ 10.9-billion Ontario Line will be built by 2027 - leaving experts, politicians looking for details. Toronto Star, April 10, 2019, accessed February 4, 2020 .
  11. ^ Yonge Subway Extension. Toronto Transit Commission, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  12. ↑ Scarborough RT ( Memento from April 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ^ Scarborough subway confirmed by Toronto council. Toronto Star , October 8, 2013, accessed June 19, 2014 .
  14. ^ Success driven by TTC: Miller. Toronto Star, March 17, 2007, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  15. ↑ A $ 17.5B transit promise. Toronto Star , June 16, 2006, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  16. ↑ a b Toronto Light Rail Transit Projects. Metrolinx, accessed on February 5, 2020 .
  17. ↑ a b Ontario LRT Update. Railway Age, September 18, 2019, accessed February 4, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Finch LRT delayed another year. Toronto Star, April 19, 2018, accessed February 4, 2020 .
  19. ^ A b The Gloucester Series Cars (1954–1990). Transit Toronto, 2006, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  20. ^ The Montreal Series (M-1) Cars (1963-1999). Transit Toronto, 2006, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  21. ^ The Camshaft Control Hawkers (Series H1, H2, H3 and H4). Transit Toronto, 2008, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  22. ↑ The Chopper Control Hawkers (Series H5 and H6). Transit Toronto, 2010, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  23. ^ The T-1 (Toronto) Series Cars (1997-?). Transit Toronto, 2006, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  24. ^ ITCS (S1). transithub.com, 2004, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  25. ^ The TTC's McCowan Yards. Transit Toronto, 2006, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  26. ↑ The Toronto Rocket Cars (T35A08). Transit Toronto, 2009, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  27. ^ ITCS (S1). transithub.com, 2004, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  28. ↑ LRV Comparison Chart. Metrolinx , March 16, 2013, accessed on January 31, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Metrolinx cuts Bombardier vehicle order by more than half. Toronto Star, December 21, 2017, accessed January 31, 2020 .
  30. ^ The Davisville Subway Yards. Transit Toronto, 2009, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  31. ^ The Greenwood Subway Yards. Transit Toronto, 2009, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  32. ↑ The Vincent Subway Yard. September 6, 2016, accessed February 7, 2020 .
  33. ↑ The Wilson Subway Yard. Transit Toronto, 2006, accessed May 10, 2010 .
  34. ↑ TTC switching to single-operator model for Line 4 subway as of Oct. 9. CP24, September 27, 2016, accessed February 7, 2020 .