Toronto Subway and RT
From Freepedia
- This article is about the subway system in Toronto. For the organisation that operates the system along with the city's buses and streetcars, see Toronto Transit Commission.
The Toronto Subway and RT is the main rapid transit railway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Since the original line following Yonge Street opened in 1954, the network has expanded to encompass four lines and 69 stations. Run by Toronto Transit Commission, the subway system is a very popular mode of public transport in Toronto, with an average of 878,800 passenger trips each day (as of 2004).
The TTC uses the term 'rapid transit' internally to describe all four lines, but in general public usage it is normally applied only to the Scarborough RT line, which is mostly elevated, while the other three are referred to as 'subways'.
Contents |
Train network
| Yonge-University-Spadina Between Finch and Downsview via Union | Bloor-Danforth Between Kipling and Kennedy |
| Scarborough RT Between Kennedy and McCowan | Sheppard Between Sheppard-Yonge and Don Mills |
History
Yonge-University Line (1954-1963)
The first segment of the subway, which replaced a heavily-used streetcar route, ran under and next to Yonge Street from Eglinton Avenue to King Street. The route then turned west, to the southernmost station, at Front and Bay, underneath to the city's main railway terminus, Union Station. This line was completed in 1954. It was 6.5 km long.
In 1963 an extension was added, north from Union Station, below University Avenue, to just south of Bloor Street, where it turned west to terminate at St George and Bloor.
- Main article: Yonge-University-Spadina (TTC)
Bloor-Danforth Line (1966-1968)
The very existence of the Danforth line, opened in 1966, is thanks to a decision made nearly fifty years earlier. When the Bloor Street Viaduct was built in 1919, its designer insisted on building twin decks below the roadway to allow for future rail traffic. Thanks to that decision, the subway is able to cross the Don River ravine to Danforth Avenue on the east side.
- Main article: Bloor-Danforth (TTC)
Yonge Line extension (1973-1974)
The Yonge-University Line was extended north 8 km from Eglington and Yonge to Finch Avenue and Yonge in 1973 and 1974.
Spadina extension (1978)
A further 12 km was added to the Yonge-University Line at St George and Bloor, running north-west to Eglinton and Allen Road, where it turned north to run down the centre of the Allen Road, to Wilson Avenue and the Allen Road.
Bloor-Danforth extension (1980)
Extensions were added at the west and east end of the Bloor-Danforth Line. These extensions each added a single station, and much needed bus bays to connect to surface routes, and, on the eastern end, room to connect to the Scarborough RT.
Scarborough RT (1985)
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 ICTS trains based on dramatically different technology (similar to those of the Vancouver SkyTrain). Nevertheless, its operating practices are the same as those of the other three 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.
- Main article: Scarborough RT (TTC)
Spadina extension (1996)
A further km was added to the north end of the Spadina arm of the Yonge-University-Spadina line, adding an additional station with bus-bays for connections to surface routes. A newly elected conservative government cancelled the provincial share of the funding that would have extended this route to York University at Keele Avenue and Steeles Avenue.
Sheppard Line (2002)
The Sheppard Line, opened in 2002, runs 5.5 km east, from Sheppard Station on the Yonge line (now renamed Sheppard-Yonge), near the north end of the Yonge-University-Spadina Line.
- Main article: Sheppard (TTC)
Future expansion
The TTC has placed a lower priority on rapid-transit expansion, contingent upon additional funding: maintenance of the present system, increasing the present system's capacity, and fare initiatives are currently considered higher funding priorities.Through its Rapid Transit Expansion Strategy (RTES), the TTC has identified two major subway expansion projects until 2015. One is the eventual eastward extension of the Sheppard line from Don Mills station to Scarborough Centre station (see the Sheppard line article for more details).
Another is the extension of the Yonge-University-Spadina line from Downsview station through York University and up to Steeles Avenue at the city's northern boundary with Vaughan. Receiving increased attention recently, this extension has just passed the third phase of Environmental Assessment and an alignment has been established. The proposed stations, north of Downsview station, are likely to be named Sheppard West, Finch West, York University, and Steeles West.
Even given priorities and funding challenges, it is widely expected that the current provincial government will provide funding earmarked for the Spadina subway extension (former provincial Finance Minister Greg Sorbara represents a south Vaughan riding, which would benefit from the subway extension). With no obstacles and full funding commitments from senior government, the $1.5 billion expansion would be operational by 2013 at the earliest.
In addition, the TTC is currently considering options for revitalising the Scarborough RT line, since its fleet of trains are approaching the end of their lifespan, and the line is already overcrowded. Replacing the trains is complicated by the fact that the original ICTS vehicles used by the line are no longer produced, and their newer counterparts are longer and so would require expensive upgrades to the existing track. As a result, the TTC is also considering other options including an extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway along a different alignment, converting the Scarborough RT to a dedicated right-of-way for streetcars (as was originally planned), and replacing it with a bus rapid transit line.
Subway facts
Like most metros, the Toronto subway/RT trains collect their electric power from a third rail mounted beside the tracks. 'Paddles' mounted on the bogeys are located on both sides of each coach for the required contact. The power is supplied at 600 V DC.
Scarborough RT trains cannot switch directions except at the ends of the line. There are no turnback switches between the two termini, meaning that trains can only be switched to the opposite track there.
In August 1995, the TTC suffered its worst subway accident in what the TTC refers to as the Russell Hill accident on the Yonge-University-Spadina line. Three women died and 100 people were injured, a few seriously. This led to a major shake-up 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.
GO Transit's commuter trains stop at or near the Kipling, Dundas West (GO's Bloor station), Main Street (GO's Danforth station), Leslie (GO's Oriole station), and Kennedy subway stations. The TTC's Union subway station connects with Union Station, Toronto's main railway station, which serves not only GO trains, but also VIA, Amtrak, and Ontario Northland. GO's 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.
Stations
- For complete lists and details of stations, lines, and their locations in the Toronto subway/RT system, see "Train network" above and associated links.
Current stations
Most stations are named for the nearest major 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 stop at every station along their route, and all run the entire length of their line from terminus to terminus, with the exception of every other train on the Yonge-University-Spadina line during rush hours, which terminate at St. Clair west.
Closed stations
Image:TTCSubwayInterlined1966.svg
The TTC has one closed subway station: the lower level of Bay subway station. This subway station was briefly used in 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. It is said that chaos ensued as passengers at Bay didn't know which platform their next train might end up on, causing people to wait on the stairs. Switching trains also didn't add that much more time to a commute, since at your original stop you would have to wait for a train that took you to where you wanted to go, anyway. 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 Subway station.
The tracks through Lower Bay are still in existence and are used from time to time to move equipment between the 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, which would be 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 make more sense. The original Yonge subway's Queen 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 TTC also planned but did not construct a Lower Osgoode station for the Queen line.
In the 1990s, the TTC began digging Allen Station under Eglinton West for the Eglinton subway project, but it was filled in again when the government of Ontario cancelled that line.
Track information
For the most part, the subway system is composed of two parallel three-rail tracks. At most stations, particularly the older ones, the rails enter two separate bays in each station, one for Eastbound, one for Westbound (or North/Southbound). The newer stations (with some exceptions), use a single platform between the tracks. Along the lines, there are also storage tracks, a third set of rails, longer than the length of a train, which can be used for resting trains, or turning around. They are formally known in the TTC as centre tracks.
These exist at 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
- West of Union Station
- South of York Mills Station
Pocket tracks are also a variation of center tracks, but can only be accessed from one end. The other end ends in a blocker. They can be found at:
- South of Osgoode Station (accessible from north end only)
- North of Eglinton Station (accessible from north end only)
- North of Finch Station (tail tracks)
Double crossovers, allowing for the switching of tracks exist at the following locations:
|
|
There is also a single crossover north of Union Station (on the Yonge Line), allowing trains to come into Union from the north, enter what is now the platform designated "Northbound - University Line", and turn around, heading back north towards Finch on the proper track. This would have been used when Union was the end-of-the-line until the University Line was opened in the 1960s.
Other track "anomalies" that exist are:
- The tracks used for interlining in the late 1960s:
- North of Museum Station the tracks split, one heading for Upper-St. George St, 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.
- North of Museum Station the tracks split, one heading for Upper-St. George St, the other for the now abandoned Lower-Bay.
- Single cross-overs, acting as entrances to the Vincent Yards, the Wilson Yards, the Davisville Yards, and the Downsview 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 Bloor-Danforth line, just west of Warden Station. Trains must back into this track, and leave head first.
- Short tail tracks at Don Mills Station. It is the only terminal station not to have train length tail tracks.
- 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.
- From Northbound Yonge to Eastbound Sheppard: Simple track split on the Yonge Line
- There used to be more crossovers on the Yonge Line, but three were removed when the University line was constructed
- The locations of the removed crossovers were: north of King Station, south of College Station (Gerrard Crossover), and south of St. Clair Station.
- The cuts in the tunnels for the King and Gerrard Crossovers still exist to this day.
- The locations of the removed crossovers were: north of King Station, south of College Station (Gerrard Crossover), and south of St. Clair Station.
Track gauge
The tracks of Toronto's streetcars and subways (apart from the Scarborough RT) are built to the unique gauge of 1.495 m (4 feet 10 7/8 inches), slightly wider than the usual standard of 1.435 m (4 feet 8 1/2 inches). There are arguments over the reason why this is. One popular albeit false 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 Railway to operate steam locomotives through city streets. 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.
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, though the idea was ultimately dropped in favour of dedicated rapid-transit trains. 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 yards.
Vehicles
The Toronto Transit Commission has a fleet of:
- 694 subway cars for the Yonge-University-Spadina, Bloor-Danforth, and Sheppard lines
- 56 subway work cars
- 28 ICTS cars for the Scarborough RT line
- 6 RT work cars
Here is a list of rapid transit vehicles used by the TTC since 1954:
Subway trains
Current
The current subway fleet consists mostly of the new T1 cars and H5 and H6 cars. Some of the H4 cars will be retired as more cars are bought in the future or wear out.
- Hawker-Siddeley Canada RT 75 H4
- Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC) RT75 H5
- UTDC RT75 H6
- Bombardier Transportation RT75 T1 Image:Wheelchair.png
Image:Wheelchair.png Denotes vehicles specifically designed to be wheelchair-accessible (though level boarding platforms allow a degree of access to all trains).
Retired
All Gloucester and MLW cars have been retired, as well as most early H-series cars (H1-3):
- Gloucester Railway Wagon and Carriage Company G1, G2, G3, and G4
- Montreal Locomotive Works M1
- Hawker-Siddeley Canada RT75 H1 and H2
- Hawker-Siddeley Canada H3 (a modified H2 with chopper control)
Scarborough RT trains
Work vehicles
Current subway work vehicles
|
|
Retired subway work vehicles
- RT4: Platform maintenance car, ex Witt 2528, conv. 1954, retired 1974
- RT10: Garbage car unit, Tokyo Rose, built 1967, retired 1999
- RT14: Grinding train, ex PCC 4446, conv. 1970, retired 1989 – used with PCC RT15
- RT14: Tunnel washer, built 1988, retired 1999 – used with RT15 and RT16
- RT15: Grinding train, ex PCC 4410, conv. 1970, retired 1989 – used with PCC RT14
- RT15: Tunnel washer, built 1988, retired 1999 – used with RT14 and RT16
- RT16: Tunnel washer, built 1973, retired 1999 – used with
- RT14 and RT15
- RT38: Garbage car unit, ex G2, conv. 1991, retired 1998
- RT39: Garbage car unit, ex G2, conv. 1991, retired 1998
Scarborough RT work vehicles
- ST1: Diesel loco, built 1984
- ST2: Flat car w/ crane, built 1984
- ST3: Grinding truck, built 1984, used with ST1
- ST4: Non motored snow blower, built 1986, used with ST1
- ST5: Non motored power rail cleaner and de-icer, built 1987, used with ST1
- ST6: Grinding truck, built 1987, used with ST1
Facilities
Here is a list of subway and RT yards and facilities:
- Davisville Subway Yard - services the Yonge and Sheppard lines
- Greenwood Subway Yard - services the Bloor-Danforth line
- Wilson Subway Yard - services the Spadina and University lines
- McCowan RT Yard - services the Scarborough RT line
- Keele (Vincent) Yard - inactive
Source: TTC Subway Related Properties
Formerly-planned lines
See also
References
- Transit Toronto Subway and RT
- Transit Toronto Lost Subway Stations
- Thirty Years down the line Toronto Star March 1984, M1 and M9
- Welcome Aboard - Tomorrow's Transit Today - UTDC 1985
- TTC Rider - Maps for the quickest route on the system
- TTC Rapid Transit Expansion Study (RTES) and follow-up report (2001-2)
- Spadina Line Extension
External links
- Official TTC site
- News, history and discussion
- CBC Radio and TV archives about the Montreal Metro and Toronto Subway
| Passenger railways of Canada |
| Montreal Metro | Toronto Subway/RT | Vancouver SkyTrain |
| C-Train (Calgary) | Edmonton Light Rail | O-Train (Ottawa) | Toronto streetcars |
| VIA Rail Canada | GO Transit (Toronto) | AMT commuter trains (Montreal) | West Coast Express (Vancouver) |
