History UsefulNotes / TorontoSubway

* The system has it's own font, which is called... wait for it.... [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Subway_(typeface) Toronto Subway]]. It is used in several stations and, as of 2013, the TTC has begun to use it on all new signs and construction.

** When Line 1 opened in 1954, over 40 years had elapsed since the first subway proposal along Yonge Street had been made. Further proposals would emerge over the years, to the point that when [[Creator/CBC CBC News]] reported on opening day, their tagline was "Toronto got itself a subway...really!".

** Perhaps the UrExample for Toronto is the infamous "Downtown Relief Line". Also part of the 1985 "Network 2011" plan, the goal of the U-shaped DRL was to reduce pressure on existing downtown transit routes and stations, particularly the congested Bloor-Yonge interchange station between Lines 1 and 2. After the province hesitated to fund the expensive project, it disappeared from the official plan for two decades, returnin in 2008 as part of "The Big Move", a new 25-year plan for regional transit commissioned by Metrolinx. A study was completed in 2012, proposing a reverse L-shaped line from the suburban neighbourhood of Don Mills to City Hall along Queen Street (along the route of the aborted Queen Street streetcar-subway), intersecting with Line 2 along the way. In 2016, the provincial government announced funding to plan the design of the line, in partnership with the city, with a further 120-day project assessment taking place in 2018. This ultimately came to an end in 2019, when the provincial government under Doug Ford announced the "Ontario Line", intended to replace the in-progress Relief Line study. This line will run from the Ontario Science Centre in Don Mills, through the under-redevelopment East Harbour near the mouth of the Don River, along Queen, and down to Exhibition Place[[note]]Initially the closed and provincially-owned Ontario Place directly to the south, which the Ford government had proposed redeveloping as a casino[[/note]] in the west end of the waterfront. Unlike the Relief Line, the Ontario Line would include significant sections of at-grade or elevated track, Many of these changes came as a surprise to the city, but eventually the two governments came to an agreement later in 2019. Federal government funding was chipped in early in 2021, and the current schedule projects a 2030 opening. Till then, Toronto waits...

** Perhaps the UrExample for Toronto is the infamous "Downtown Relief Line". Also part of the 1985 "Network 2011" plan, the goal of the U-shaped DRL was to reduce pressure on existing downtown transit routes and stations, particularly the congested Bloor-Yonge interchange station between Lines 1 and 2. After the province hesitated to fund the expensive project, it disappeared from the official plan for two decades, returnin in 2008 as part of "The Big Move", a new 25-year plan for regional transit commissioned by Metrolinx. A study was completed in 2012, proposing a reverse L-shaped line from the suburban neighbourhood of Don Mills to City Hall along Queen Street (along the route of the aborted Queen Street streetcar-subway).

** Line 5 on Eglinton, first proposed in the "Network 2011" plan in 1985 as a busway, was upgraded to a subway project by the province of Ontario under [[ExecutiveMeddling pressure from city and regional governments]], and broke ground in 1994...only to be cancelled in 1995 after a provincial election, and what little excavation had taken place unceremoniously filled back in. As mentioned above, it was back on the schedule with the Transit City project of the late 2000s, which was then cancelled after the election of Rob Ford as mayor, and then UnCancelled within months.

* The system only has one abandoned station, which is actually just part of a station. The abandoned station is the lower level of Bay on the Bloor-Danforth Line, which was only in service for a few months as part of a unique (but ineffecient) service plan to have all stops served by at least two lines. The station does often appear in film, though, as it commonly doubles for a New York subway station.

* When the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Edward_Viaduct Prince Edward Viaduct]] was built across the Don Valley in the 1910s, the designer included a lower deck on the bridge in anticipation of a hypothetical future subway, an expensive and controversial move at the time. This ended up saving millions of dollars when the Bloor-Danforth line was built in the 60s, as they could build the subway on the existing lower deck instead of having to build a new bridge or route the line around the valley.

* '''Line 3 Scarborough''': Unlike the other currently built lines, the Scarborough Line is an above-ground light rail system rather than a true heavy-rail subway. It was opened in 1986 and runs through the district of (you guessed it) Scarborough. The line, unlike the rest of the system, uses different rolling stock, different track gauge and different means of propulsion. Coloured blue on the map. It was originally going to be a streetcar line, but politics turned it into what it is today. Still often referred to by locals by its original name: "Scarborough RT" (Rapid Transit). As noted, in September 2013, Toronto City Council under Mayor Rob Ford (yes that Rob Ford) voted to replace it with an extension to the Bloor-Danforth Line. However in 2015, after concerns were raised by the City Planner about how well a new subway would work in conjunction with new mayor John Tory's "SmartTrack" surface rail plan, the plan was again changed to extending the Bloor Line by one stop and building an eastern extension to the Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown currently under construction (see below).

* '''Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown''': Currently under construction and expected to open in the early 2020s, the Eglinton Crosstown line will run east-west through the middle part of Toronto. Like the Scarborough line it will be a light rail system rather than a true subway, though it will run underground for approximately half of its length. Future extensions of the line east to Scarborough Town Centre and west to the airport have already been approved, but are still in the planning stages. Will be coloured orange on the system map when it opens.

* '''Line 6 Finch West''': Another light rail line which began construction in late 2019 and is planned to open in 2023. It will run east-west in the northwestern part of Toronto and will be above ground for almost its entire length except for short tunnel segments near the 2 ends of the line. Was actually cancelled in late 2010 shortly after Rob Ford took office as mayor, but was subsequently restored by city council in early 2012 over his objections.

* All lines (except for the aforementioned Scarborough RT) are not standard gauge (4 foot 8 1/2 inches) -- rather, they are slightly wider (4 foot 10 7/8 inches). This is because the subway tracks were designed to match the gauge of Toronto's streetcar system (and part of Toronto's subway system was originally planned to be serviced by existing streetcars). The reason for the non-standard gauge for Toronto's streetcars appears to be that the city wanted to make it impossible for the streetcar tracks to be used for freight cars, and excluded them through the use of a wider gauge. Historic Toronto transit equipment must be re-gauged if it is to operate elsewhere.

** There is another Toronto subway station with an extra level that was never used. When the Queen Street subway station was built, it was originally planned to interchange with an underground streetcar line that would be built along Queen Street downtown, and the station for this line was “roughed in” below the existing Queen Street station on the Yonge line. The subterranean streetcar line was never built, and thus the lower level has never been occupied.

* '''Line 1 Yonge-University''': Shaped like a U and coloured yellow on the system map, the Yonge-University Line is the oldest in the system (with the Eglington-Union stretch opening in 1954) as well as the most heavily used. An extension into the suburb of Vaughan was opened at the end of 2017 [[DevelopmentHell after significant delays]]. Since 2011, it has been run with the rather marvelous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Rocket Toronto Rocket]] rolling stock. It is also the first part of the system to receive underground Wi-Fi and cell phone service. Still often referred to by locals as the "Yonge-University-Spadina line".

* '''Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown''': Currently under construction and expected to open in the early 2020s, the Eglinton Crosstown line will run east-west through the middle part of Toronto. Like the Scarborough line it will be a light rail system rather than a true subway, though it will run underground for approximately half of its length. Will be coloured orange on the system map when it opens.

* '''Line 6 Finch West''': Another light rail line which began construction in late 2019 and is planned to open in 2023. It will run east-west in the northwestern part of Toronto and will be above ground for almost its entire length except for short tunnel segments near the 2 ends of the line. [[ExecutiveMeddling Was actually cancelled]] in late 2010 shortly after Rob Ford took office as mayor, but was subsequently restored by city council in early 2012 over his objections.

* '''Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown''': Currently under construction and expected to open in the early 2020s, the Eglinton Crosstown line will run east-west through the middle part of Toronto. Like the Scarborough line it will be a light rail system rather than a true subway, though it will run underground for approximately half of its length.

* '''Line 6 Finch West''': Another light rail line which began construction in late 2019 and is planned to open in 2023. It will run east-west in the northwestern part of Toronto and will be above ground for almost its entire length except for short tunnel segments near the 2 ends of the line. Was actually cancelled in late 2010 shortly after Rob Ford took office as mayor, but was subsequently restored by city council in early 2012 over his objections.

* '''Line 6 Finch West''': Another light rail line which began construction in late 2019 and is planned to open in 2023. It will run east-west in the northwestern part of Toronto and will be above ground for almost its entire length except for short tunnel segments near the 2 ends of the line.

* '''Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown''': Currently under construction and expected to open in the early 2020s, the Eglinton Crosstown line will run east-west through the northern part of Toronto. Like the Scarborough line it will be a light rail system rather than a true subway, though it will run underground for approximately half of its length.

* '''Line 1 Yonge-University''': Shaped like a U and coloured yellow on the system map, the Yonge-University Line is the oldest in the system (with the Eglington-Union stretch opening in 1954) as well as the most heavily used. Currently, an extension into the suburb of Vaughan is to be opened near the end of 2017 [[DevelopmentHell (hopefully)]]. Since 2011, it has been run with the rather marvelous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Rocket Toronto Rocket]] rolling stock. It is also the first part of the system to receive underground Wi-Fi and cell phone service. Still often referred to by locals as the "Yonge-University-Spadina line".

* '''Line 1 Yonge-University''': Shaped like a U and coloured yellow on the system map, the Yonge-University Line is the oldest in the system (with the Eglington-Union stretch opening in 1954) as well as the most heavily used. Currently, an extension into the suburb of Vaughan is to be opened near the end of 2017 [[DevelopmentHell (hopefully)]]. Since 2011, it has been run with the rather marvelous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Rocket Toronto Rocket]] rolling stock. It is also the first part of the sytem to receive underground Wi-Fi and cell phone service. Still often referred to by locals as the "Yonge-University-Spadina line".

* '''Line 4 Sheppard''': The newest line in the system (opened in 2003), the Sheppard Line services the growing Sheppard Avenue corridor in North York. The shortest and least used line in the system, it is sometimes derisively referred to as the "[[PunnyName Sheppard Stubway]]" or "subway to nowhere". There aren't many interesting things to say about this line, though, besides the fact that it is close to fully underground. Coloured purple on the system map.

* The system has it's own font, which is called... wait for it.... [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Subway_(typeface) Toronto Subway]]. It is used in several stations and, as of 2013, the TTC has begun to use it on all new signs and construction.

* '''Line 1 Yonge-University''': Shaped like a U and coloured yellow on the system map, the Yonge-University Line is the oldest in the system (with the Eglington-Union stretch opening in 1954) as well as the most heavily used. Currently, an extension into the suburb of Vaughan is to be opened near the end of 2017. Since 2011, it has been run with the rather marvelous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Rocket Toronto Rocket]] rolling stock. It is also the first part of the sytem to receive underground Wi-Fi and cell phone service. Still often referred to by locals as the "Yonge-University-Spadina line".

* '''Line 1 Yonge-University''': Shaped like a U and coloured yellow on the system map, the Yonge-University Line is the oldest in the system (with the Eglington-Union stretch opening in 1954) as well as the most heavily used. Currently, an extension into the suburb of Vaughan is to be opened in 2016. Since 2011, it has been run with the rather marvelous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Rocket Toronto Rocket]] rolling stock. It is also the first part of the sytem to receive underground Wi-Fi and cell phone service. Still often referred to by locals as the "Yonge-University-Spadina line".

* The system has it's own font, which is called... wait for it.... Toronto Subway Font. It is used in most, if not all, stations.

* '''Line 2 Bloor-Danforth''': Covering an east-west axis about 2 to 3 kilometers inland from Lake Ontario, the Bloor-Danforth line is the second oldest, second buisiest and second longest in the system. Coloured green on the system map. The first portions of it opened in 1966 after being in the planning stages for several years. Every now and then there's talk of extending it west to Mississauga, but as of 2013, its extension is going to be the replacement of...

* '''Line 3 Scarborough''': Unlike the other currently built lines, the Scarborough Line is an above-ground light rail system rather than a true heavy-rail subway. It was opened in 1986 and runs through the district of (you guessed it) Scarborough. The line, unlike the rest of the system, uses different rolling stock, different track gauge and different means of propulsion. Coloured blue on the map. It was originally going to be a streetcar line, but politics turned it into what it is today. Still often referred to by locals by its original name: "Scarborough RT" (Rapid Transit). As noted, in September 2013, the City Council voted to replace it with an extension to the Bloor-Danforth Line.

* Yonge-University-Spadina Line: Shaped like a U and coloured yellow on the system map, this line is the oldest in the system (with the Eglington-Union stretch opening in 1954) as well as the most heavily used. Currently, an extension into the suburb of Vaughn is to be opened in 2016. Since 2011, it has been run with the rather marvelous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Rocket Toronto Rocket]] rolling stock.

* Bloor-Danforth Line: Covering an east-west axis about 2 to 3 kilometers inland from Lake Ontario, this line is the second oldest, second buisiest and second longest in the system. Coloured green on the system map. The first portions of it opened in 1966 after being in the planning stages for several years. Every now and then there's talk of extending it west to Mississauga, but as of 2013, its extension is going to be the replacement of...

* Scarborough RT: A bit off an odd subway line, the Scarborough RT was opened in 1986 and runs through the district of (you guessed it) Scarborough. The line, unlike the rest of the system, uses different rolling stock, different track gauge and different means of propulsion. Coloured blue on the map. It was originally going to be a streetcar line, but politics turned it into what it is today. As noted, in September 2013, the City Council voted to replace it with an extension to the Bloor-Danforth Line.

* Sheppard Line: The newest line in the system (opened in 2003) as well as the shortest and least used, the Sheppard Line services the growing Sheppard Avenue corridor in North York. There aren't many interesting things to say about this line, though, besides the fact that it is close to fully underground. Coloured purple on the system map.

Intersting facts about the subway include:

* Yonge-University-Spadina Line: Shaped like a U and colored yellow on the system map, this line is the oldest in the system (wtih the Eglington-Union stretch opening in 1954) as well as the most heavily used. Currently, an extension into the suburb of Vaughn is to be opened in 2016.

* Bloor-Danforth Line: Covering an east-west axis about 2 to 3 kilometers inland from Lake Ontario, this line is the second oldest, second buisiest and second longest in the system. The first portions of it opened in 1966 after being in the planning stages for several years. Currently, the line has no extensions planned.

* Scarborough RT: A bit off an odd subway line, the Scarborough RT was opened in 1986 and runs through the district of (you guessed it) Scarborough. The line, unlike the rest of the system, uses different rolling stock, different track gague and different means of propolusion. It was originally going to be a streetcar line, but politics turned it into what it is today. However, the line is to be demolished and replaced with streetcars after the Pan American Games in 2015.
** As of September 2013, it's going to be a subway. That's likely not going to be the last of it.

* Sheppard Line: The newest line in the system (opened in 2003) as well as the shortest and least used, the Sheppard Line services the growing Sheppard Avenue corridor in North York. There aren't many interesting things to say about this line, though, besides the fact that it is close to fully underground.

* All lines (besides the aforementioned Scarborough RT) do not have standart track gauge. The reason for this is because the system was originally meant to be served by streetcars, which the subway has the same track gague as.