Toronto Transit Commission Toronto Transit Commission, Canada

Toronto is the largest city in Canada. With 5 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates three metro lines and one short elevated light rail line. In addition to these there is a 75km long tram network and the GO Transit suburban rail service connecting with the metro at the central Union station as well as other stations. Supplementing these are the TTC buses and streetcars. A bus and/or streetcar station adjoins every major subway stop. Prices are the same as for the subway and each ticket or token entitles passengers to one complete journey of any length on the TTC system.

The Toronto metro consists of three lines:

• Yonge - University - Spadina Subway: 31km in length with 32 stations, originally completed in 1954 but expanded six times between then and 1996
• Bloor - Danforth - Spadina Subway: east–west line running parallel to Lake Ontario, 27.5km in length with 31 stations, originally commissioned in 1966 and expanded in 1980
• Sheppard Subway: east–west line, 6.4km with five stations, completed 2002

Toronto Transit Commission also operates the Scarborough RT, a 6.4km, six-station, partly elevated light rail system. This has been in commission since 1985. Possible future expansions include an extra four stations on the Yonge - University - Spadina line, from Dowsview to Steeles, via York University.

SHEPPARD SUBWAY

Sheppard Subway is Toronto's newest metro line; it was opened on 24 November 2002 at a cost of $557 million. After almost a decade of construction, the 6.4 km-long subway has five new stations and twin tunnels. The Sheppard Subway project came in within budget and on schedule. The project was undertaken by a joint venture of McNally International Inc (Ontario), Toronto-based PCL Constructors East Inc. and Foundation Co. of Canada. Hatch Mott MacDonald designed the tunnels, which have 5,600 precast rings. The Sheppard Line features a fibre-optic cable communication system and is the sole survivor of an ambitious $5 billion plan that once included four other transit projects.

Trains on the line run every five to six minutes. It provides a fast service to five subway stations running under Sheppard Avenue East, between Yonge Street and Don Mills Road. The new stations are: Sheppard-Yonge, Bayview, Bessarion, Lesley and Don Mills.

SHEPPARD-YONGE STATION

Sheppard-Yonge Station is the west end terminal station of the Sheppard Subway, and is located at Sheppard Avenue and Yonge Street. The station is a large facility, combining two subway lines and a bus terminal, with several underground pedestrian connections to adjacent buildings. At Sheppard-Yonge Station the Sheppard Subway has three platforms: a north platform, an unfinished center platform (for future expansion) and a south platform. Only the south platform is regularly used and Sheppard Subway trains arrive at and depart from the south platform only. Excellent access to the south platform is available from the Yonge Subway platform via escalators, stairs and an elevator.

NORR Limited, a member of the Giffels Group, was contracted to provide full architectural and engineering services. The total cost of the project was $112 million.

BAYVIEW STATION

Bayview Station is the first station east of Yonge Street on the new line and is located just east of the Sheppard/Bayview Avenue intersection (in front of the Bayview Village Shopping Center). Construction of the station totaled $55 million. This task was awarded to McCormick Rankin Corporation who project managed, designed and constructed the station.

BESSARION STATION

Bessarion Station is located midway between Bayview and Leslie stations, centered on the Burbank Drive/Bessarion Road intersection. This station serves the residential communities and the commercial properties along Sheppard Avenue. The station is served by 85 Sheppard East buses, which stop at bus stops in front of the main and secondary station entrances on the north and south sides of Sheppard Avenue. Both entrances connect to the concourse level where the station collector is located.

LESLEY STATION

The station is located south of Sheppard Avenue between Leslie Street and the GO Transit train tracks with the main entrance off Sheppard Avenue. There is direct access to the concourse level. The plaza area in front of the main station has a varied hard landscaped surface, trees, benches, bicycle racks and soft lighting. There is a car park for commuters at this station.

DON MILLS STATION

Don Mills is the east end terminal station of the Sheppard Subway and is located at Sheppard Avenue and Don Mills Road. The station facilities include an enclosed bus terminal served by 11 TTC bus routes and one York Region Transit bus route, a passenger pick-up and drop-off area on the north side of Sheppard Avenue, west of Parkway Forest Drive, and a new four-level parking structure in front of the Sears store which includes 366 TTC commuter parking spaces. The commuter parking will be available to Fairview Mall visitors outside commuting times (after 9:30am weekdays) and on weekends.

Union Station is one of North America's great railway stations. For more than half a century it has served as a major transportation hub for Canada. In recent years, Union Station has taken on added importance in the Metropolitan Toronto area as the terminal for rail commuter services and as a vital link in the Toronto subway system.

In July 2003, Toronto City Council approved a Master Agreement to enter into a lease with the Union Pearson Group for a 100-year term to restore, revitalize and operate Union Station on behalf of the City of Toronto. The Union Pearson Group has committed to an ongoing public consultation process throughout. Construction work at Union Station is expected to begin by the end of 2004.

A part of this major restoration project, Union Pearson Group will also have to incorporate a new air–rail link terminus, as plans were approved in November 2003 for a new rail link between Pearson International Airport and Toronto city.

BLUE22 AIR–RAIL LINK

On 13 November 2003, Union Pearson AirLink Group, a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin, won the contract to build a rail link between Toronto's Pearson International Airport and Union Station downtown. This air–rail link, to be called Blue22, will connect the biggest airport in Canada with the busiest surface transportation station in the country, handing approximately 80,000 and 200,000 passengers respectively on any day. It is estimated that the link service will eliminate over 1.5 million car trips annually in the first full year of operation.

Union Pearson AirLink Group will finance, design, build and operate the link between the two transportation hubs. The company is expected to spend about £200 million to build the 3.2km rail spur between the airport and a nearby line that runs to Union. The link is expected to begin operation between 2008 and 2010. SNC-Lavalin must still negotiate track leases with CN Rail and space at Union Station and the airport. The journey will take 22 minutes and the service should run every 15 minutes during peak times.