TTC's newest subway extension taking shape

After delays and cost overruns, Toronto York Spadina Subway Extension is finally months from completion.

Thestar.com
Jan. 23, 2017
By Ben Spurr

Toronto’s first new subway project in more than a decade is almost complete.

At a media tour of the new Downsview Park station on Monday, TTC CEO Andy Byford emphasized that the Toronto York Spadina Subway Extension, a six-stop addition to Line 1 that is scheduled to open in December, will be state of the art.

“People will look at it as just a subway extension. To me it’s way more than that,” he said, noting that in addition to the complexity involved in setting up train operations, the TYSSE will combine three major TTC projects: a Wi-Fi network, the Presto fare card system, and automatic train control. “It’s a huge accomplishment.”

Located at the north end of Downsview Park, just east of Sheppard Ave. and Keele St., there is little density in the area surrounding the station. But TTC officials said some of the land nearby is slated for future mixed use development.

Ridership is also expected to be boosted by a direct connection to trains on GO Transit’s Barrie line, which will stop at a platform between the station’s east and west pavilions.

The architecture of Downsview Park (not to be confused with Line 1’s existing Downsview station, which will be renamed Sheppard West) is open and airy, allowing sunlight to filter all the way down to the subway platform. Its two buildings made of glass, stone, and aluminum blend into the hilly topography and are topped by green roofs.

Inside, emblazoned on the walls, floors, and ceilings is art by Panya Clark Espinal, a Toronto-based experimental artist. At first glance the dark lines of the piece, which is called “Spin,” appear as random brush strokes. But commuters who take the time to stop and look will notice that from certain vantage points they align to form perfect rings.

On Monday, the station appeared mostly finished and crews were vacuuming dust off the tracks. But the TTC still has a lot of work to do before it can open the extension.

The tracks will be powered up in April, but before the TTC begins testing trains using electric power, it will tow subway cars up and down the track using a diesel engine in order to ensure they have enough clearance to safely move through the tunnels.

The power, communications systems, ventilation and all of the other “101 things it takes to run the railway safely” each have to be tested individually, according to acting chief operating officer Mike Palmer.

Although its opening is now in sight, the extension was supposed to be done two years ago, and it has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.

Its cost has risen to $3.2 billion, more than double initial estimates. Although much of the increase was attributable to the addition of three new stops to the design, the price tag has risen by more than $500 million on top of that.