TTC aiming for December 2017 subway opening

Excal.on.ca
Munirul-Haq Raza
May 24, 2017

This December, the Line 1 Yonge–University line will finally extend to York, and will continue through into Vaughan and York Region. The extension will begin from what is now Downsview Station, which will be renamed Sheppard West Station once the extension is set to launch. Construction is over 92 per cent complete, according to the TTC’s March newsletter.A proposal for an extension dates back to 1988, one that even former Vaughan mayor Lorna Jackson campaigned on.

Nearly a decade after the first construction contracts were approved for the York University extension to the Yonge–University line, the subway looks to open at the end of 2017.

The extension is expected to implement more modern technology, as well as Wi-Fi and PRESTO capabilities.

“It really will be state of the art from day one,” said TTC CEO Andy Byford.“A total of six new stops will be added: Downsview Park, Finch West, York U., Pioneer Village, Highway 407, and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre,” says Stuart Green, a senior communications specialist with the TTC.

All six stops are expected to launch simultaneously with the extension. “While construction is expected to be complete by December, there may be non-essential work that might continue,” Green adds.

Traffic, however, might still not go back to normal right away after subway construction is finished.

First clearance train testing was done in March. Further testing, ranging from test trains to system safety certification, is expected to be done over the coming months.

The systems for the extension are now being tested. Once the individual testing is done, the systems will be connected to undergo integrated testing to see how well they function together. After testing the systems together, the extension is set to undergo commissioning.

Commissioning is essentially a full audit of all equipment, systems, including stations, and tunnels in the subway extension.

As far as what this construction will mean in the coming summer months for York students, that still remains unclear.