TTC looking for more ways to ease overcrowding on Yonge subway

After dangerous crowding and with relief line plans still in the early stages, the TTC proposes adding trains and staff to Line 1.

Thestar.com
May 1, 2018
Jennifer Pagliaro

The TTC board will consider more ways to address dangerous overcrowding on the Yonge subway with improvements from signalling upgrades still years away and a relief line plan still decades in the making.

A new report outlines temporary solutions, including adding an extra train this fall and 10 new staff immediately to help manage the crowds at Bloor-Yonge and St. George, the busiest stations. It will cost $5 million to make those and other improvements this year, money that has already been provided or reallocated within the 2018 budget.

Line 1 has long been operating over capacity south of Bloor-Yonge station. Recent data shows it caries 28,000 to 30,000 people southbound every hour when the scheduled capacity is 28,000. The TTC came close to closing Bloor-Yonge station this past January, the TTC told the Star then, after delays saw unprecedented crowd concerns at the station.

Since then, the TTC has added two new trains to fill service gaps, the new report says. Adding a third train this September will, with the other two trains, increase the capacity of Line 1 by between 3,300 and 3,600 people per hour -- which will mean the line will be operating just under capacity by the end of this year.

The current signalling for the line limits how many trains can be run while ensuring they operate a safe distance apart. The TTC is currently working to install automatic train control, which will allow for more frequent service -- one minute and 55 seconds between trains instead of the current minimum of two minutes and 30 seconds.

The benefits of that project will start to be seen in mid-2020, said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross on Tuesday.

A relief line subway is currently in the early planning stages. The southern portion, proposed from Pape station to Queen, won’t be built until at least 2031.

The TTC is also looking to resolve service delays that have been contributing to crowding issues.

There is only one way for trains to get in and out of Wilson Yard right now while the TTC works on upgrading signalling, a problem that caused part of the chaos experienced by commuters this past January. By September, that issue will be resolved to ensure subway trains deployed for passengers won’t be held up.

The report also outlines potential improvements to the bus network. Currently, 23 bus routes are crowded beyond TTC standards during both morning and evening peak periods. The crowding standard is an average of 51 passengers per bus -- which is every seat occupied and 15 people standing in the aisle of a non-articulated bus.

The plan is to add more buses during peak periods this September at an annual net cost of $3.3 million. Additional service will also be added to address routes where crowding is exceeding the standards for off-peak periods, which is 36 passengers or every seat taken but no one standing in the aisle.

The TTC board will debate the new report at a meeting May 8.