Sheppard line

For the subway station on the same line, see Sheppard–Yonge (TTC).

Sheppard Line
Platform level of Don Mills Station
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Toronto subway and RT
Locale	Toronto, Ontario
Termini	Sheppard–Yonge Don Mills
Stations	5
Daily ridership	47,700 (avg. weekday)[1]
Operation
Opened	November 22, 2002
Owner	Toronto Transit Commission
Operator(s)	Toronto Transit Commission
Rolling stock	T1
Technical
Line length	5.5 km (3.4 mi)
Track gauge	4 ft 10 7⁄8 in (1,495 mm)
Electrification	Third rail
Route map Proposed Sheppard West extension  Downsview Spadina Line Faywood Bathurst North Don River West Branch Senlac Sheppard-Yonge Yonge Line Bayview Bessarion Oriole (GO) Richmond Hill line Leslie Don River east branch Don Mills Proposed Sheppard East extension  Consumers Victoria Park North Warden North Kennedy North Agincourt Progress Scarborough Centre Scarborough RT

The Sheppard Line (officially Route 4 Sheppard Subway)^[2] is the most recently-built subway line of the Toronto subway and RT, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. It has five stations and is 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) long. It opened on November 22, 2002.^[3]

The entire line runs under or near Sheppard Avenue East. All of its stations, whether by transfer or in the fare-paid area, connect to surface TTC bus routes. All stations have elevators for wheelchair access, and public art; noteworthy examples are the scenic mural at Sheppard–Yonge, the children’s logo at Bayview, and Leslie Station’s tiles showing the words “Sheppard & Leslie” handwritten by members of the public, totalling a few hundred.

The 385 Sheppard East Blue Night bus provides late-night service when the subway is not in operation. This service terminates at Sheppard-Yonge Station and follows Sheppard Avenue to Meadowvale.

History

Further information: List of Toronto subway and RT stations

Origins

The Sheppard Line was first proposed as part of the Network 2011 transportation plan, that called for a line from Yonge to Victoria Park unveiled in 1985.^[4] The plan was approved by Metro Toronto, but funding was delayed by the provincial government of David Peterson.

In 1993, the now governing New Democratic Party proposed provincial funding for four subway/LRT projects for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Included in these four proposals were plans to build new subway lines along Eglinton and Sheppard Avenues and work was begun on both projects.^[5] The NDP was defeated in the 1995 provincial election, and the Progressive Conservatives under Mike Harris were elected. Harris cancelled the Eglinton subway, but continued work on the Sheppard Line.

Funding for the Sheppard line originally was rejected by city council as well. However, after a number of votes on different alterations to the project (including only building the subway to Leslie Street), the proposal to build the Sheppard line tunnels only, without tracks, was passed by a narrow margin. After this vote passed city council, a revote was taken on the entire Sheppard line project to Don Mills, which then passed by the narrowest of margins. Some^{[weasel words]} believed that North York Mayor Mel Lastman’s political clout (he was later elected Mayor of the amalgamated City of Toronto) was crucial to the Sheppard Line proposal being implemented. Downsview Station was added to the Spadina line partially in anticipation of the Sheppard project westward extension.

The Sheppard subway is unusual in that it was the first “suburban” subway; the previous TTC lines had started from downtown Toronto. However, North York, especially around Yonge and Sheppard, has seen intense high-rise developments in recent years, giving it the nickname of the “new downtown” upon which other surrounding suburban areas were increasingly relying. The case for building the subway line was the existing TTC bus service could not handle the commuter capacity; full buses drove right past waiting crowds at bus stops. Although some suggested that expanding Sheppard Avenue to allow for dedicated bus lanes would have been much cheaper than a subway, it would be difficult to acquire the necessary right-of-way as Sheppard Avenue ran though a built-up Willowdale community. (By contrast, Eglinton Avenue west of Mount Dennis ran though a vacant corridor intended for the Richview Expressway.) The then-new Fairview Mall commuter parking garages at Don Mills were also intended to take the pressure off of the crowded Finch Station.

Another reason was to alleviate the congested Highway 404–Don Valley Parkway (DVP) route; while Highway 404 was widened by the province in 1999–2007, similar plans to expand the DVP were not approved by city council, and this would result in an inevitable bottleneck. The intention was that downtown-bound drivers would exit Highway 404 at Sheppard Avenue, and take the subway to avoid this choke point.^{[cite this quote]}

Completion and opening

When the Sheppard line opened in 2002, it was the city’s first new subway line since the opening of the Bloor–Danforth line in 1966. It is shorter than originally planned, running from Yonge Street (at the former Sheppard station, renamed Sheppard–Yonge when the Sheppard line opened) east to Don Mills Road rather than further west to Downsview Station and southeast to Scarborough Centre Station. The line will be extended only with substantial additional government funding.

The Sheppard line cost just under $1 billion and took eight years to build. It is the first subway line in Canada that had plain tunnel sections built entirely by tunnel boring machine. All stations on the line are in cut-and-cover sections, and just east of Leslie Station there is an enclosed bridge over the east branch of the Don River. Additionally, the Sheppard line is the only subway line in Toronto not to have any open sections. Yonge Street had to be diverted for several years in order to accommodate the expansion of Sheppard Station. Since the completion of the line, the temporary diversion of Yonge are two vacant lots.

One of the ideas proposed for the Sheppard line was platform screen doors. Aligned at the edge of the platforms, platform screen doors would align themselves with the subway-car doors when in station for safety and suicide prevention. The system was dropped on the account of cost.

Stations are built to take the TTC's standard subway trains of six 23-metre (75 ft) cars eventually, but part of each platform has been blocked off, since only four-car trains are needed to carry the amount of traffic the line receives. The line is designed so that it can be extended at both ends, allowing for the construction of the originally planned westward and eastward branches in the future.

The automated system to announce each stop was installed in January 2006.

Residential development

The new subway has spurred over $1 billion of construction of new housing, including several high-rise condominium towers, along its route as transit-oriented developments. Particularly noteworthy are the condominiums around Bayview Station, where none had previously existed prior to the 2000s. In addition, between Leslie and Bessarion stations, a former Canadian Tire warehouse/distribution centre next to Highway 401 (the chain retains a store nearby) is being demolished and the land is being sold to Concord Adex Investments Limited of Vancouver. Construction on the first phase is well underway to develop the area into a large multi-condo complex, Concord Park Place, which includes a community park.^[6]

The Daniels Building Company has built a six-tower development called NY Towers north of the 401 between Bayview and Bessarion, Arc Condominiums on the northeast corner of Bayview/Sheppard, and terraced condos just east of their NY Towers. Shane Baghai has also built a multi-tower development in the area.

Criticism

The line has been derided as a “subway to nowhere” or a “stubway.”^[7] Apart from the Sheppard-Yonge and Don Mills terminals, its stations have received little use, even during rush hour. One significant but often overlooked problem is that the Sheppard line feeds into the already overcrowded Yonge segment of the Yonge–University–Spadina subway line, since the Sheppard line does not have its own train yard and does not continue west to the Spadina segment of the line. The line was also criticized because most of the surrounding population is more affluent and more likely to drive. To put this in perspective, the ridership on the Sheppard Subway is approximately 46,000 per average weekday, similar to a few of the TTC's busiest streetcar and bus routes, though these routes are generally much longer than Sheppard's 5.5 kilometre length. During the City of Toronto's 2008 budget crisis, the TTC considered shutting the line down on weekends or entirely.^[8]

Future expansion

Several proposals have been made to extend the line in both directions.

Original plans

The original proposal for the Sheppard line was for a major subway line running from Downsview Station on the Spadina line to the Scarborough Centre. Instead, funding was only approved for a truncated line, with several phased expansions.

The TTC considered the eastward extension of the Sheppard line to Scarborough Town Centre as one of its top priorities for rapid-transit expansion, which would see the expansion of rapid transit in Scarborough for the first time since since the extension of the Bloor–Danforth line to Warden. The eastward extension would include new stations at Consumers Road, Victoria Park Avenue, Warden Avenue, Kennedy Road, Agincourt GO Station, and Progress Avenue, terminating at the existing Scarborough Centre station on the Scarborough RT line. The expansion proposal also included the possible addition of a station at Willowdale Avenue between Sheppard-Yonge and Bayview stations on the existing portion of the line.

Eastward extension of the Sheppard line from Don Mills to Scarborough Centre

A separate 4.5-kilometre (2.8 mi) westward extension to Downsview station considered the creation of stations at Senlac Road, Bathurst Street, and Faywood Boulevard. Lower population density made this expansion a much lower priority, as the minimal increase in ridership was insufficient to justify the costs. The approval of the Spadina subway extension into York Region renewed interest in this phase, as a subway connection between Downsview and Sheppard-Yonge stations would significantly lower commuting times for York University students.

Westward extension of the Sheppard line from Sheppard–Yonge to Downsview

Transit City

Main article: Sheppard East LRT

In March 2007, the City of Toronto and the TTC released the Transit City proposal to begin a new round of transit expansion using light rail technology on dedicated rights-of-way instead of subway technology. Under this plan the Sheppard East subway extension had been replaced by a light rail line running from Don Mills Station along Sheppard Avenue East to Meadowvale Road, where it would meet the northern terminus of an extended Scarborough RT line. Under this proposal, there would be no direct connection between North York Centre and Scarborough City Centre.

In 2009, a westward extension was again considered by the TTC to link the line to Wilson Subway Yard. It was immediately dismissed due to cost.^[9]

Ford era

As a result of the election of Rob Ford as mayor of Toronto in 2010, the western extension of the Sheppard subway to Downsview station and the eastern extension to Scarborough Centre were considered a priority again.^[10] Ford indicated in a December 2010 interview with The Globe and Mail newspaper that all other transit projects would come second to completing the Sheppard line. Ford stated "I’m just focusing on doing the Sheppard subway underground".^[11]

On March 31, 2011, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford announced that the proposed Sheppard East LRT line would be replaced by western and eastern extensions for the Sheppard Subway so that the completed line would run from Downsview station to Scarborough Centre. The Province of Ontario approved this plan, which is estimated to cost $4.2 billion. The city of Toronto will assume complete financial responsibility for the project, which is proposed to be funded through a public–private partnership, as well as surplus funds from the proposed Eglinton–Scarborough Crosstown line, if there will be any. Massive redevelopment along the route would be needed to generate these funds, as the current population density and projected ridership is too low to support the cost of the expansion by itself.^[12][13]

Metrolinx estimates that the Sheppard West extension to Downsview would be 5.45 km (3.39 mi) long, add 2 stations, and cost $1.48 billion. The Sheppard East extension would be 8 km (5.0 mi) long, add 7 stations, and cost $2.75 billion.^[14]

Gordon Chong, head of the TTC agency tasked with analyzing the new subway plans, has said it is possible that no new transit development will occur along Sheppard.^[15]

See also

• Toronto subway and RT
• MoveOntario 2020
• Sheppard East LRT
• Transit-oriented development

References

1. ^ TTC Subway Ridership Report 2009-2010
2. ^ http://www3.ttc.ca/Subway/index.jsp
3. ^ "Toronto Transit Commission - History". City of Toronto. http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/history.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-22. 
4. ^ Michael Smith. "$2.7 Billion Metro transit plan called affordable." Toronto Star. May 29, 1985. pg. A1
5. ^ Royson James. "Deciding which train to take." Toronto Star." March 8, 1994. pg. A15
6. ^ http://www.concordadex.com/parkplace/discovery/
7. ^ "Stop the Sheppard LRT" Business Group Says
8. ^ Lewington, Jennifer; Gray, Jeff (July 20, 2007). "Toronto threatens to shut Sheppard subway". The Globe and Mail (Toronto). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/article771979.ece. 
9. ^ http://www3.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2009/December_16_2009/Reports/Yonge_University_Spa.pdf
10. ^ Kalinowski, Tess; Rider, David (2 December 2010). "‘War on the car is over': Ford moves transit underground". The Star (Toronto). http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/899641--war-on-the-car-is-over-ford-moves-transit-underground. 
11. ^ The Globe and Mail (Toronto). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/rob-ford-ready-to-let-transit-projects-hold-in-favour-of-sheppard-subway/article1846354/. 
12. ^ "Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s transit plan wins provincial approval" By John Lorinc and Adrian Morrow, The Globe and Mail, 30 March 2011
13. ^ "Funding questions linger after new transit plan announced" By Natalie Alcoba, National Post. March 31, 2011
14. ^ "Metrolinx / Toronto Transit Plan" Metrolinx. April 28, 2011
15. ^ Granatstein, Rob. "Rob Ford's Sheppard hole: Granatstein". Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/rob_granatstein/2011/04/01/17843306.html. Retrieved 4 April 2011. 

External links

• Transit Toronto – The Sheppard subway
• Rapid Transit Expansion Study (Toronto Transit Commission, 2001). (PDF, 2.6 MB)