Now that Sheppard Subway is Finished, What New Subways Will the TTC Work On Next?

What happens after Sheppard opens is anybody's guess. It has been argued that Toronto's subway network, as built, serves 1980 travel patterns, not 1999 travel patterns, and more construction is needed. The high cost of construction, however, slowed government action down, with studies, more studies, technology alternatives (see the Scarborough RT), and finally halting action. The NDP government of 1990-1995 finally persuaded Metro to get shovels into the ground on the current Sheppard Subway, and an Eglinton West line from Eglinton West Station to Black Creek Road, while a York University extension to the Spadina Subway and a Sheppard East extension to the Scarborough RT remained in negotiation. These were piddling portions of routes that weren't to become really useful until they were built in full, but it was the first real bit of subway construction in fifteen years, so give them that. One of the first things the Harris Conservatives did once elected, however, was to cancel the ...  more