Toronto subway trackage

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) maintains four rapid transit lines and 69 stations on 68.3 kilometres (42.4 mi) of route.

Crossover tracks are used throughout the system, particularly at terminal stations to allow trains to reverse direction.

Diamond-crossovers

Diamond-crossovers also exist outside most stations that once served as terminal stations. A single-crossover just east of Union Station is what remains of the former diamond-crossover, which was used when the station marked the southern terminus of the original line. A few crossover tracks that were built as part of the original subway system have since been removed; their locations are marked by tunnel sections where there are no central pillars between tracks.

Yonge–University line

• South of Downsview Station (used often as a terminal station)
• South of Wilson Station (part of original Spadina line terminus that is still in operation) (used often in 1978–1996 as a terminal station)
• North of Spadina Station
• South of St. George Station (part of original University line terminus that is still in operation) (used often in 1963–1966 and 1966–1978 as a terminal station)
• East of Union Station (on northbound track; formerly a double crossover, now a single crossover) (part of original south Yonge line terminus that is still in operation) (used often in 1954–1963 as a terminal station)
• North of King Station, south of Queen Station
• North of Dundas Station, south of College Station
• North of Bloor Station
• South of St. Clair Station
• South of Eglinton Station (part of original north Yonge line terminus that is still in operation) (used often in 1954–1973 as a terminal station)
• South of Lawrence Station
• South of York Mills Station (used often in 1973–1974 as a terminal station)
• South of Sheppard–Yonge Station
• South of Finch Station (often used as a terminal station)

Bloor–Danforth line

• East of Kipling Station (often used as a terminal station)
• East of Islington Station (used often in 1968–1980 as a terminal station)
• East of Jane Station
• East of Keele Station (part of original west Bloor–Danforth line terminus that is still in operation) (used often in 1966–1968 as a terminal station)
• East of St. George Station
• West of Woodbine Station (part of original east Bloor–Danforth line terminus that is still in operation) (used often in 1966-1968 as a terminal station)
• East of Victoria Park Station (double crossover was re-installed - not yet operational)
• West of Warden Station (used often in 1968–1980 as a terminal station)
• West of Kennedy Station (often used as a terminal station)

Scarborough RT line

• East of Kennedy Station (on westbound track) (often used as a terminal station)
• West of McCowan Station (often used as a terminal station)

Sheppard line

• East and west of Sheppard–Yonge Station (often used as a terminal station east of the station)
• East of Bayview Station
• West of Don Mills Station (often used as a terminal station)

Storage tracks or centre tracks

Centre tracks allow a train to enter from either end into a third set of tracks, longer than the length of a standard train, between the two service tracks. Trains can either layover there, allowing other trains to pass them by, or reverse direction from this position. Sometimes, regular trains are diverted into centre tracks when there is track maintenance on one of the normal routes. Pocket tracks are a variation on the centre track, accessible only from one end.

Yonge–University line

• South of Lawrence West Station
• North of St. Clair West Station
• South of Osgoode Station (accessible from north end only)
• South of St. Andrew Station (continues down to Union Station)
• North of Eglinton Station (accessible from south end only)
• South of York Mills Station (used often in 1973–1974 as a terminal station)
• North of Finch Station (tail track)

Bloor–Danforth line

• East of Islington Station
• East of Ossington Station
• West of Chester Station

Scarborough RT line

There are no centre tracks or storage tracks on Line 3.

Sheppard line

There are no centre tracks or storage tracks on Line 4.

Other track features

Track configurations become more complicated where lines meet (at the Spadina–St. George–Museum–Bay–Yonge junction and at Sheppard–Yonge), and at the entrances to subway yards.

Tracks usually continue for roughly the length of a train beyond the last station on a line; these are known as tail tracks. The only exception to this is at Don Mills Station, where the tail tracks are less than two cars in length. This is likely because storage capacity is available at Sheppard–Yonge, which can store enough trains to service the line.

Other track features that exist include the following:

The Bloor Wye was used for interlining in 1966:

• North of Museum station, the tracks split, one routing to St. George station (upper), the other to Bay lower (abandoned a few months later in late 1966).
• The eastbound track from Bay lower joins the Bloor–Danforth line just before Yonge station while the westbound track from Bay lower turns and meets the southbound track just north of Museum station.
• The eastbound tracks approaching St. George Station from Spadina on the Bloor-Danforth line split, with one heading for St. George lower and the other heading for St. George upper.
• The westbound track headed to Spadina Station west of St. George upper now includes a switch that allows trains to run to Spadina Station on the Spadina line, which was built after long after the interlining trial was completed.

The tracks used for access to yards:

• Single cross-overs act as entrances and exits to Vincent, Wilson, and Davisville subway yards.
• The Greenwood Wye between Donlands and Greenwood stations allows both east and westbound trains to route south to the Greenwood Yard.
• A maintenance track, accessible from the eastbound track on the Bloor–Danforth line, just west of Warden Station. Trains must run in reverse to access this siding

The Sheppard Wye includes the following features:

• Northbound Yonge line to eastbound Sheppard line: track switch on the Yonge Line that meets the Sheppard line east of Sheppard–Yonge station
• Westbound Sheppard line to southbound Yonge line: west of Sheppard–Yonge station on the Sheppard line storage tracks and switches allow trains to proceed from east to south connecting with the southbound Yonge line just south of Sheppard–Yonge station

Each of the three subway yards have different features that join them to the mainline. Subway operators generally get their train at a point where the yard meets the main line, at the Greenwood Portal, the Davisville Buildup (third platform of Davisville Station), or the Wilson Hostler (platform-like in appearance seen heading between Wilson and Downsview stations on the east side of the yard) depending on the home yard.

Tracking from Union to Eglinton stations is aging and there is a proposal to upgrade trackbed from Eglinton to St. Clair stations to improve service, but could result in service interruptions.^[1]

See also

• Toronto rapid transit signals

References

1. "TTC Yonge line shutdown could last 2 months". CBC News. October 4, 2013. Retrieved 2014-07-24.