Sheppard (TTC)

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Toronto subway/RT
	Yonge-University-Spadina
	Bloor-Danforth
	Scarborough RT
	Sheppard

The Sheppard Line is the newest subway line line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. It currently has five stations and is 6.4 kilometres (3.4 miles) long. It opened on November 24, 2002. It is internally numbered as Route 4, but this number is not shown on TTC maps, signs, or schedules and is rarely used or even known by the public.

1 History
2 Criticisms
3 Stations
4 Future expansion
5 See also
6 External links

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History

Plans were developed in the early 1990s to build new subway lines along Eglinton and Sheppard Avenues. With the election of the Progressive Conservative provincial government in 1995, work on the Eglinton line was halted, but the Sheppard line was constructed. Some believed that North York Mayor Mel Lastman's political clout (he was later elected Mayor of the amalgamated City of Toronto) was enough to ensure that his Sheppard line "pet project" was built. The 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" that other surrounding suburban areas were increasingly relying upon. The case for building the subway line was because the existing TTC bus service could not handle the commuter capacity; full buses passed by crowds at bus stops. Although some suggested that expanding Sheppard Avenue to allow for dedicated bus lanes would have been far cheaper than a subway, there would have been political opposition from the Willowdale community. The 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 route; while Highway 404 was widened by the province in 1999-2001, 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.

When the Sheppard line opened in 2002, it was the city's first new subway line in decades. It is shorter than originally planned, running from Yonge Street (at the former Sheppard station, now renamed Sheppard-Yonge) east to Don Mills Road rather than further west to Downsview station and southeast to Scarborough Centre station, and will only be extended with substantial government funding.

It cost just under $1 billion and took eight years to build. It is the first subway line in Canada to be built entirely with a tunnel-boring machine (though its stations are all in cut-and-cover sections, and there is an enclosed bridge over the Don River near Leslie station). Yonge Street had to be diverted for several years in order to accommodate the expansion of the Sheppard Station.

The stations are built to eventually take the TTC's standard subway trains of six 23 m (75-foot) cars, but part of each platform has been blocked off since only four-car trains are needed to carry the amount of traffic the line currently 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 TTC still hopes to extend the line to Scarborough Town Centre, but the westward extension is no longer a priority.

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Criticisms

The line has been derided by critics as a 'subway to nowhere' or a 'stubway'. Apart from the Sheppard-Yonge and Don Mills terminals, its stations have received little use, even during rush hour. Service is also considered infrequent with the common 5 minute delay for trains in rush hour versus the 2-3 minute intervals for the other RT lines. The Sheppard Line is often closed earlier in the evening than the other TTC rapid-transit lines and replaced by shuttle buses. One problem is that the subway is parallel to Highway 401; while the latter is busy, it has an efficient twelve-lane collector-express system to manage high traffic volumes.

The suburban subway is also criticised because most of the surrounded population is more affluent and more likely to drive. The Don Mills station at Fairview Mall has also sparked further controversy because the commuter lot requires a fee even if one holds a Metropass; although the parking charge was required in order to prevent the limited garage space from being overwhelmed (the regular mall parking is cordoned off until the shopping centre opens). Although the subway was intended to divert some Highway 404 southbound and 401 westbound traffic from using the congested Don Valley Parkway, this plan has also not worked out to expectations due to the aforementioned parking fee and infrequent service.

The new subway, however, spurred over $1 billion of construction of new housing, including several high-rise condominum towers, along its route (particularly around Bayview station), with more expected in coming years.

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Stations

Image:Sheppard Line.png 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 the signature tiles ("Leslie-Sheppard") at Leslie.

Name		Opening Year	Interchange
Sheppard Line
Sheppard-Yonge	Image:Wheelchair.png	2002	Yonge-University Spadina
Bayview	Image:Wheelchair.png	2002
Bessarion	Image:Wheelchair.png	2002
Leslie	Image:Wheelchair.png	2002	GO Transit (Oriole, 1 km)
Don Mills	Image:Wheelchair.png	2002	York Region Transit, Viva Green
Consumers		proposed extension
Victoria Park North		proposed extension
Warden North		proposed extension
Kennedy North		proposed extension
Agincourt		proposed extension	GO Transit (Agincourt)
Progress		proposed extension
Scarborough Centre		proposed terminus	Scarborough RT

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Future expansion

Image:Sheppard Yonge Eastward.gif

Sheppard
Between Don Mills and Scarborough Centre

The TTC considers the Sheppard East extension of the Sheppard subway to Scarborough Centre as one of their two top priorities for rapid-transit expansion, along with a northerly extension of the Spadina line. In addition to this eastern extension, the original plans for the Sheppard line included a westward extension to Downsview station on the Spadina line, but this is no longer considered a priority.

The following stations were included on the original plans, and remain likely candidates should funding to extend the line be made available:

Image:Sheppard Yonge Westward.gif

Sheppard
Between Downsview and Sheppard-Yonge

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