Bloor–Danforth line

( Officially called Route 2 Bloor- Danforth Subway ) The Bloor- Danforth Line is a subway line in the Canadian city of Toronto. It is part of the Toronto Subway and is the most important east-west connection to public transport. The of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC ) powered line is 26.2 km long and has 31 stations, the track gauge is 1495 mm.

Is named the line after the main roads Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue, which they followed for the most part. In the city center it intersects twice with the U-shaped Yonge- University - Spadina Line, at the eastern terminus is connected to the Scarborough RT. Every day the Bloor- Danforth line is used by an average of 492 800 passengers (2008/ 09).

History

In 1910 the city commissioned an engineering office in New York with the configuration of a metro network. This should include three lines with a total length of 18.7 km. After some modifications to the original proposal an east-west line at the Bloor Street should arise among others. However, the plan failed in January 1912 in a referendum with a negative votes share of 57% and was not realized. Stadtbaumeister Rowland Harris was able to assert that the 1913 approved and five years later Prince Edward Viaduct opened over the Don River, which connects Bloor Street with Danforth Avenue, received a second plane for a mass transit system, although its realization in the long term was not foreseeable.

In 1941 the TTC by a distinctive population and traffic growth in the period after the Second World War and was planning for this reason an underground tram; In 1942, she made ​​a change after the first proposal was met with the City Council 's approval. Among others, a tunnel under the Queen Street was planned to be performed by the several tram lines. In the postwar period shifted the brunt of the East-West traffic to Bloor Street, which is why there is a mass transportation suitable appeared as an underground tram under two kilometers south to Queen Street. In addition, as was also the corresponding built Prince Edward Viaduct are used.

In January 1958, the Association of Municipalities Metropolitan Toronto approved the construction of the Bloor- Danforth Line and approved in April 1959 the funding. Leslie Frost, Premier of Ontario, participated in the November 16, 1959 before the groundbreaking ceremony. After a little more than six years to build the first section of 12.9 kilometers between stations Keele and Woodbine was opened on 26 February 1966.

At the start of operation of the Bloor- Danforth line with that of the Yonge- University - Spadina Line was linked so that there were three lines. Every second train from the west turned to the station of St. George south to the University Avenue. From the east, every second train arrived on the lower level of the station Bay to then swing also in southern direction. The TTC gave this instruction to form after a six- month trial period, since they proved to be trouble- prone and failed to the expected time savings by eliminating forming transfers. The lower station level since then but still held ready for use.

A year before the opening of the first section the decision was made to extend the range on both ends. Thus, the time still independent Suburbs Etobicoke and Scarborough should also be opened up. Both extensions with a total length of 9.8 kilometers were opened on May 11, 1968; in the west of Keele to Islington, to the east of Woodbine by Warden. In order to facilitate transfers to other modes of transportation in Etobicoke and Scarborough, the TTC decided to further extend the line at both ends to a total of 3.7 km. With the opening of the sections Islington - Kipling in the west and Warden Kennedy in the east building activity reached a temporary end.

Track and stations

The line starts in the station Kipling in Etobicoke, near the border of Mississauga. Then follows you around 14 kilometers of Bloor Street. She crosses the city center twice a U-shaped Yonge- University - Spadina Line. Interchanges on this line are made in the stations Spadina, St. George and Bloor- Yonge. The Don River is bridged on the lower level of the Prince Edward Viaduct. On the other side of the river, the Danforth Avenue connects that follows the line six kilometers far from the city center of East York. There it turns to the northeast and reached after a further four kilometers, the eastern terminus Kennedy on the outskirts of Scarborough.

A special feature is that the Bloor- Danforth line runs not directly under the eponymous streets, but offset therefrom north by several tens of meters. Here, the tunnel is mainly under parks and parking behind the front row of houses or parallel side streets. The tunnel sections were constructed with few exceptions, in an open design; Exceptions are drilled sections of Bloor- Yonge to Sherbourne ( 686 meters ) from Lansdowne to Dundas West ( 561 meters) and west of Ossington Station (30 meters). Above ground, the stations are Kipling, High Park, Keele, Victoria Park and Warden; the station Old Mill is located one half each in the tunnel and on a viaduct over the Humber River.