Line 1 Yonge–University

The line forms a rough 'U' shape, with two portions running generally north–south that meet at in the southern part of the city's downtown, and then gradually spreading farther apart as they proceed northward. From Union station, the eastern portion of the line runs straight under or nearby Yonge Street, sometimes in an uncovered trench, for to its northeastern terminus at Finch Avenue, connecting with Line 2 at , Line 5 at , and Line 4 at . This eastern portion, often just called the "Yonge Line", serves Downtown Toronto, Midtown Toronto and York Mills before ending at Finch Avenue, the northern edge of North York Centre. The western portion snakes northwesterly from Union, initially running straight under University Avenue, Queen's Park Crescent, and the St. George campus of the University of Toronto to Bloor Street, where it turns westerly to run under Bloor Street for about . Along this stretch, it interchanges with Line 2 again at and Spadina stations. At Spadina Avenue, it turns north to run for roughly under Spadina Road before curving northwesterly to continue along the Nordheimer and Cedarvale ravines to the foot of Allen Road at Eglinton Avenue where it interchanges with Line 5 again. It reaches the surface and continues northward in the road's median for past Wilson station, after which it resumes travelling underground and runs northwesterly on an off-street alignment below suburban industrial areas, interchanging with the eastern terminus of Line 6 at Finch West station, before reaching the York University campus and Steeles Avenue. From there, it turns to parallel Jane Street for roughly until its northwestern terminus in the neighbouring city of Vaughan's planned downtown core, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, at the intersection of Jane Street and Highway 7. This western portion serves the Annex and Forest Hill neighbourhoods in Old Toronto; Humewood–Cedarvale in the former city of York; Yorkdale–Glen Park, Downsview, the York University Heights–Northwood Park areas in the former North York; and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre in Vaughan. == Name ==

The line's name has been changed as it has been extended. Following its opening between Union Station and Eglinton Avenue along Yonge Street in 1954, it was called "the subway" (Yonge subway is its retronym). In 1963, it was extended along University Avenue to St. George station and renamed the "Yonge–University Line". Briefly in 1966, the Yonge–University subway ran in two branches: one west along Bloor to Keele station (Yonge–University–Bloor), the other east along Bloor and Danforth to Woodbine station (Yonge–University–Danforth) via Bay Lower station. In 1978, the "Spadina" section was opened and the line became the "Yonge–University–Spadina Line" (YUS). Although only two stations are on Spadina Road, a larger portion of the line was originally intended to follow the planned Spadina Expressway, which was partially built as Allen Road. Unofficially, subway lines were already numbered, but in October 2013, the TTC announced plans to display line numbers publicly to help riders to navigate the system. In March 2014, the line was officially numbered and renamed "Line 1 Yonge–University", with the Spadina part being dropped from the name. Announcements, documentation and rapid transit maps across the system now refer to the line as "Line 1" or "Line 1 Yonge–University". ==History==

Early proposals There were several early proposals to build a subway along or near Yonge Street, many of which involved running streetcars in a tunnel. Here are some of the proposals. • In 1909, an English company offered to build and operate a subway along Yonge Street from Eglinton Avenue to Front Street. The plan was abandoned because the city would take over public transit in 1921, and the company's franchise would then terminate. • In 1910, when running for mayor of Toronto, Toronto Star co-founder Horatio C. Hocken proposed building a "tube" along Yonge Street from north of St. Clair Avenue to Front Street. He dropped the idea after losing that election. • In 1942, the TTC proposed a north–south line under Bay Street from Union Station to Bloor Street then jogging over to Yonge Street to continue to north of St. Clair Avenue. This idea was rejected in favour of a subway completely along Yonge Street. The TTC formed a Rapid Transit Department and studied various solutions between 1942 and 1945. A plan was put to the voters on January 1, 1946. The plan had two parts. First, it featured a "rapid transit subway" operated with subway trains from Eglinton Avenue to the north as far as College Street to the south. The line would continue directly under Yonge and Front Streets to Union Station. Second would be a "surface car subway", diverting streetcar services off Queen Street and Dundas Street. This would run mostly along Queen Street, with each end angling north to reach Dundas Street west of Trinity Park to the west and Gerrard Street at Pape Avenue. The route would run directly under Queen Street from University Avenue to Church Street, with the rest off-street. The vote was overwhelmingly in favour, and Toronto City Council approved construction four months later. preserved at the Halton County Radial Railway. ) trains were chosen to be the system's first rolling stock. Service on the Yonge route would be handled by new rolling stock, and the TTC was particularly interested in the Chicago series 6000 cars, which used trucks, wheels, motors, and drive control technologies that had been developed and perfected on PCC streetcars. However, the United States was in the midst of the Korean War at the time, which had caused a substantial increase in metal prices, thus making the PCC cars too expensive for the TTC. Instead, in November 1951, an order was placed with the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company in England for 104 cars for $7,800,000 ($ in ) including spare parts. The Toronto Subway typeface and TTC logo were also designed during this period. The logo used during the subway's development was designed by mid-century architect John C. Parkin and chief architect Arthur Keith. Against the wishes of Walter Paterson, the chief engineer, TTC chairman William McBrien and general manager H.C. Patten rejected the design in favour of one that was more similar to the one previously used on TTC vehicles. Opening After five years of construction, Ontario Premier Leslie Frost and Toronto Mayor Allan Lamport officially opened the long Yonge subway on March 30, 1954. It was the first subway in Canada. Operations and extensions Trains operated at average speeds of . The plan to operate two-car trains during off-peak hours was abandoned in favour of four-car trains, and six-car trains were standard during most periods, with some eight-car trains used during peak periods. subway train at St. George station during the opening of the University subway, 1963 On November 16, 1959, construction began on an extension of the subway, which curved north from Union Station, below University Avenue and Queen's Park to near Bloor Street, where it turned west to terminate at St. George and Bloor Street. The extension opened on February 28, 1963. On February 26, 1966, the Bloor–Danforth line opened, from Keele to Woodbine. For six months, as a trial, the Yonge–University line operated as two branches: Eglinton–Keele and Eglinton–Woodbine. The interlining trial was determined to be ineffective, and the Yonge–University line was cut back to St. George on September 4, 1966. On March 31, 1973, the line was extended north from Eglinton to , and on March 29, 1974, to . going from St. George station, the north terminus of the University line, to Wilson station. This accident prompted the Toronto Transit Commission to review its practices and put resources into safety. On March 31, 1996, the Spadina segment of the line was extended from Wilson north to Downsview (renamed in 2017). On December 17, 2017, the Spadina portion was further extended north to in the City of Vaughan in York Region, via York University. The Toronto–York Spadina subway extension (TYSSE) project built six new stations at a cost of $3.2 billion, with in Toronto and in York Region. The TYSSE was the first new section of a subway line to be opened since the opening of Line 4 Sheppard in 2002. In the year after the extension opened, most stations on the extension saw below average ridership compared to the rest of the subway system. Yonge North extension The Yonge North subway extension (YNSE) is an extension of the line north of Finch station to Richmond Hill in York Region. This extension will introduce five new stations, three underground and two at surface level, and was estimated to cost $5.6billion in 2021. The three underground stations will be located at Steeles Avenue, Clark Avenue, and Royal Orchard Boulevard, respectively. North of Royal Orchard, the line will emerge above ground, curving east before running parallel to GO Transit's Richmond Hill line. The two surface-level stations will be situated along the railway corridor. Preliminary construction work began in 2023, with the tunnelling contract awarded in 2025. First proposed in the mid 2000s, the extension was initially conceived with six fully underground stations: Cummer/Drewry, Steeles, Clark, Royal Orchard, Langstaff/Longbridge, and Richmond Hill Centre. While first priced at $5.6 billion in 2017, the cost for this fully underground version had increased to $9.3 billion by 2021, necessitating the reduction in scope that led to the five-station plan. York Region anticipates that the extension will generate 31,000 jobs. == Design ==

Line The line is mostly underground but has several surface sections between Sheppard West and Cedarvale, and between Bloor–Yonge and Eglinton. Most of the line between Bloor–Yonge and Eglinton stations was originally constructed in open cut, with the short section between and stations having since been covered over. Evidence of this can be seen in the tunnel: there are no columns or walls between tracks, and ballast and drainage ditches are present, something not seen in the rest of the subway system. There are also tree stumps and the stubs of lamp posts in the tunnel. There are also clues outdoors: seemingly unnecessary railings along the sides of a nearby street, which was once a bridge over the tracks, and empty lots following the trains' right-of-way marked with signs warning heavy vehicles and equipment to keep off because they might fall through to the columnless tunnel below. Most of the tunnel was constructed by a cut-and-cover method, but some sections were bored, as noted below. All stations, whether by transfer or fare-paid terminal, connect to surface TTC bus and/or streetcar routes. Other surface and train connections are noted below. Since 1996, TTC stations have been built or modified with elevators, ramps and other features to make them accessible to all. , 30 stations on the line are fully accessible. All stations on the line are projected to be made accessible by 2025, as per the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Because the line opened in sections from 1954, it has a relatively high number of crossovers, which were mostly constructed at terminal stations to turn back trains. There are 17 diamond crossovers located between the service tracks along the length of the line. There are also eight storage tracks, which can also be used for reversals. Stations 's Vitrolite-tiled walls are the last such station wall treatment left in the system. The original design of the oldest stations in the subway system, which are on the Yonge line (from Union to Eglinton stations), are mainly utilitarian and characterized by vitreous marble wall tiles also known as Vitrolite and the use of the Toronto Subway typeface for station names. Eglinton Station is the only station to retain this wall treatment, though Queen Station retains a narrow band of original blue Vitrolite tiles near the ceiling at platform level. The design of the stations on the University line was mainly utilitarian and this style (sometimes referred to as "bathroom modern") was later used for Line 2 Bloor–Danforth as well. and stations have circular and semi-circular cross-sections because they are constructed in bored tunnels. Museum station was renovated in the late 2000s to have columns that resemble artifacts found in the nearby Royal Ontario Museum. and Sheppard–Yonge (formerly Sheppard) stations are similar to each other in design, but have different colour schemes: Lawrence is red and cream and Sheppard is yellow and dark blue. York Mills station formerly followed the same design scheme—in light green and dark green—until it was renovated. Likewise, Finch station also formerly followed that same design scheme—albeit in light grey, medium grey, and dark grey—until it was renovated to have yellow panels similar to that of post-renovation Kipling station on Line 2. The section of the line between Spadina and Wilson stations (formerly the Spadina segment) opened in 1978 has art and architecture that is unique for each station, such as flower murals in Dupont station or streetcar murals in Cedarvale station. The art originally installed at Glencairn and stations had been removed, as the former's art had faded in sunlight and the latter was too costly to operate. Since late 2017, work is underway to restore the art in both stations, with Glencairn's being fully re-installed in 2020, albeit modernized. North York Centre station is an infill station. Its design is different from the other stations in the original North Yonge extension. Sheppard West station, which was opened in 1996 as Downsview station, has art and architecture that is different from the stations built earlier along its western portion of the line. Stations on the 2017 extension from Sheppard West north to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, in keeping with the pattern of the original Spadina line, also feature public art and architecture from notable creators. However, the platform walls have no tiles or other cladding and are simply bare concrete, though structural elements on the platforms themselves are clad, as is the case with much of the Line 4 Sheppard stations. Names and terminal designation On the Yonge portion of the line, nearly all stations located at cross streets are named after said streets, while on the University portion, they are either named for local landmarks with the cross street subtitled below (e.g. – ) or after cross streets but with a "West" suffix for stations at streets that have counterparts along Yonge, though Dundas West station is on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth. The pattern of using landmarks as station names was exclusively used on the original (southern) section of the University branch, and the West designated street-naming convention is typically used on the former Spadina (northern) section. The two interchange stations on the University branch where it intersects Line 2 Bloor–Danforth are named St. George and Spadina after the north–south cross streets of Line 2, which runs below Line 1 between these stations. Due to various factors, some stations along the Spadina portion are named, formerly were named, or are proposed to be renamed using landmark or district names, albeit without subtitles: the stations at Steeles Avenue and Highway 7 (which have no corresponding stations along the Yonge branch) are respectively named "Pioneer Village" (after the nearby Black Creek Pioneer Village, which has since been renamed the Village at Black Creek) and "Vaughan Metropolitan Centre" (after Vaughan's new downtown core, based on the precedent set by North York Centre and stations). Sheppard West was originally called "Downsview" but was renamed in 2017 to avoid confusion with the adjacent new station, and Eglinton West was renamed "Cedarvale" (after the Cedarvale neighbourhood to the south) on December 7, 2025, in preparation for it becoming an interchange station with Line 5 Eglinton. As a result of the George Floyd protests, Toronto City Council indicated in 2020 that they intended to rename Dundas station because its namesake, Henry Dundas, delayed the British Empire's abolition of slavery in the 1700s. In May 2025, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) indicated it would pay for the name change if the station was renamed to recognize the university. In mid-November 2025, temporary signage at the station was added with the new TMU name; the station was officially renamed on December 7, 2025. Southbound station platform signage on both branches indicates Union as a terminal station due to it being located at the southernmost point of the line's rough 'U' shape, where it turns northward when travelling along either branch. The train destination signs display the northwestern terminal station as "Vaughan" rather than its full name, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, for brevity. Until the 1990s, train destination signs read "VIA DOWNTOWN" after the terminal station name. == Service ==

Operation hours and frequency As with other TTC subway lines, Line 1 operates most of the day and is generally closed between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and between 2  a.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday. Trains arrive at stations every 2 to 3 minutes during peak periods and every 4 to 5 minutes during off-peak periods. During the morning peak, from 6:00 am to 9:00 am Monday to Friday, half the trains are turned back at Glencairn station resulting in limited service north of that point. The turnback was moved from St. Clair West station to Glencairn station in 2016, and plans called for it to be moved farther to Pioneer Village station in December 2017 when the Line 1 extension opened. Overnight service on the Yonge segment of the line is provided by 320 Yonge Blue Night from Queens Quay to Steeles Avenue with headways of 3 to 15 minutes. The University segment does not have an overnight service due to proximity to the 320 Yonge Blue Night between Union and St. George. Rolling stock train at Rosedale station Line 1 is operated using only the TTC's Toronto Rocket (TR) subway trains, which are based on Bombardier's Movia family of trains. Unlike other trains in the Toronto subway rolling stock, the TR trains have a "six-car fixed" articulated configuration with full-open gangways, allowing passengers to walk freely from one end to the other. The TR trains were scheduled for delivery starting between late 2009 and early 2010, but was delayed until late 2010 due to production problems. They entered revenue service on this line on July 21, 2011, replacing the older H5 and the T1 series trains, which had been used on this line. (The T1 series trains, which used to operate on this line from 1995 until 2015, were transferred over to Line 2 Bloor–Danforth where they replaced the older H4 and H6 series trains). From the line's opening in 1954 until 1990, it was operated with G-series cars, and was also served with a mix of M1 and H1/H2/H4 subway cars between 1965 and 1999. One-person train operation Between 2021 and 2022, the TTC transitioned its Line 1 trains to one-person train operation (OPTO), which removes the secondary guard member – stationed at the rear end of the trains – who operated the doors. This change leaves only the subway drivers at the front to fill the dual role in 2023. OPTO went into effect between St. George and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations in November 2021, and was rolled out on the rest of the line effective November 20, 2022. Gap trains Gap trains are empty trains stored on pocket tracks and brought into service in a gap between full-route trains to relieve overcrowding. In October 2018, the TTC restarted the practice of using gap trains to relieve crowding at Bloor–Yonge and St. George stations, where respectively 225,000 and 135,000 passengers transfer trains daily. The TTC observed that one empty gap train can clear a crowded platform at Bloor–Yonge. The benefits of ATC are: • a reduced headway between trains from 2.5 minutes to 2 minutes during rush hours, allowing a 25 percent increase in the number of trains that can operate • fewer signal-related delays relative to the old fixed-block system History In 2009, the TTC awarded a contract to Alstom to upgrade the signalling system of the existing section of Line 1, as well as equip its Toronto–York Spadina subway extension (TYSSE) into Vaughan, with moving block–based communications-based train control (CBTC) by 2012. The estimated cost to implement ATC on Line 1 was $562million, $424million of which was funded by Metrolinx. On November 4, 2017, the TTC successfully completed a 13-day test of ATC with trains using it in regular service between Dupont and Yorkdale stations. At the conclusion of the test, the feature was turned off between these two stations to allow installation of ATC through the complex interchange at Wilson Yard. ATC was permanently extended south to Dupont station on December 3, 2018; to St. Patrick station on May 12, 2019; to Queen station on February 24, 2020; to Rosedale station on November 21, 2020; to Eglinton station in October 2021; and finally to Finch station on September 24, 2022. There was a phase 6 for fixes, improvements and enhancements, as well as an adjustment to ATC at Eglinton station to accommodate the shifting of the Line 1 platform north by ; Prior to September 2022, ATC was operating on 79 percent of Line 1, and the partial implementation of ATC had resulted in improvements. Trains travelled between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Rosedale stations 3.5 minutes faster. Just prior to 2020, ATC allowed for an 8 percent increase in trains per hour, and the number of trains scheduled in southbound service in the morning peak at Bloor–Yonge station increased from 22 to 25.5 trains per hour. Signal violations decreased by approximately 50 percent from 2017 to 2020. ==See also==