Toronto will finally join such world class cities as London and New York in boasting a 24-hour subway system, according to public transit officials.
In a rare TTC Board meeting late Sunday at City Hall, staff put forward a report recommending that the city test new subway service hours for a period of three months as part of a pilot project.
The motion passed in a 17-8 vote, meaning that we should start seeing night subways as soon as this August.
Exact details are still being worked out, but the report suggests that, instead of starting at 6 a.m. each morning Monday through Saturday (8 a.m. on Sundays) and closing down at 1:30 a.m., the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line would instead run 24 hours a day, seven days a week as part of the pilot.
Costs for the pilot project would come out of the TTC's 2019 operating budget and total approximately $800,000.
TTC spokesperson Stella Redd credits new, more efficient maintenance procedures as one of the main reasons why after so many years of people asking for late-night subway service, the TTC is finally ready to move forward.
"Staff typically use the hours between 2 and 6 a.m. for routine maintenance," said Redd in a statement issued Sunday night. "For the duration of the pilot, maintenance will take place alongside major repairs during scheduled closures."
The pilot project will begin on the Yonge-University-Spadina line, but if the service proves popular enough to sustain, it could be expanded to the rest of the system.
Without modification, the plan would see 24/7 subway service on Line 1 from August 1 until October 31, with Halloween serving as the final night of service.
Staff will then compile a report based on ridership and other data to argue for or against making 24/7 subway service in Toronto permanent to accommodate the city's fast-growing and highly mobile population.
by Staff via blogTO
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