Toronto Extends its Subway for the First Time in 15 Years

Fanfare, a full slate of politicians, and a day of free rides celebrated the opening of the extended Line 1 of the TTC subway system. There was also criticism of the new extension.

1 minute read

December 22, 2017, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Dupont Station, Toronto

Dupont Station serves Line 1, built on the Spadina extension and opened in 1978. | DayOwl / Shutterstock

The Line 1 extension of the Toronto extension opened to the public on Sunday, December 17, connecting Toronto the city of Vaughan along 8.6 kilometers of new subway line.

"The new extension is the first expansion of Toronto’s subway system in 15 years," reports Miriam Katawazi. "Construction work on the extension began in February 2010 and was jointly funded by the federal government, Ontario, Toronto and York region." The extension adds six new stations. The Toronto Star created a timeline of the construction progress of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system over the years.

In a separate article, Christopher Hume writes a scathing bit of commentary on the new subway extension, summed up thusly: "although the new subway fails to address the city's most pressing transit needs, its six stations sure are pretty."

Sunday, December 17, 2017 in The Toronto Star

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.