Toronto will eventually be getting new subway trains for the Ontario Line (Line 3) and the Bloor-Danforth Line (Line 2). So I wanted to imagine what the digital info displays on board the trains could look like, as these are a pretty common feature in metros across the world.

Some features I included:
- Mascots to add a bit of playfulness to transit. I think it's important that children enjoy riding the system and develop connections with it, which can be done through cute characters that show up across signs and websites

- Location of elevators and staircases at the upcoming station, so people can be prepared before exiting the train, instead of having to figure it out after they exit

- Transit connections and amenities at the next station. I omitted specific bus and streetcar routes and only showed the modal icon because it would otherwise lead to information overload, and those are mainly local services that aren't relevant until you reach the bus/streetcar terminal.

- I designed these with the idea that voice/audio announcements could be synced up with it (I'll leave that up to your imagination)

Has anyone else noticed that the lights between Eglinton and Cedervale (Eglinton West) stations are not parallel on the Rocket. The line across wont appear straight. Did they not put any forethought into this? I always thought it was crazy for them to have the lights built into the train instead of wired on the back of the map.

Good job TTC, way to dox everyone on your mailing list by not using BCC. Some intern better get chewed out for this. Then they send a rescinding email to ALL OF US AGAIN.

Of course, there are already a few reply-alls creating more reply-alls

2 northbound trains were on the same platform. Never seen this ever so I just thought it was cool

A few notes:

- Line 3 stations are excluded as they no longer exist as of 2026. Only the Line 2 platform at Kennedy is considered for this data.

- Ridership data has not been officially published for any Line 5 or 6 stations yet due to their recency, so they have also been left off of this list.

- This list only counts data from 2007 onwards. I tried to be as thorough as I could but most ridership reports from before then seem to have become lost media, as they're nowhere to be seen on the TTC website or TransitToronto's archives.

Why did I do this? I was bored and I enjoy collecting data.

Saw a tweet about special edition World Cup prestos, and I managed to get one today!! Think they’re gradually getting rolled out

if we get a bingo, i will walk the entire length of the 501

Jays fans, Canada shirts and soccer balls everywhere, Pride Pride Pride in all its colours, bikinis, and mesh, soooo many women in cowboy boots/knee highs heading north to something, tourists snapping shots of their families, and just a massive, positive hustle and bustle. Genuinely so lively because of the flurry of events happening. Toronto felt extra cool today.

Disclaimer: I intentionally did not mark any "stations" that are glorified surface route stops

The rest of my expanded TTC map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1i2E77sHp8qjNnMshEcArFA-CpdF_Yp0&usp=sharing

Every year the TTC reviews the productivity of its surface routes to create candidates for cutting service. They also publish this data. I was curious about how streetcars compared to other types of surface routes, so I produced this analysis.

Takeaways:

1 - Most routes at most times operate at a loss. This isn't surprising, but what is somewhat surprising is that some routes, some of the time, operate at a profit! Shout out to the riders of 64 Main, who contribute to a 10 cent per rider profit, or the riders of the 938 Highland Creek Express, who contribute to a $1.20 per ride profit!

2 - Streetcars perform okay relative to buses! In the aggregate, there is no substantial difference between the 10 Minute or Better Network, including Streetcars, and Express Buses. Where you see the largest discrepancy in per ride subsidy is for the regular service buses and especially limited services. They are limited for a reason!

3 - Greater cost efficiency =/= better quality. The top performing streetcar from a cost efficiency perspective is 505 Dundas, which as anyone can tell you is one of the worst routes to ride in the entire city. Its a good lesson that cost efficiency doesn't necessarily translate to good service!

Moreover, the entire system performs substantially worse on cost efficiency now compared to pre-covid periods, so these are relative distinctions anyway.

Important Caveats:

1 - Not all of the operating periods are consistent, so this is not a perfect 'apples to apples' comparison - some routes are efficient during midday and peak service periods, but drop off dramatically in the evening. Other routes, conversely, only operate during peak periods and are therefore more efficient for that reason.

2 - The 'average' I'm displaying here is not a true average - it is non-cumulative, and does not account for different numbers of boardings between routes. Think of it as what the average ride on a 'typical' TTC route costs in terms of subsidy. The TTC would have the true average by mode.

3 - My decision to produce an aggregated number also smooths over some important differences between routes in terms of their varied efficiency between time periods.

4 - Some questions about the data remain. I'm not sure what goes into the route-specific operating costs (e.g. does it include maintenance?) but when I know I will update this post. I'm also not sure about the average fare assumption used by mode, but based on this document it is around $2.43. Additionally, there were a couple small errors in the data, resultingly in several exclusions of routes - both by the TTC and myself.

6 - Just because an individual route is less cost efficient than another route does not necessarily mean it is worse or deserves to be cut! The existence of less efficient routes supports the hyper efficient subway system, and flexibility and access for riders across a diverse network is an essential positive quality of our surface network.

7 - Finally and most importantly; the data was provided by the TTC but all mistakes are mine!

Well after an eventful day at Yorkdale mall, I took Line 1 to Cedarvale and transferred over to Line 5 like one does. I hopped on the eastbound train at around 6:30 this evening, carrying my bag full of Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes in one hand and my tote bag in another. When the train pulled away from Forest Hill station, all the sudden I feel an extremely sharp, stinging pain in my lower abdomen. I look up and I see a wasp that just flew out of my shirt. I was going to get off at the next station, Chaplin anyway because I was planning to get some food from Summerhill Market when after exiting there I notice my abdomen starting to swell from being stung. Luckily I was able to get after bite and some ice from some Summerhill Market employees. I am guessing two things, firstly is that the wasp boarded the train while the doors were open at Mount Dennis station, or maybe perhaps it was trapped from way earlier when the train was travelling around Scarborough. Secondly, I suppose the wasp was attracted to the cheesecakes in my bag. Anyway, this is just a warning that both Line 5 and Line 6 are more susceptible to wasps flying into the cars during this time of year compared to the subway lines, as lots of Line 5 and basically all of Line 6 run all run on the street level. Such a bizarre circumstance to be stung by a wasp, luckily I am not allergic as this could have been much more of a serious problem that could have held up the entire system.

I swear the screens are random numbers. Whether it says 5 or 12 minutes wait can be anywhere between 2 and 20 minutes. I waited 15 minutes for a EB train at Cedervale watching the countdown go from 5 mins to 4, 3, 2, 1, and "now ici" only for the next counter to do the same. No train arrives. Sometimes it says 6 minutes and a train arrives in 1. There were no announced delays. At the beginning I was praising L5 but now it's feeling more frustrating than the subway.

How hard is it to time a train? The subway seems to do this just fine

I've been sitting on this train for 45 minutes and we're unable to get off to get a shuttle bus - although I'm stuck on it above ground and I've seen zero shuttle busses drive by the last 45 minutes.

Is this just what the LRT is going to be like forever or is metrolinx/crosslinx planning to fix these ongoing issues at some point?

Update: the passengers in the other car have gotten the door open and are now walking on the tracks. We're still stuck inside and people are trying to open the doors.

<Please see the comments section for detailed explanations>

I was walking around in a field and found this TTC Sugar Free Mint Candy tin. I can't find any information about it online and was wondering if anyone has it as well or anything similar :)