New TTC report shows staggering extent of rush hour overcrowding
Posted January 16, 2018 11:21 pm.
Last Updated January 17, 2018 5:20 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Overcrowding during rush hour on Line 1 is the worst it’s ever been and a new report shows some startling numbers.
About 30,000 people travel southbound from Bloor station per hour and Line 1 is near or exceeding capacity for a 90 minute period during the morning rush hour.
In fact, Line 1, from Finch to Union Station is the busiest section, carrying 450,000 customer trips per day.
“I was coming home from work the other day and it was closed between Union and Bloor both directions, both lines” said TTC commuter Carly Churchill. “I had to take the streetcar, it was a nightmare.”
Little more than a decade ago it was a much smaller problem, with over capacity issues only existing at Bloor-Yonge, Wellesley and College stations.
The problem has nearly tripled, with the list growing to the following stations:
- Eglinton
- Davisville
- St. Clair
- Summerhill
- Rosedale
- Bloor-Yonge
- Wellesley
- College
For one advocacy group, the ultimate solution is the completion of one of the city’s most anticipated transit projects
“We know that what we need to do to fix this is to fund and build the relief line as soon as possible” said TTCriders spokesperson Shelagh Pizey-Allen.
TTCriders will be handing out “Overcrowding Relief Kits” to commuters starting at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning to raise awareness about subway crowding on Line 1, and asking people to contact Mayor Tory and Premiere Wynne and tweeting out pictures of their commute using the hashtag #can’tgeton.
One of the solutions the TTC is looking at is potentially changing the fare during off peak hours
“If they reduce the fare we think that can be good for some riders” said Pizey-Allen
“If they increase the fare, that’s going to be really bad news, not everybody can choose when they travel to work and not everyone can afford a fare hike”
The report will be presented to the TTC board Thursday when some of the recommendations will be reviewed. As for the timeline for the relief line, that won’t be ready until 2031.
