A new subway line for Roncesvalles?

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Downtown Relief Line

Today’s National Post reports that the TTC will "seriously consider" a plan for a new subway line that would run underneath Roncesvalles from the Dundas West station. One proposed map of the route (above) shows the subway stopping at Sorauren and Dundas, and then travelling down to Liberty Village. The subway then travels east-west along the rail corridor then turns north up to Pape Station. The map is based on the original Network 2011 plan, prepared back in 1985.

According to Spacing.ca, which reported on the proposal on Monday, the Downtown Relief Line would allow commuters to travel downtown without having to take the Yonge line. Whether it will ever get built is anyone’s guess. The TTC is focussing for now on several other projects, but the regional transit authority Metrolinx identifies the line as a priority in its green paper, according to the Post. Transit blogger James Bow has also reported on the proposal.

3 Comments on “A new subway line for Roncesvalles?”

  1. There’s a video on CBC.ca’s archives from the 1960’s showing this queen st & roncesvalles subway line plan. (it also shows the non-existent Spadina expressway)

  2. This would be a welcome solution to downtown transit, but will it actually happen? This is such a huge undertaking for a public transit system that is already completely strapped for cash.

    The added question is, what happens to the home owners in the area this potential subway may run under? Personally, living at Sorauren and Westminster, I am not prepared to have a subway train rumble its way under my house every 5-10 minutes.

  3. Hi Sara:

    I’m not exactly sure, but I believe that the proposed subway line is meant to run overground alongside the train line. This makes the construction of such a line quite inexpensive compared to tunnel construction.

    One benefit that I can see is a reduction of congestion on the King streetcar line, currently the busiest overground route in the city.

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