CBC: Toronto's First Subway 1954 TTC

1954 Documentary piece about the new subway in Toronto

[@ClintScottFischer]

I love watching these kinds of videos, wish I could go back in a time machine to each decade and look at how Toronto has changed. 2 things stood out to me in this video, 3 tokens for 25 cents - and trains were guaranteed in 2.5 minutes! Haha - less population=less trains=less waiting time. I must say, after living in Toronto all of my life - and mistakenly leaving to live and work in Kitchener/Waterloo - now coming back to Toronto - KW is like Toronto in the 40's and 50's with their transit.

[@briansokoloski776]

At least the Gloucester's Subway cars had Windows you could open up this helped in the summertime

[@elizabethhollowaye7494]

Happy 70th birthday, Toronto subway. In March of 1954, the first stretch of TTC's subway system opened, and it ran under Yonge Street from Eglinton Station in the North to Union station (not to be confused with Union Station) in the south. The opening ceremonies took place at the TTC headquarters near Davisville station, with Toronto mayor Allan Lamport and Ontario premier Leslie Frost in attendance.

[@johnslobodin7931]

TORONTO HAS THE BEST SUBWAY SYSTEM AROUND THAT I HAVE BEEN RIDING ON. CHANGES HAVE TO COME, BECAUSE EQUIPMENT DOES WEAR OUT AFTER OPERATING FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS STRAIGHT. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK TTC.

[@DonutsIceCreamAndCottenCandy]

lol

[@jayvonnoelsmith8445]

Yes

[@Erle_The_Pearl]

Great Footage I love the way he keeps saying Really! Like No one watching the news footage would ever believe it was real.

[@torontosubway]

Thanks for posting that. First time I saw inside a G-1 subway car.

[@GlitzPianoman]

I actually regularly took the subway from Wellesley to Union when I lived in that area a few years ago, especially if I had a lot of things to take with me on the GO Train.

[@jayvonnoelsmith8445]

TTC is doing a good job toronto subway is amazing

[@likemikey93]

You have to remember that Toronto wasn't anywhere near as big as it is today back then. My grandma would tell me that most of the area north of Eglinton was nothing but farmland back then.

[@spm116]

Wrong. Old "North Toronto" within the old Toronto city limits, up to the Glen Echo loop (just before you go down the hill to York Mills Rd., was mostly built up area by the 1940s. North York was building up quite steadily in the 1950s, but there was still some farmland there into the 1960s. I was around back then, so I certainly know what I'm talking about..

[@staypuft42]

That is the Bloor station. The video shows the surface streetcar platforms which, until the Bloor subway line opened, were located just east of Yonge street

[@noahrp777]

If only tokens today were 3 for 25¢

[@camperjohn6464]

Later, the TTC was offering $1,000 to anyone that had a transfer from the opening day.

[@argopunk]

The only station with the original glass tile is Eglinton. Some, like Dundas, College, and Union, are horrifyingly ugly since their '70s and 80s era renos. I miss the old red cars and their open windows.

[@TrainmasterCurt]

The old Peter Witt's are in this!!

[@HurricaneNWG]

@breakonthrough72 of course, YUS started with 12 stops and grew as time passed, and of course sheppard is only new, but will likely expand as time goes on, so simply calling it something like a "waste of money" or being "useless" is completely nonsense when you look at what it may be in the future.

[@SeanSudolD]

Perhaps. But with today's prices, I don't know many reasons to ride from Bloor to Wellesley unless you have a pass. So that was how the infamous transfer machine worked that I heard about. I have never actually seen it in use. And of course, it was before my time.

[@streetcarjay]

It was removed in 1966 for the opening of the Bloor/Danforth Subway between Keele and Woodbine.

[@djtoomuch230]

TheOntarioguy666 soon to be Sheppard-Yonge-Don Mills Kipling-Mcowan and Finch to Vaughan Metropolitain Centre! It's expanding AND FAST!

[@louisea9607]

Wow, very nice.

[@kirubeltedros1467]

I dont think so line 4 is still yousful for going to chukuy chesse for my birthday

[@mistahimaskwa]

Aw...tokens. 3 for 25c Great video!

[@mwkmn]

Thanks for sharing this great video. It is amazing how many of what you see in this video is still intact today, very well in use.

[@FreedomLovingLoyalistOfficial]

their used to be another documentary on this subway but i can't find it and also its in color

[@glen6945]

damn nice

[@jackiechan511]

@300582228 Not unless you're willing to advocate a price ceiling or a ban on inflation. At the rate we're going, in 50 years, each token will cost $10 each. What's the point in inflation if every other wages and prices will go up simultaneously.

[@EvanHyland]

at 6:42 where was this type of station ?

[@ppolow]

Rosedale I believe

[@robpineault5354]

Six gloucester cars burned down in March 1963. They were shipped by rail to hillcrest for examination. They couldnt be fixed and were scrapped october 1963,

[@briansokoloski776]

TTC Is the Best Subway system in Canada all the original Subway cars did a good job on moving quickly

[@noahrp777]

But Toronto have like the first subway systems before HKG or other countries

[@fartamplifer]

$59 million dollars? The Sheppard line, which has 5 stations and was abuilt almost 50 years later, cost just over $1 billion to build. : (

[@TorontoTransitFan]

fartamplifer that’s because when they were building the subway they didn’t use the borrowing machine which would cost heavily, while the Sheppard subway used the borrowing machine.

[@ppolow]

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, prices in 2017 are 811.23% higher than prices in 1954. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 3.57% per year. So basiccally in other words, $59,000,000 in 1954 is equivalent in purchasing power to $537,623,791.82 in 2017, a difference of $478,623,791.82 over 63 years.The 1954 inflation rate was 0.75% unlike the inflation rate in 2017 was 2.13%. So, ya.

[@cinthia9602]

Neat :D

[@CaptainFeathersword]

I wish the TTC would bring back the "WAY OUT" 5:10 signs.

[@jjbrien]

king got some new seats about 10 years ago

[@sheltv100]

So what? These major cities in Asia have beat the hell out of Toronto's subway system. I am from Toronto myself and I have been to all these cities I mentioned. London and New York had subways before Toronto, but the Asian subway systems and even Montreal's subway system are more technically advanced, and are able to reach vast areas in their urban communities way hell of a lot better than Toronto.

[@mtlicq]

Beijing subway is awesome ! Our Toronto subway is very embarrassing compared to it. However, they have a totalitarian government that doesn't change plans so much due to elections, and they have 1.4 Billion people to tax to pay for it, and they cannot vote against the subway plans for that one city.

[@PatrickTomaszewski10]

Actually BOB RAE CUT Funding from underneath the TTC HUGE when he became Premier of Ontario. The federal government also "Downloaded" transit funding in the early 90's under Finance minister Paul Martin.

[@marcthibault1649]

C est Toronto la première ville avoir eu le métro et en deuxième ville c est Montréal et en troisième c est Vancouver

[@sheltv100]

You go that right, the Sheppard line is so useless that they should have used all that money to build a new line under Queen Street in downtown Toronto.

[@brianreed31]

sheltv100 build the Sheppard the full way

[@ebrxh2721]

Sheppard Line is getting much busier now, 4 years later.

[@mrrobot5963]

They will with the relief line

[@melsvids73]

TTC still uses tokens! haha

[@mrrobot5963]

Who cares it's still better than PRESTO!

[@Will87]

@breakonthrough72 not in 1954

[@sheltv100]

Toronto subway the best? No way. I have been to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, London, and Osaka, and the subways and rapid transit system in these cities beats the hell out of Toronto!

[@mrrobot5963]

It was at the time the best but politicians these days

[@glen6945]

the red rocket arrives in toronto

[@CaptainFeathersword]

Such a cheesy nonsensical commentary....I felt 5 years old listening lol.

[@WestboundPromo416]

such a trash subway line so far behind from new york or london

[@Neville6000]

So what? Big deal.

[@glen6945]

OOOHHHHYES