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Passing by Lower Bay

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For the next six weekends, starting next Saturday, riders on the Bloor-Danforth line will have to transfer trains at Museum station because Bay station is receiving some much needed structural work. Passengers will have to cross the platform and board another train. University-Spadina riders should use Museum for eastbound trains (since the train you’ll be getting on at St.George will terminate at Museum). This also means lower St. George will not be in use as the upper platform will handle all trains. The logistics might be slightly confusing so I suspect TTC conductors will announce all the details.

The significance of this scheduling inconvenience is that passengers will get a quick look at the unused platform of Lower Bay station. Subways will not stop at Bay so keep alert if you want to a peak at one of Toronto’s most celebrated transit legends. Let’s cross our fingers that the TTC has turned the lights on.

Almost a year ago, Jim Munroe wrote a short story about Lower Bay station for our transit-themed issue. You can read it by clicking here.

If you want to know more about Lower Bay, check out the Infiltration site, or Transit Toronto’s history of the subway.

photo by Liz Clayton

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10 comments

  1. The shape of the lines between Museum, St George, and Bloor/Yonge makes me wonder about something: has there ever been an interlining proposal that would turn the Yonge-University-Spadina line and the Bloor-Danforth line between St George and Bloor/Yonge into a circle line?

    Is there a connection at Yonge between the lines, and if so, would the current traffic allow such a service to operate?

  3. The logistics might be slightly confusing so I suspect TTC conductors will announce all the details.

    I’m sure there will be plenty of confusing, contrasdictory, handwritten signs plastered over every available surafce – and that they’ll remain there until next year.

  4. David: yes. For the first six months or so of the University line’s life, the routes were interlined, with northbound University trains alternating east and west. The links in the article explain it.

  5. Apparently only little green men may transfer trains, and in only one direction.

  6. Actually, what David was asking about is whether there’s a connection at *Yonge*, i.e. one that’d enable the “circle line” he’s talking about.

    The answer is, no there isn’t–the only “wyes” between the lines are at St. George/Bay. (And the beyond the scheduling complications, the radius is likely too small to be practical, anyway–at least on a subway scale, though if it were monorail/El-type surface construction, a “circle line” might make better sense on paper…)

  7. I’m quite excited about getting a glimpse of Lower Bay. My girlfriend, she just questions why it still exists…

  9. “I’m sure there will be plenty of confusing, contrasdictory, handwritten signs plastered over every available surafce – and that they’ll remain there until next year.”

    Actually, the TTC put up well-designed corrugated plastic signs posted in Museum and St. George Stations. The notices are at platform level on just about every column and appear to be very self-explanatory.

    It’s too bad there are no notices in the subway cars themselves (surely, the TTC could use the ad space occupied by their self-promotions) or in any of the other stations that I can see. The longer than usual wait (6 minutes, instead of every 4 to 5 minutes on weekends) for trains and the change in operations will still catch people by surprise.

  10. Is there a “wye” linking the Sheppard and Yonge lines? The upper Sheppard platform is quite uniquely designed although only part of it is used (it’s 3 platforms really). What is the long term plan?