The day Canada’s first subway line opened to the public

On March 30, 1954, the Yonge subway line opened, paving the way — underground, of course — for a revolution in Toronto transit.

A transfer from Union Station on March 30, 1954 — A transfer from Union Station on opening day of the Yonge subway line. (City of Toronto Archives, Larry Becker fonds, Series 547)

It was the first of its kind in Canada, and marked the culmination of decades of planning and debate: Toronto’s first subway system opened with a ceremony at Davisville Station on March 30, 1954.

At the time, the Yonge line extended from Union Station north to Eglinton. The entire system took just over four and a half years to complete after crews broke ground in September 1949, and included the same stops you’ll see in that stretch of the line today.

A 1954 infographic showing stops on the Yonge subway line — That’s a lot of steel. (City of Toronto Archives, Research Hall Library)

According to city records, the total cost of construction was $50.5 million. Day one subway fare was just 10 cents (about $1 in today’s currency).

As reported in the Toronto Daily Star, officials estimated about 200,000 people — approximately a sixth of the city’s population at the time — rode the subway on its first day.

“We expected a big crowd, and we weren’t disappointed,” a Toronto Transportation Commission official told the paper.

Torontonians gather at the opening of the Yonge subway line — Torontonians came out in droves for the long-awaited opening of the subway. (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1128, Series 381, File 298, Item 11847-49)

A long time coming

The idea of a Toronto subway line was first floated in 1909, but sufficient support and political will didn’t materialize until the 1940s.

After it was built, though, the flood gates had opened, and several subway-line additions followed:

1963: University line opens (St. Andrew to St. George)
1966: Line 2 Bloor-Danforth opens (Keele to Woodbine)
1968: Line 2 extends west to Islington and east to Warden
1973: Yonge line extends north to York Mills
1974: Yonge line extends north to Finch
1978: University line extends north to Wilson
1980: Line 2 extends west to Kipling and east to Kennedy
1985: Line 3 Scarborough opens (Kennedy to McCowan)
1987: North York Centre is added to the Yonge line
1996: University line extends north to Sheppard West
2002: Line 4 Sheppard opens (Sheppard-Yonge to Don Mills)
2017: University line extends north to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre

Even with all that expansion, several more attempts fell short. In fact, an east-west Queen St. subway was on the books for several years before and after the construction of the Bloor-Danforth line, but ultimately never materialized.

Of course, after a relatively quiet time for underground-transit growth, there is now a ton on the way. Parts of Line 5 Eglinton, Line 6 Finch West (both due in 2023), and the Ontario Line (2030) will be buried, and Line 2 is finally getting extended west with the Scarborough Subway Expansion.

Suffice to say, none of this would be possible had the Yonge line not proven the worth of subway travel in the city — all the way back in 1954.

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