Toronto Subway Line 2 "bloor-danforth" Route Proposal

Train Sim World 2 Proposal - Toronto Subway Line 2 "Bloor-Danforth"


The Toronto Subway is the busiest rapid transit system in Canada, carrying over approximately 1.58 million passengers daily. Line 2, also referred to as the Bloor-Danforth line, is Toronto’s second subway line and is operated by the third-largest transit agency in North America, the Toronto Transit Commission. Opened in 1966, the line currently travels from the west end of Toronto, Kipling Station, to the east end of Toronto, Kennedy Station. One thing that makes the Toronto Subway System special is that it uses an irregular track gauge of 1,495mm instead of the standard 1,435mm track gauge.

Route

As stated earlier, Line 2 currently runs from Kennedy Station in the east, to Kipling Station in the west. There are 29 intermediate stations making 31 total along the line. Four stations along the line connect to other lines. Spadina, St. George, and Bloor-Yonge connect to Line 1, while Kennedy Station connects to Line 3 that goes further into Scarborough in the east.


2017 TTC Subway Map. Photo Credit: TTC (Line 2 is the Green Line)

Line 2 has an average of ~500,000 daily riders (based on 2018 stats) and is 26.2 km (16.3 miles) in length. This may not seem like a long route, but the travel time end to end is approximately 45 minutes to a little over an hour, depending on the time of day.

Below is a video of a cab view ride on Line 2 from Kipling to Kennedy, traveling eastbound, by YouTuber TrainsToronto. It gives a good feeling and a look at what the route should be like in Train Sim World 2.



A detailed geographical map of the line along with many others in the Toronto area can be found here.

Track guides for the subway system can be found here.

Yonge Station

Yonge Station is the busiest station on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth. The station is also known as "Bloor-Yonge Station" but that is the name used when you are on Line 1. It has a centre platform design and is located just below the Line 1 platform. You can interchange between Lines 1 and 2 at this station. Yonge Station is a major hub in the city to get travellers in and out of the downtown core.

View of the eastbound platform at Yonge Station. Photo Credit: Unknown Author (via Station Fixation)

Kennedy Station

Kennedy station is the eastern terminus of Line 2 Bloor-Danforth. This station provides a connection to the Line 3 Scarborough RT and many TTC bus routes aboveground. The station has a centre platform design and has a tail track east of the station which can store trains when needed.

View of the platform level at Kennedy Station. Photo Credit: Unknown Author (via Station Fixation)

Kipling Station

Kennedy station is the western terminus of Line 2 Bloor-Danforth. This station provides connections to TTC and regional bus routes aboveground. This station is actually at grade but is covered by a bus terminal above. This station includes a centre platform and a tail track west of the station to store trains when needed. There is also an unused tunnel on the north side of the station, which can be used for storage if TTC wanted to. It can be accessed by the 3rd portal when entering the station, tracks were never laid though. It is also important to note that the walls have been updated to white panels.

View of the platform level at Kipling Station. Photo Credit: Unknown Author (via Station Fixation)

Old Mill Station

Old Mill Station is one of my personal favourites out of all of the stations on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth. This station is very unique since it is both underground and aboveground with glass windows. This station also provides connections to TTC bus routes. Although it is not the busiest, it is sure one of the prettiest. A full 3D walkthrough of this station can be found here.

View of Old Mill Station looking from Bloor Street West. Photo Credit: John Martins-Manteigar (via Vikpahwa)

Landmarks

Prince Edward Viaduct - this is a double-deck arched bridge with pedestrian and vehicular traffic on the top deck and the subway on the lower deck. Line 2 uses this bridge to go across the Don Valley. The bridge provides incredible views of the Don Valley and the rest of the city. During the night, the colorful lights on the bridge are lit up, making it look very spectacular.

Prince Edward Viaduct. Photo Credit: Paul Dexxus (via Wikipedia)

Humber River - this river runs through the west side of the city into Lake Ontario. Line 2 crosses the river using its own bridge, which is grade-separated. This area is one of the nicest outdoor sections of Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, you can see it between Jane and Old Mill stations.

View looking north at Line 2 Bloor-Danforth and the Humber River from Bloor Street West. Photo Credit: Google Maps Streetview


Yards

There are two yards that serve Line 2 Bloor-Danforth. In addition to the two yards, there are many storage tracks along the mainline which are referred to as pocket tracks.

Greenwood Yard

Greenwood Yard is the main yard that serves the rolling stock of Line 2 Bloor-Danforth. At this yard, trains are both stored and maintained. The yard is located above ground at 400 Greenwood Avenue and connects to Line 2 via an underground, multi-level wye between Donlands and Greenwood stations.

Greenwood Yard. Photo Credit: Andrew Paterson (via Flickr)

Keele Yard

Keele Yard, also formally referred to as Vincent Yard, is a small yard that stores trains. It is located between Dundas West and Keele stations. The yard is mostly above ground, with 4 tunnels included to store trains. To access the yard, you must go through a passageway at Dundas West station or the track level entrance accessed on a nearby Street. Keele yard has a capacity of 8 train sets, though it does not maintain trains. 4 train sets are supposed to be stored here overnight along with work trains.

Keele Yard, Facing West. Photo Credit: James Bow (via Transit Toronto)


Open Cut Sections

Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, is mostly underground but has a number of open-cut sections. An open-cut section is a section of track that is outdoors, not within a tunnel. These sections are listed below:

• 
  
  • In between Kennedy and Warden stations until just after Victoria Park station
  • Prince Edward Viaduct between Broadview and Castle Frank stations
  • In between Dundas West and Keele stations
  • In between High Park and Runnymede stations
  • After Jane station to Old Mill station, crossing the Humber River
  • After Royal York station to before Islington station
  • In between Islington and Kipling stations

Pocket Tracks

As mentioned above, TTC has several Pocket Tracks to store trains along the mainline. These include the following;

• 
  
  • Islington Pocket Track, east of Islington Station.
  • Ossington Pocket Track, east of Ossington Station.
  • Broadview Pocket Track, east of Broadview Station.
  • Kipling Tail Track, west of Kipling Station (Terminus)
  • Kennedy Tail Track, east of Kennedy Station (Terminus)

These pocket tracks can be used to turn around trains, store broken down trains, store spare trains that are put into service when needed, or to store work equipment.

An example of a pocket Track, this one is located north of Finch West Station on Line 1. Photo credit: TTC

Crossovers

Relating to Pocket Tracks, there are several Crossovers along the line used to turn back trains as well. These can be found at;

• 
  
  • Kipling Station (Terminus)
  • Kennedy Station (Terminus)
  • Jane Station
  • Keele Station
  • St. George Station
  • Woodbine Station
  • Victoria Park Station
  • Warden Station

Crossover east of Keele Station. Photo Credit: Rodney Boyd (via Wikipedia)


Signalling System And Trackside Signs

Line 2 Bloor Danforth uses a fixed block signaling system, which is explained in detail in this video made by T2P Films.

The Toronto Subway System doesn’t use set speed limits, rather timed signals which require you to be going at a certain speed for them to clear.



And also in this Wikipedia article: Link

T2P Films is known for making the Toronto Subway routes for the train simulator ‘OpenBVE’. They would be a great reference for information and resources if this route is developed since they have good knowledge of how the subway system works. They also have many sounds already recorded which include; onboard train announcements, station announcements, train propulsion, and braking audio.


Example of a double aspect signal, this model is used at crossovers. Photo Credit: Unknown Author (via Station Fixation)

Wayside and Trackside Signs

• 
  
  
  • Parallel: A Yellow sign with a black P. Tells the driver to go Full Power

• 
  
  
  • Series: A Yellow Sign with a black S. This tells the driver to go in the Series power position, normally used before Crossovers, curves, reduced speed zones, or when approaching a terminus station.

• 
  
  
  • No Power/Coast: A black sign with a white zero. This tells the driver to coast and/or maintain a constant speed.

• 
  
  
  • Pairs of 6: Each station has a pair of “6” signs. These are yellow signs with a black 6. The first 6 tells the driver where he or she should start breaking the train. The second 6 indicates where the train should be stopped on the platform.

• 
  
  
  • Stop Marker: a Red Circle. usually found along the platform wall at a station, when the cab window of the operator’s cab is lined up with this red circle it indicates that the train is stopped properly.

• 
  
  
  • Guard’s Marker: A green upwards facing triangle, also found along the platform wall at a station. This tells your guard at the back of the train that the train is aligned properly when the cab window lines up with this green triangle. To make sure they’re paying attention, TTC's policy states they must point at it before opening the doors.

• 
  
  
  • Orange Guard Marker: A Yellow / Orange upwards facing triangle, also found along the station wall. After the train doors are closed and the train starts moving, Guards are required to look out of the window and observe the platform while the train is departing. The orange triangle marker tells the Guard when he or she can stop looking out.

Examples of each sign are embedded as links.


More information and details about these Wayside signs can be found using these two videos posted below:






Electronic Next Arrival Displays

Every station on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth has electronic next arrival and advertising displays. The next train arrival aspect of the screen is shown in the black bar area at the bottom portion of the screen. It shows the line bullet, terminus, and estimated arrival time. The rest of the screen features advertising space, date and time, weather forecast, sports scores, and news headlines.

An example of the electronic next arrival displays found within the system. Photo Credit: Dan Levy (via Twitter)


Tunnels

There are two different types of tunnels in the Toronto subway system, open cut and bored tunnels. Open cut tunnels are square-shaped, built by using a method called “cut and cover”. Bored tunnels are tunnels created by a tunnel boring machine (TBM), they are circular in shape.

The tunnels on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth are well lit with mostly white LED lights that are placed every few meters. There are few fluorescent lights seen within the system as well, but they are being phased out at a very fast pace. There are also the blue PAX lights placed every ~100 meters or so (6 cars length of a train), as mentioned earlier to indicate where the EAS is in the tunnel. There is also room to stand to the side on one side of the tunnel.


Example of a bored tunnel on the Line 1 Toronto-York-Spadina-Subway-Extension (TYSSE). Photo Credit: Jovanna Kervin (via Twitter)

Trains

Since 2014, Line 2 has been exclusively run with Bombardier ‘T1’ trains, which have been in service since 1996. These trains run in three sets of two cars, referred to as “married pairs”, making a 6 car train. The T1 trains feature a silver-colour exterior body, a rollsign to display the train’s destination, exterior fluorescent lights, the doors are silver in colour on the outside and red on the inside and most of the passenger seats are red in colour, and blue for accessibility seating placed near the passenger side doors, both made out of fabric.

T1 set eastbound between Victoria Park and Warden Stations. Photo Credit: Max88183 (used with permission)

These trains were designed off the Hawker H6 train that had their last run in service in 2014. Improvements made on these trains include wider passenger side doors, the removal of interior centre aisle poles to allow for more accessibility, making them the first designated wheelchair accessible subway cars in TTC’s fleet, and a change in the driver cab compared to the previous Hawker subway cars. The TTC has outfitted the T1 fleet with many upgrades over the years including interior LED lighting, LED side destination signs, external audio announcements as the doors open, and CCTV Cameras.

T1 Interior. Photo Credit: Unknown Author (via TorontoPoetry/Muse)

An interesting fact about the T1 married pairs is that the unit with the fleet number ending with an even number is for the electrical equipment, and the unit with the fleet number ending in an odd number is for the pneumatic equipment. So for example, car 5020 would have electrical equipment, while car 5021 would have pneumatic equipment.

T1 Train at Islington Station. Photo Credit: RA1113 (used with permission)

The T1 Fleet does have a safety system called SCS (Speed Control System). More information can be obtained from TTC themselves.

T1 Operators Cab (There is one per train car). Photo Credit: Enoch Leung (via Flickr)

This playlist on YouTube was made by Transit Miranda which includes many compilation videos of the T1 Subway Fleet: Link

This video by TechnicaProductions shows the undercarriage of the T1 subway cars, as well as features the horn:


There are many more videos that can be found online that can be used as references.


Conclusion

I hope this route is considered to be added to Train Sim World 2. It would bring more variety into the game as it is a Canadian subway/metro route and would bring a very interesting driving experience. If Dovetail or any other 3rd party needs help getting in contact with somebody from the Toronto Transit Commission for licensing feel free to ask me.

Please be sure to like this forum post and share it with others within the community if you would like to see this route featured in Train Sim World 2 to get the attention of the developers of the game. Leave your comments below telling me what you think about this route proposal, would you like to see it in the game?

Thanks!

Credits

In addition to myself, a few others helped me a lot with the writing and research put into this suggestion proposal. These people are TripleJ814, aaron853, and RA1113. All photos and videos featured are credited as well.

 

Would love to see this line feature in train sim world would be the best thing to experience

 

Love to hear that you would also like to see this route featured in Train Sim World 2!

 

More Subway Routes! I like this.

 

I agree with you, it would be really awesome to see more subway/metro routes featured within Train Sim World 2! We need more North American content.

 

It really does.

I’m waiting for Toronto, NYC/NJ, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, more of London, Japan, and Berlin.

 

That would be really cool. I live in the suburbs of Toronto and have ridden the Bloor-Danforth line lots of times. I would really like Go Train scenarios as well! I'm pretty sure that the MP36PH-3C "Baby Bullet" from Peninsula Corridor is the same train that Metrolinx uses for the Go train service.

 

I couldn’t agree more with you, it would be awesome to see more subway lines from around the world featured in the game.

 

Hopefully the Subway haters (yeah, ima just create that term) don’t stop DTG from making more subway lines.

 

It would be really awesome to see GO Transit featured within the game as well!

 

Agreed, I'm sure that there is enough demand in the community for more metro/subway routes though. I would even like to see some light rail featured in the game, that would be really interesting.

 

This would be an incredible line to add to TSW2, just for the Prince Edward Viaduct alone! Great suggestion.

 

LA Expo line would be a good place to start with Light Rail.

 

I love that part of the line so much, it is so amazing to look out of the window and look down at the Don Valley before going back into the darkness on either side. I have attached a detailed video of how it looks to go over the viaduct on the subway by Nathan NG.

 

This suggestion needs more likes. This would be a great route to see in the game.

 

Also the GRT/ION LRT in Kitchener/Waterloo would be a very cool addition as well. Features a mixture of dedicated sections and on street routing.

 

I chose LA specifically to avoid street running, it would be difficult for DTG to mesh regular traffic and a tram on the same street. And I like how LA’s Light Rail has high floor trains.

 

Yea that is true. Dovetail has done a light rail route that goes within traffic though, TS 2019 U Bahn Frankfurt.

 

Yeah, but the way things work in TSW is way different that Regular TS.

 

Of course.

 

Here's a Line 2 map from Google

 

I definitely think we need more North American subway routes. TS2021 lacks them as well so if they added them in either I would be happy.

 

Is there train arrival of all routes?

 

Yeah, therefore I believe LRT lines could be possible if there is demand for it.

 

Arrival clocks.

 

As mentioned in the initial post under “Electronic Next Arrival Displays”, these screens feature next train arrival times, along with advertising, service alerts, weather forecasts, etc.

 

I agree with you fully on this, I’m sure that there is a lot of demand for subway routes.

 

Like this...

 

When did the 7 Line get announcements for Train Arrivals?

 

From yesterday.

 

As pictured here, this is what ours looks like in most of the stations. We have a newer style that purely focuses on train arrival times along the newest extension of Line 1 YUS which is known as the Toronto York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE). Attached below is the old style and new style, new one only found in the newer stations as mentioned.

Most of the system:

 

If you ever come to NYC or DTG makes an NYC Subway route, you'll see that we have 4.

 

I would love to see the BD line in TSW2. It’s the perfect kind of route for the game. It has a good combination of underground and above ground areas and many landmarks. I’d also love to see ANY of the GO Transit routes implemented. But if I had a choice it’d be the Lakeshore East line.

Honestly I think the hardest part would simply be designing the map, especially around union station. They already have models for the the bi-level coaches and a very similar engine (baby bullet DLC.) the only licensing they’d really need is from GO themselves and since they’re operated under the eyes of the provincial government, I’m sure that they’d be more than willing just to advertise the province.

+1

 

And the actual passenger stations are way too highly modelled to not be used for a commuter line. You can actually walk over the bridges between platforms in the game already.

 

I really hope they don't flood the new screens with advertising like the old ones.

 

It may be a mix up of screens but I really like what New York is doing to modernize their system, would also like to see one of MTA’s subway lines featured in TSW 2.

 

Yeah, all of the new things they are adding like the touchscreen map displays and stuff really makes the stations feel new (which is insane because some were opened over 115 Years Ago).

I think we just need more Subway Routes in the game, I’d prefer it to be NYC, but I won’t hesitate to purchase it even if it’s another city like Toronto, Chicago, or San Francisco.

 

Exactly, it's a good mix of everything and I personally believe the route is not boring to drive because of that. In regards to Go Transit, it would also be really nice to see any of the lines in the game. I too believe that the Union Station area will be the hardest to complete, but I'm sure they can since they have done complex stations such as Munich.

 

Exactly, they already have a good portion of the Lakeshore West line in the game from West Harbour GO to Oakville GO stations. In terms of licences, if they need help I can assist them.

 

I've seen the steps MTA has been taking with technology in their stations and trains, I really hope that TTC will step theirs up in the years to come. I'd personally say we've been pretty behind with the times on getting new technology fitted in our stations.

If Dovetail were to make ANY American subway route I'd pick it up without hesitation, I love subways and have been riding them ever since I was a kid. Now I work within the subway so seeing a Toronto subway route would be so cool to me personally.

 

Give me any North American Subway Route. NYC Subway, Chicago ‘L’, BART, PATH, TTC, hell, even the Vancouver Skytrain. I’d take anything at this point.

 

I 100% agree with you, North American subway or even light rail would be an amazing edition to the game.

 

Close. The Baby Bullet is a MP36PH-3C which is the GO Trains' MP40PH-3C little brother. Both are from the MPI MPXpress line up, but the train used by GO is a slightly bigger, and more powerful variant. The numbers "36" and "40" correspond to the power output of the engine, with the MP36PH-3C putting out 3600HP and the MP40PH-3C putting out 4000HP.

One thing to note is that GO swapped the original motor out of unit 647 and replaced it with 2 more powerful motors (5400HP) replacing the original 4000HP motor that came with the unit with 2 QSK60's. This would actually become the prototype for MPI's MP54AC which GO proceeded to order 26 units to replace their older fleet of F59PH's

That being said, the train that DTG would use out of the two would depend on what line they would be recreating for the game. This is due to the older MP40s being used almost exclusively on the northbound lines with the MP54 models used on the lakeshore east and west lines, as these are the only lines being run with 12 Bi-level coaches as opposed to the 6 coaches on the other lines.

I have attached a spec list below and this, along with some of the other information was taken from https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/MPI_MP40PH-3C
I can also cite my personal general knowledge of the trains simply because I ask the customer service ambassadors a lot of questions

While the MP40PH-3C is almost indistinguishable from the MP36PH-3C, there are a few differences:

• The MP40PH only has 2 radiator fans on the top of the unit, as opposed to the 3 fans on the top of the MP36. This is due to the different engine types (16-710G3B vs. 16-645F3B)
• A distinctive howl (on pre-Tier III units)
• (On Tier-IV certified units: Bombardier brake system/silencer mounted above exhaust vents.)
• The MP36PH-3C (not the MP36PH-3S) has extra vents between the radiator and the HEP radiator, yet the MP40 only has them on one side.

The ways to differentiate the MP40PH-3C with the MP54AC are:

• The MP54 has 2 radiators, the first located directly behind the cab, unlike the MP40's single radiator about 3/4 of the way along the locomotive.
• MP40 has 2 dynamic brake fans in the middle of the carbody; MP54 has 1 dynamic brake fan at the rear of the carbody.
• MP54 is significantly quieter than MP40, produces less fumes, being Tier4 compliant and not having a separate HEP generator.

Specs MP40PH-3C\MP54AC at MetroLinx:

• Length: 68ft
• Width: 10ft 7.5in
• Height: 15ft 6in
• Prime mover: EMD 16-710G3B-T2 (or T3) or dual Cummins QSK60 (MP54AC)
• Power output: 4000hp or 5400hp (MP54AC)
• HEP system: CAT C27 HEP engine or invertor off the prime mover (1 of 2) (MP54AC)
• TracionPower: MP40 can pull up to 12 Bombardier BiLevel coaches and the MP54 can pull approx. 14
• HeadEndPower\HEP: capacity for 12\14 BiLevel Coaches

 

I’m not sure if you watch the streams, but Sam/Colonel Failure/DTG Protagonist said that the plan as of right now is to make high speed lines around the world. GO is considered commuter rail and obviously the TTC is considered a subway so it’ll be at least a year before this is even considered. My guess is if DTG even considers either option, we won’t see it for at least a year and half, but realistically, from what I’ve seen on the forums, outside of the people commenting on this thread, there isn’t enough people interested. This makes it hard to believe that either line is very high on their todo list. If they do decide to make either line, it wouldn’t be for at least 4 or 5 years.

Canadian lines in general aren’t very popular. If you look at the normal Train Simulator, there’s only 1 or 2 Canadian DLC’s and they’ve already released one for TSW fairly early on. So as much as we can hope, the chances of it happening are very slim.

 

110% behind this idea this idea my favorite picture was the the picture of the cab but I totally support this

 

Great research you put into this, you should really create a GO Transit thread so that we can see how many people are interested.

 

I've seen what Sam said about the focus around high speed around the world for this year, which is really awesome but I still really hope we can get some North American commuter or subway routes featured in the game soon. I do agree with you that there isn't much demand for it compared to British or German content, but I'm sure if they create some good quality North American routes, people will still buy them. People will purchase whatever they are interested in. I personally never knew anything about German rail before I started to play TSW. I fell in love with German rail after buying RSN, and now I own all the German DLC in the game. If they make it, I'm sure some people will be interested.

 

My idea of what a Class 395 would look like if GO Transit owned them. (WIP)

(Just posting to keep the thread alive)

 

Ah yes, the Bombardier (now Alstom haha) T1 trains are the greatest. Watch some videos of them driving, the propulsion sounds amazing!

 

At the Old Mill station, why the TTC never make a mezzanine underneath the tracks; so the commuters can go to the park?