WORK STARTED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 45, 3 December 1949, Page 5

WORK STARTED

TORONTO’S UNDERGROUND RAILWAYS. (From Charles Lynch.—Eeuter’s Correspondent). TORONTO, Toronto ie; building Y Canada’s hast underground railway, and it is causing wonderful chaos in the nation’s most congested down-, town area, 1

After years of indecision, work started this -year—and on the theory of getting the worst over first, the Toronto Transportation Commission started right in the heart of the business section. The effect is something like closing off Piccadilly Circus in London or Times Square in New York. Toronto’s! new subway will not be a tube deep in the ground—it will be covered through, like some of the London lines. . • The down town section of. the sub-- 1 way will run under Yonge Street, Toronto’s main thoroughfare. To build it, Yonge Street has to be tom up —and that is what is going on now. Workmen are tearing the heart out of the famous old street that was originally laid out by Sir John Graves Simcoe as a military road to the north. The work has thrown down-town traffic into utter confusion, but Torontonians seem to be enjoying it. There are complete facilities- for spectators, or “sidewalk superintendents,” to follow the proceedings, and to criticise or praiee the diggers. When it is finished, the new underground line wilt extend four and a half miles north and south, with 15 stations. Plans are being made on a similaf subway line to run east and west under Queen Street. / It is anticipated that most of the rolling stock for the system will he built in Canada, although British * firms are being given an opportunity to bid. Torontonians, traditionally a proud race, are delighted at this new evidence of- their city’s superiority, the population is well over the million mark; and still growing. Montreal, half again as large as Toronto, and with a worce traffic problem has been talking about a subway for years, , but so far has done nothing about it. ’ .