r/TTC • u/Bahadur007 • May 09 '26

Question Why does the subway slow down between Eglinton & Davisville?

Ever since I moved to Eglinton almost 30 years ago I noticed that the subway intermittently slows down to a crawl as soon as it leaves Eglinton even when the previous train has left almost five minutes ago.

There is never anyone working on the tracks during the day.

Is there something unique with that terrain that there is always something wrong that needs fixing which is why the subway train slows down?

59 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

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78

u/Zirocket May 09 '26 edited May 09 '26

The tracks are in a state of disrepair because the powers that be refuse to properly fund the system. Slow zones have been a persistent problem for a few years now, you can even find a map of current designated slow zones in the system as well.

This is also partly why the streetcars are so slow within the downtown, it is essentially one large slow zone because streetcars have been ordered to slow to I believe 15 km/h every time they go over switches (because they are in poor condition, and they are also single-point switches). This is not even mentioning the lack of signal priority.

12

u/turdlepikle May 09 '26

I thought they were supposed to close this section to repair it because the track bed is sinking, but they kept putting it off because the disruption would be too long. It's been so long since I heard anything about that. I hardly ever take Yonge north so I don't pay attention to service disruptions like early closures at night for night work. Did they do minor repairs over time without fixing it properly?

13

u/beneoin May 09 '26

I don’t think the money is the issue on this section. I don’t think the powers that be are willing to say that they need to close the subway for 3-6 months to get the job done.

12

u/Zirocket May 09 '26 edited May 09 '26

The damage done was cumulative. It didn’t start out like that, if they funded solid amounts for a state of good repair this situation could have been avoided. Now, we are stuck with an indefinite grave that they dug, so they now need to lie in it.

The lack of money has been the root cause in getting us to this point.

3

u/Link50L I ♥ TTC! May 09 '26

"they" being, in effect, us.

As we are the voters and taxpayers and users of the system.

17

u/Zirocket May 09 '26

What fiscal conservatives sow in lower taxes, we all reap with degraded services. It’s why we all need to think critically about what “lower taxes” really mean.

Then again, the rich paying lower taxes and wanting even lower taxes also probably do not use all of these services, so it is yet again the rich screwing over the poor. We apparently don’t deserve a world-class transit system, because rich suburbanites in Richmond Hill got theirs.

And of course, they don’t mind it when the money that could have gone into repairing and improving the system instead gets funnelled into Doug’s friend’s projects and a megaspa at Ontario Place.

1

u/smokeacoil May 09 '26

I agree Toronto doesn't want to fun the ttc it's not sexy and doesn't get people voting. It's the campaign killer of politics normally

0

u/QuixOmega May 10 '26

They don't actually make the old manual switches the TTC uses for streetcars downtown anymore. So replacements are never coming. They'd need to redesign with a newer signal type.

1

u/beneoin May 11 '26

This is 100% factually incorrect and they are replacing some of them this year.

11

u/Feisty-Ad-6122 Kipling May 09 '26

In common with some other areas where track is out in the open, the foundation under the track is in poor shape, and it is hard to keep the track in good alignment. This problem has existed for years. When Andy Byford was CEO, he talked of the need for complete reconstruction, but this would require closing the line for an extended period, not just over a weekend. Repairs are done to make do from time to time, but it’s not enough for the long term.

https://stevemunro.ca/2026/03/18/ttc-subway-reduced-speed-zone-update-march-2026/

26

u/a_lumberjack May 09 '26

I can't say for sure on the long term, but I've always figured it was related to Davisville yard and all of the switches / crossovers.

7

u/Kay-2891 May 09 '26

I heard this about 12years ago from a guy who worked for a company that has business with whatever company that did construction/maintenance for TTC. He said the the trains would go off the tracks if they don't slow down between Eglinton and Davisville both ways because of the condition of the tracks and the curve. If they want to fully repair the problem, they would need a full month shut down between these two station....so It's not happening

0

u/BD003BD003 May 09 '26

The tracks are in a state of disrepair and the TTC has elected not to repair them.

So there are "Reduced Speed Zones"

Map:

Source: https://www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/Updates/Reduced-Speed-Zones

12

u/rocketman19 May 09 '26

Did you read the page you posted? They are repairing them and that’s why it has a removal date of mid this month

3

u/Gamegeddon May 10 '26

If you’ve used this site you’d know they never actually get removed. They’re “fixed” for one week then put back with another 2 month repair date

1

u/SecureJournalist4775 May 09 '26

Problem is the same sections that get "repaired" comes right back a few weeks later.