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COVID-19 has taken a great deal from society, including for many, time spent getting to work. That used to be found during a simple transit ride. It’s a daily ritual that goes back generations – allowing for everything from a quick nap to working on the final points of a master’s degree. Today, we pine for a return to a time that was – even while riding with a vehicle full of other travellers – all ours.

They’re called stolen moments for a reason.

Time quietly appropriated doing what we want to do, rather than just what has to be done. Since the early part of the 19^th century in North America, daily commutes have offered up precious minutes to allow the mind to be ignited by work to come or settle after a hard day earning pay.

Customers boarding a GO train in the 1960s when GO trains…

University Avenue and College Street have obvious scholarly connotations. Although the main landmark where these two streets intersect is a political institution, what once stood at the site gives us a fascinating insight into their history, including the lost streets within them.

Aerial of University Avenue and College Street, 2020. Credit: Google Maps.

A New University

In 1827, John Strachan, the archdeacon of the Town of York, was looking for a university for the new colonial settlement. After visiting England, he received a charter for a new school, naming it King’s College, in honour of the monarch of the time. About 150 acres of land was acquired, consisting of park lots 13, 12, and 11 of Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe’s land division system.

1827 Chewett Plan of the Town of York. Credit: Historical Maps of Toronto.

The assembled land came via three prominent men of early colonial…

Last weekend saw some temporary service adjustments for the Barrie Line and UP Express. But the pause – and patience by customers – produced some mighty work on the lines. It also led to a lesson in how past work was done, more than half a century ago.

It was one giant weekend to-do list – and all of it was checked off.

For Barrie Line and UP Express customers, last weekend (Sept 21-22) saw changes to routines as temporary service adjustments were made to allow for needed rail work. That toiling produced a lot of needed repairs and upgrades.

Hard at it – Track is installed with new concrete ties. Photo by George Wang.

Train service on the Barrie Line was replaced with buses during the weekend and the UP Express train ran every 30 minutes rather than the usual15 minutes – all to ensure GO and UP services…

No time off for the young Toronto Pearson rail shuttle, as it continues to carve out an iconic place in quick and convenient travels between Canada’s largest airport and the downtown core. But there is a bit of a party going on for riders.

Talk about an old transit soul in a young bloodline.

Today (June 6, 2019) UP Express marks its 4th anniversary, shuttling customers – travellers from near and very far – between Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and downtown Toronto’s Union Station.

And while still a relatively new system, it serves an estimated 11,000 riders each day – departing every 15 minutes for the 25-minute run, each direction.

UP Express began to roll on June 6, 2015, in time for the 2015 Pan American Games.

An UP Express train leaves Pearson International Airport, heading to Union Station. It’s been on line for four years.

In honour of the…

During our ongoing Crosstown Progress series, looking at every major element of Toronto’s Crosstown light rail transit project, we’ve seen work on the line, but haven’t seen the machines that will run on those rails. That changes today. Our Metrolinx light rail vehicles are being tested, and we can finally show you how they look while on the move.

Bigger than any baby, our next generation of transit vehicle is taking first public steps – and we could not be prouder.

 The giant doors of the Eglinton Crosstown Maintenance Facility, at Toronto’s Mount Dennis station, are swinging open, as Metrolinx unveils our line of new light rail vehicles (LRV). Before today, the tinkering and tightening has largely been far out of sight of the public. Now it’s time to open those bay doors and let our LRVs play – and be tested – outside.

“I had a chance…

Away from public view, the new section of Union Station is fast taking shape. Come this way to see for yourself.

A quarter inch of plywood. That’s what separates today from tomorrow for an important section of Canada’s most vital transit hub.

For customers and travellers who regularly use Union Station, it’s been impossible not to hear the bangs and clatter coming from beyond the construction walls at the east end of the building.

But today, we can lead you past those walls, to show you where construction on the Bay Concourse is today, and where it will head tomorrow.

A worker walks by a section of the Bay Concourse on April 30, 2019. (Photo by Matt Llewellyn)

The floors are poured, most of the railings are now being installed and later this year the City of Toronto, and its contractor, will pass over the baton to Metrolinx. At that…

A busy interchange along the future Hurontario LRT route had the potential to create major congestion. Here’s how engineers resolved the complicated obstacle, ensuring traffic flow for both the LRT and your family’s SUV.

Actually, we can get you here from there.

Rathburn Road West is home to one of Mississauga’s largest transit hubs. On any given day, 1,800 MiWay buses pass through the City Centre Transit Terminal. Meanwhile more than 630 GO buses deliver travellers to one of the region’s busiest stations just down the street. It only makes sense the Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT) line connects with the same stop.

Beyond transit, this bustling area also plays host to one of the largest shopping malls in the country, as well as Sheridan College’s Hazel McCallion campus.

The team working on the Hurontario LRT project faced a significant challenge – how to get commuters from Hurontario Street onto…

Not a fair comparison to how well commuter train operators know their stuff, we’ve created a small test to give you a hint at how well trained they are.

If you thought learning the rules of the road was tough – remember how much the ‘merge’ sign terrified you – try becoming a GO Train conductor.

Signal lights wait to guide trains along the Lakeshore East line. (Photo by Hung Duc Hin)

According to Paul Robinson, manager of the training department at Bombardier, on top of spending countless hours learning every route, the conductors (officially known as GO commuter train operators) also need to memorize more than 100 possible signal combinations. To pass the test, they have to get 100 per cent – leaving no margin for error.

Signals are similar to the traffic lights you might see on the road. They tell the conductor what to do at the current signal and how to approach the…