Bay (TTC)
Encyclopedia
Bay is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system
in Toronto
, Canada
. It is located at 64 Bloor Street
West at Bay Street
.
One major amenity of this station is the Toronto Transit Commission
's Lost articles office
, where objects lost on TTC property are kept.
in the west to Woodbine Station
in the east.
Early plans of the Bloor line, and even some published maps, named this station ‘Yorkville’; the platform signs read ‘BAY’ in large type, with a smaller ‘YORKVILLE’ underneath.
, which was used for only six months in 1966 when the TTC experimentally ran trains whose routes included portions of both the Yonge-University and Bloor-Danforth lines. This abandoned platform is sometimes referred to as Lower Bay by the general public or Bay Lower by the TTC.
The platform was in service from February to September 1966 as part of an "interlining" experiment, in which the TTC ran trains along three routes, with one matching the subsequent Bloor-Danforth line, and the other two combining parts of the Bloor-Danforth line with the Yonge-University line. The experiment was deemed a failure, largely because delays anywhere quickly cascaded to affect the entire system. Also, as the stations had not been laid out effectively for cross-platform interchange
, trains travelling west from St. George
and east from Bay alternated between the two levels, leading passengers to wait on the stairs in-between the levels, since they were unable to tell which platform would receive the next train.
With every station served by at least two routes (Bloor-Yonge Station
was served by all three routes, with the Yonge-University-Danforth route passing through it twice, once on each level), passengers could travel between any two stations without changing trains; though for some station combinations, such as travel between a station north of Bloor and one on the Bloor-Danforth route, transferring at Bloor-Yonge Station resulted in a more direct path. The TTC found that when the extra time waiting for a train from the correct route was considered, the time savings were not significant.
Interlining was discontinued because of the confusion and delays, although it has been argued that it was politically motivated and that the experiment was sabotaged by the TTC, perhaps even designed to fail from the start. Much of the infrastructure for interlining is still present on the system, and most older stations still have signs informing passengers of each train’s next destination, although they no longer change. While St. George and Bloor-Yonge Stations remained operating upper and lower platforms for the two crossing subway lines, Bay Station would be served by only the Bloor-Danforth line. Lower Bay was closed to the public.
Lower Bay and the tracks leading to it still exist and are now used to train new operators, to move trains between the two current lines, for platform-surface experiments, and to allow filming in the subway without disrupting public service. The station has been modified several times to make it look like a "common" North American subway station, and the TTC once had an elaborate pre-built set for converting it to a New York subway
station. The set was used for the filming of the movie Don't Say a Word
. The TTC asked the production company if they could donate the set. The set remained up for about three weeks as a selling point for other movies but was then torn down due to safety concerns. Other notable movies shot at Lower Bay include Johnny Mnemonic
, Bulletproof Monk
and Mimic
. The station was also featured in the music video "Never Again," which was performed by the band The Midway State
, a band local to Toronto. The short film, The Last Stop, directed by Tyler Cowan also featured the Lower Bay station as its primary location.
The TTC announced on May 9, 2011, that due to track switch replacement on the Bloor-Danforth line between St. George and Bloor-Yonge stations, a similar subway diversion procedure will be implmented, all eastbound and westbound trains on the Bloor-Danforth will turn back at Museum Station during the weekend of May 14-15 2011. Therefore passengers will once again get a rare glimpse of Lower Bay subway station, passengers must exit the train at Museum Station, cross the centre platform and board the northbound, eastbound or westbound train to continue their subway trip. University-Spadina subway passengers travelling eastbound on the Bloor-Danforth line must change trains at Museum Station. During the subway diversion, at St George station, the lower level, will be closed. All trains will serve the upper level. Bay station will closed. Regular Bloor-Danforth subway service will resume on May 16, 2011.
The TTC opened Lower Bay to the public for Doors Open Toronto
on May 26, 2007. According to TTC Chair Adam Giambrone
's introduction leaflet, this event was the first time since 1966 that the station's platform was open to the public. There were large line-ups, as a limited number of people were allowed on the platform at any one time. Two trains were parked on the tracks, a video screen displayed movies or commercials shot in Bay Lower, and movie posters were hung around the platform. The station was opened again for the event on May 24, 2008, September 29, 2010, and was open to the public as part of a Nuit Blanche
event which took place on October 2, 2010.
2007 Doors Open images
and Yorkville
.
Toronto subway and RT
The Toronto subway and RT is a rapid transit system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of both underground and elevated railway lines, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . It was Canada's first completed subway system, with the first line being built under Yonge Street, which opened in...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located at 64 Bloor Street
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
West at Bay Street
Bay Street
Bay Street, originally known as Bear Street, is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Street in that role in the 1970s...
.
One major amenity of this station is the Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
's Lost articles office
Lost and found
A lost and found , lost property , or lost articles is an office in a large public building or area where visitors can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by other visitors...
, where objects lost on TTC property are kept.
History
Bay Station was opened in 1966 as part of the original segment of the Bloor-Danforth line, from Keele StationKeele (TTC)
Keele is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 1733 Bloor Street West at Keele Street/Parkside Drive...
in the west to Woodbine Station
Woodbine (TTC)
Woodbine is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. The address of the station is 2072 Danforth Avenue and it is physically located at the intersection of Woodbine Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard....
in the east.
Early plans of the Bloor line, and even some published maps, named this station ‘Yorkville’; the platform signs read ‘BAY’ in large type, with a smaller ‘YORKVILLE’ underneath.
Lower Bay
Below the main platform for Bay Station is an abandoned platformGhost station
Ghost stations is the usual English translation for the German word Geisterbahnhöfe. This term was used to describe certain stations on Berlin's U-Bahn and S-Bahn metro networks that were closed during the period of Berlin's division during the Cold War...
, which was used for only six months in 1966 when the TTC experimentally ran trains whose routes included portions of both the Yonge-University and Bloor-Danforth lines. This abandoned platform is sometimes referred to as Lower Bay by the general public or Bay Lower by the TTC.
The platform was in service from February to September 1966 as part of an "interlining" experiment, in which the TTC ran trains along three routes, with one matching the subsequent Bloor-Danforth line, and the other two combining parts of the Bloor-Danforth line with the Yonge-University line. The experiment was deemed a failure, largely because delays anywhere quickly cascaded to affect the entire system. Also, as the stations had not been laid out effectively for cross-platform interchange
Cross-platform interchange
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines in a metro system. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named...
, trains travelling west from St. George
St. George (TTC)
St. George is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina and Bloor-Danforth lines of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 323 Bloor Street West at St. George Street. This is the second busiest station, after Bloor-Yonge Station, serving a combined total of approximately ...
and east from Bay alternated between the two levels, leading passengers to wait on the stairs in-between the levels, since they were unable to tell which platform would receive the next train.
With every station served by at least two routes (Bloor-Yonge Station
Bloor-Yonge (TTC)
Bloor-Yonge is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina and the Bloor–Danforth subway lines operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 733 Yonge Street at Bloor Street West/East...
was served by all three routes, with the Yonge-University-Danforth route passing through it twice, once on each level), passengers could travel between any two stations without changing trains; though for some station combinations, such as travel between a station north of Bloor and one on the Bloor-Danforth route, transferring at Bloor-Yonge Station resulted in a more direct path. The TTC found that when the extra time waiting for a train from the correct route was considered, the time savings were not significant.
Interlining was discontinued because of the confusion and delays, although it has been argued that it was politically motivated and that the experiment was sabotaged by the TTC, perhaps even designed to fail from the start. Much of the infrastructure for interlining is still present on the system, and most older stations still have signs informing passengers of each train’s next destination, although they no longer change. While St. George and Bloor-Yonge Stations remained operating upper and lower platforms for the two crossing subway lines, Bay Station would be served by only the Bloor-Danforth line. Lower Bay was closed to the public.
Lower Bay and the tracks leading to it still exist and are now used to train new operators, to move trains between the two current lines, for platform-surface experiments, and to allow filming in the subway without disrupting public service. The station has been modified several times to make it look like a "common" North American subway station, and the TTC once had an elaborate pre-built set for converting it to a New York subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
station. The set was used for the filming of the movie Don't Say a Word
Don't Say a Word
Don't Say a Word is a 2001 psychological thriller film starring Michael Douglas, Brittany Murphy and Sean Bean based on the novel of the same title by Andrew Klavan...
. The TTC asked the production company if they could donate the set. The set remained up for about three weeks as a selling point for other movies but was then torn down due to safety concerns. Other notable movies shot at Lower Bay include Johnny Mnemonic
Johnny Mnemonic (film)
Johnny Mnemonic is a 1995 cyberpunk film, loosely based on the short story "Johnny Mnemonic" by William Gibson. The title character, a man with a cybernetic brain implant designed to store information, is played by Keanu Reeves. The film portrays Gibson's dystopian view of the future with the world...
, Bulletproof Monk
Bulletproof Monk
Bulletproof Monk is a 2003 action film starring Chow Yun-fat, Seann William Scott and Jaime King. The film was directed by Paul Hunter. It is loosely based on the comic book by Michael Avon Oeming....
and Mimic
Mimic (film)
Mimic is an American science fiction horror film, with elements of a slasher film, released in 1997. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the script was inspired by a short story of the same name by Donald A. Wollheim. Mimic, whose U.S...
. The station was also featured in the music video "Never Again," which was performed by the band The Midway State
The Midway State
The Midway State is an alternative rock band from Toronto, Canada. The band is signed to Remedy Records worldwide and to Universal Publishing for the world outside North America. The band released their debut album Holes in 2008...
, a band local to Toronto. The short film, The Last Stop, directed by Tyler Cowan also featured the Lower Bay station as its primary location.
Public access
The station itself is not open to public access. During structural repairs to the tunnel roof between Bay and St. George stations, trains were bypassed to Museum station via the interlining tracks on Saturdays and Sundays from February 24 to March 11, 2007. As a result, riders could see Lower Bay through the train windows as they rode between Bloor-Yonge and Museum stations. During the May 2010 Victoria Day long weekend, the station was again used to facilitate track repairs, and once again the public got a rare opportunity to ride through the station.The TTC announced on May 9, 2011, that due to track switch replacement on the Bloor-Danforth line between St. George and Bloor-Yonge stations, a similar subway diversion procedure will be implmented, all eastbound and westbound trains on the Bloor-Danforth will turn back at Museum Station during the weekend of May 14-15 2011. Therefore passengers will once again get a rare glimpse of Lower Bay subway station, passengers must exit the train at Museum Station, cross the centre platform and board the northbound, eastbound or westbound train to continue their subway trip. University-Spadina subway passengers travelling eastbound on the Bloor-Danforth line must change trains at Museum Station. During the subway diversion, at St George station, the lower level, will be closed. All trains will serve the upper level. Bay station will closed. Regular Bloor-Danforth subway service will resume on May 16, 2011.
The TTC opened Lower Bay to the public for Doors Open Toronto
Doors Open Toronto
Doors Open Toronto, now in its 12th year, has evolved into a weekend festival that is recognized as one of Toronto's greatest cultural events....
on May 26, 2007. According to TTC Chair Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone is a Canadian politician who was a Toronto City Councillor, representing the southern of two Davenport wards. Elected at 26, he remained the youngest member of Toronto council after re-election. He is also a former president of the federal New Democratic Party...
's introduction leaflet, this event was the first time since 1966 that the station's platform was open to the public. There were large line-ups, as a limited number of people were allowed on the platform at any one time. Two trains were parked on the tracks, a video screen displayed movies or commercials shot in Bay Lower, and movie posters were hung around the platform. The station was opened again for the event on May 24, 2008, September 29, 2010, and was open to the public as part of a Nuit Blanche
Nuit Blanche
Nuit Blanche is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival. A Nuit Blanche will typically have museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of the city itself being turned into a de facto art gallery, providing space for...
event which took place on October 2, 2010.
2007 Doors Open images
Nearby landmarks
Nearby landmarks include the Manulife CentreManulife Centre
The Manulife Centre is located on the southeast corner of Bay and Bloor streets, adjacent to the southern edge of the Yorkville district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
and Yorkville
Yorkville, Toronto
Yorkville is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, well known for its shopping. It is a former village, annexed by the City of Toronto. It is roughly bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Davenport Road to the north, Yonge Street to the east and Avenue Road to the west, and is considered part of...
.
External links
- The Truth Behind the Interlining Trial, at Transit Toronto
- Toronto's Lost Subway Stations
- YouTube Video: TTC Bloor-Danforth subway diversion via Lower Bay Station
- Citytv: TTC Diversion Gives Riders Chance To See Station Hidden For 40 Years
- Subway Secrets in Cygnals Zine (Issue 8)
- TTC service revisions allow for Lower Bay station viewing
- Lower Bay New York Makeover
- Nuit Blanche sound installation in Lower bay station on september 29 2007