TORONTO Transit Commission (TTC) has awarded Hitachi Rail Canada a contract worth $C 402m ($US 286.5m) to install CBTC on Toronto subway Line 2, replacing the existing 1960s-era fixed-block technology.
The 26km Line 2 serves 31 stations between Bloor and Danforth, carrying more than half a million passengers each day and is one of the busiest lines in the TTC subway network.
Hitachi will install its ninth-generation SelTrac CBTC system, which includes automatic train control (ATC). Work on the project will begin this year, with initial design and engineering activities continuing until 2028. Installation will take place in phases, with completion scheduled for 2037.
Once the full Line 2 signalling upgrades are complete, the new system will enable an increase of up to 40% in the line’s capacity. This will mean up to 33,000 passengers per hour will be able to travel on the line, up from 23,400 per hour during peak periods today.
Hitachi says the upgrade will support the long-term resilience of Line 2 and help meet rising demand and reduce crowding as ridership continues to grow across Toronto.
Installation of CBTC will also take place on the 7.8km eastward extension of Line 2 to Scarborough, which is under construction, and will add three new TTC stations at Sheppard, McCowan and Scarborough.
Alstom installed CBTC on TTC’s subway Line 1, including the York Spadina Subway Extension, which went live in 2022.
