Relief Line
Overview
Status	Cancelled[1]
Locale	Toronto, Ontario
Termini	Pape,Osgoode
Stations	8
Website	reliefline.ca
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Toronto subway
Operator(s)	Toronto Transit Commission
Route map Legend proposed extension north Pape Lakeshore East GO line Gerrard Carlaw Broadview Don Valley Parkway Don River Richmond Hill line Sumach Sherbourne Queen Osgoode potential extension west All stations are accessible This diagram: view talk edit

TheRelief Line (formerly theDowntown Relief Line orDRL) was a proposed rapid transit line for theToronto subway system, intended to provide capacity relief to theYonge segment of Line 1 andBloor–Yonge station and extend subway service coverage in the city's east end. Several plans for an east–west downtown subway line date back to the early 20th century, most of which ran alongQueen Street.^[2]

Since the early 21st century, studies proposed a line that would run south fromLine 2 Bloor–Danforth at a point east of the Don River, before bending westward along Queen Street intoDowntown Toronto.^[3][4] The Relief Line was included in the regional transportation planThe Big Move and is one ofMetrolinx's top 15 transit priorities.^[5][6] In August 2018, an alignment was approved by theOntario Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks.

In April 2019, theGovernment of Ontario under Premier Doug Ford announced that theOntario Line, a provincially funded, automatedrapid transit line running fromExhibition Place toScience Centre station, would be built instead of the Relief Line. Thus, in June 2019, TTC and City staff suspended further planning work on the Relief Line.^[7] In October 2019, Toronto City Council voted 22 to 3 to support the Ontario Line plan in place of the Relief Line, effectively cancelling it.^[1]

The purpose of the Relief Line is to help reduce current and projected congestion in downtown Toronto.^[8] In 2012, it was becoming apparent to theToronto Transit Commission (TTC) and Metrolinx that even with proposed improvements, Line 1 Yonge–University – and particularlyBloor–Yonge station, the main interchange withLine 2 Bloor–Danforth – were facing significant capacity constraints.^[9] In 2011, Line 1 was officially over capacity betweenSt. Clair andCollege stations. After fully converting the line's fleet to higher-capacityToronto Rocket trains, the section between St. Clair and Bloor–Yonge stations was no longer officially over capacity.^[10] However, by 2015, Line 1 still operated 11 percent over its capacity south of Line 2 during the morning rush hour.^[11] The future implementation ofautomatic train control will help further increase the capacity of Line 1 to 33,000 people per hour per direction.^[10] Other factors are expected to reduce demand such as the extension of the University portion of Line 1 intoVaughan and other local transit improvements. However, after factoring in population and employment growth and the proposed extension of Line 1 north intoRichmond Hill, Metrolinx projects it will be at 96 percent of its capacity by 2031 even with committed improvements.^[11] The Relief Line will provide an alternate route for commuters heading downtown by allowing them to bypass the most congested segment of Line 1 and avoid transferring at Bloor–Yonge station.

Significant growth is also planned adjacent to the downtown core and throughout theGreater Toronto Area. Population and employment in Toronto's downtown core are projected to increase by 83 percent and 28 percent, respectively, by 2031. This is expected to increase future transit demand into the downtown core by 55 percent.^[8] On top of the projected congestion on Line 1 and at Bloor–Yonge station, the increase in the downtown population will put pressure on the congested504 King and501 Queen streetcars (two of the TTC's busiest surface transit routes).^[8][12] Metrolinx in a separate report projects that with the implementation ofGO Transit's GO Expansion (formerly known asRegional Express Rail service), passenger traffic atUnion Station will double or triple 2005 volumes by 2031. This could lead to a significant capacity shortfall for Union Station beyond 2031, potentially requiring a modified Relief Line with connections to auxiliary GO Transit stations to "offload" demand at Union Station.^[13]

The proposed route as of April 2017 was to have the line begin atPape station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth, heading south under Pape Avenue, then veering west between Riverdale Avenue and Gerrard Street. It would continue south under Carlaw Avenue to south ofQueen Street East. The line would then curve westward, running approximately along Eastern Avenue to Sumach Street and King Street East, where the line would veer northwest until about Parliament Street and Queen Street. The line would then have continued westward under Queen Street to terminate at University Avenue.^[14][15]

Stations along the first phase (Relief Line South), from the existingOsgoode station to the existingPape station, would be:^[14][15]

• Osgoode station at Queen Street and University Avenue with connection to the University segment ofLine 1 Yonge–University, serving Queen West.
• Queen station, an existing station at Queen Street and Yonge Street with connection to the Yonge segment of Line 1 Yonge–University andToronto Eaton Centre.
• Sherbourne station (not to be confused withthe station of the same name on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth)^[16] atSherbourne Street and Queen Street East, serving theRegent Park andMoss Park neighbourhoods.
• Sumach station, atSumach Street andKing Street East, with connections to the504 King streetcar, serving theCorktown neighbourhood.
• Broadview station (not to be confused withthe station of the same name on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth),^[16] at Broadview Avenue and Eastern Avenue, connecting to a proposed East Harbour GO station along theLakeshore East andStouffvilleGO rail corridors.^[17]
• Carlaw station,^[18] north side of Queen Street East at Carlaw Avenue, with connection to the501 Queen streetcar.
• Gerrard station, north side ofGerrard Street between Pape Avenue and Carlaw Avenue, with connections to the506 Carlton streetcar and possibly the505 Dundas streetcar and also to a proposed GO station along the Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO rail corridors.^[17]
• Pape station one block north ofDanforth Avenue with connection toLine 2 Bloor–Danforth.

Early precursors to the Relief Line in 1910 and 1944^[2]

As opposed to underground trains used in manymodern subway systems, early 20th-century rapid transit proposals such as the Relief Line were for undergroundstreetcars aspremetros.^[19]

On 25 August 1910, the first serious proposal for the Relief Line was made by Jacobs & Davies, aNew York City‐based firm of consulting engineers, withThe Report on Transit to the Mayor and Council of the City of Toronto.^[20] An underground streetcar formed a rough U-shape from today'sBroadview station, along the waterfront toSpadina Avenue, and then following Spadina Avenue,College Street, Dovercourt Road,Bloor Street andDundas Street to theWest Toronto Diamond.^[2]

Plans from 1911 and 1944 also called for theQueen streetcar to be underground. When the original Yonge line was built in 1954, Queen station was built with roughed-in infrastructure for the proposed underground streetcar platform. Most of thisunfinished portion of the station is inaccessible to the public; it is sometimes referred to asLower Queen.^[2]

In June 1968, one month after Bloor–Danforth line extensions toWarden and Islington stations opened and a few months before construction of the Eglinton to Finch portion of the system was started, the TTC made clear that aQueen subway line fromRoncesvalles Avenue toDonlands station should be the next priority. TheToronto Star reported on 12 June 1968 that the 17-station, 12.5-kilometre (7.8 mi) line would cost between $150 million and $200 million. The TTC acquired land for the corridor on the west side ofGreenwood Yard and still holds the Oakvale Greenspace. By mid-1969, the line was considered to be ready for construction but was soon considered a lower priority than the Spadina line at the suburban-dominated Metro Council.

In the 1980s, the TTC,Metropolitan Toronto and theGovernment of Ontario did several analyses of forecasted urban growth and alternative transportation scenarios for the downtown to Bloor area. In 1982, the Accelerated Rapid Transit Study considered multiple options for a "radial line", connectingDundas West andDonlands stations with a U-shape through downtown. This planning continued into 1985, with downtown alignments following King Street, Queen Street, Front Street and the railways to and from Union Station.^[21]

The TTC released theNetwork 2011 plan in 1985, and a Relief Line was one of the three routes proposed.^[22] As part of the 2011 Network plan, the Relief Line was proposed to run between Pape station on the Bloor–Danforth line, south to Eastern Avenue, and then west toUnion Station, theRogers Centre (then known as the SkyDome) and Spadina Avenue.^[23]

Three possible alignments were considered for the westward extension. The least expensive would follow the railway right-of-way past theExhibition GO Station and up to the Galt-Weston railway corridor, taking it to Dundas West station. Another alternative would go west of Strachan Avenue along the Oakville Subdivision rail lines toRoncesvalles Avenue, where it would turn north to connect to the Bloor–Danforth line at Dundas West station. The third alignment considered ran along an elevated guideway on Parkside Drive at the eastern edge ofHigh Park toKeele station.^[23]

The Relief Line disappeared from transit plans soon after the province delayed approving Metropolitan Toronto's Network 2011 plan. The provincial government was alarmed over the construction cost and withdrew political support for the new line.^{[citation needed]} There were no serious plans for the Relief Line for the next two decades.

In 2008, Metrolinx publishedThe Big Move, the regional transportation plan for theGreater Toronto and Hamilton Area. The plan called for a Relief Line extending in a U-shape from Pape station, through Queen and Osgoode stations to Dundas West within 25 years. Metrolinx Chair Rob MacIsaac stated in 2008 that the line is unlikely to be brought forward from its projected 2020 start date but deemed it of "regional significance".^[24][25] In 2009, Toronto City Council expressed support for this plan.^[25] By late 2011, there was renewed interest in the proposal among mainstream media and the general populace.^[26]

In March 2012, TTC chief executive officer (CEO)Andy Byford stated there is great need for additional subway capacity with the increasing population of Toronto, and capacity issues along Line 1 Yonge–University: "The downtown relief line has got to be looked at and has got to be talked about right now." Metrolinx officials stated that capacity issues may allow the Relief Line to be given higher priority in the regional transportation plan,The Big Move.^[27] Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig stressed that the Downtown Relief Line should be prioritized and completed in 15 years, as part of Metrolinx's "next wave" of projects in The Big Move transit expansion plan.^[28] In February 2013, the Metrolinx Board approved changes toThe Big Move that re-prioritized the eastern segment of the Relief Line to the 15-year plan, and made it one of the 15 top priority projects in theGreater Toronto and Hamilton Area.^[6]

The Downtown Rapid Transit Expansion Study (DRTES) was completed by the TTC in 2012, which examined four alternative Relief Line configurations between Pape and St. Andrew, with varying extensions north toScience Centre station (at Don Mills and Eglinton) and west to Dundas West station.^[29][30][31] The TTC's 2015 DRL study identified four potential corridors, which involved combinations beginning at Line 2 atBroadview or Pape, and going through downtown via King or Queen Streets.^[4] On 31 March 2016, Toronto City Council approved a Relief Line corridor between Pape station andToronto City Hall, via Pape Avenue and Queen Street.^[32] The study was ongoing and examining potential alignments.^[33]

On 1 June 2016, the provincial government announced $150 million funding for Metrolinx to plan and design the Relief Line. Metrolinx would collaborate with the TTC and the City in the design. MayorJohn Tory estimated the line could be operational within 12 to 15 years (2028–2031).^[34] In late June of the same year, aToronto Star article reported the estimated cost of Phase 1 with eight stops to be $6.8 billion; the project was unfunded.^[35]

On 16 April 2018, it was announced that the 120-day Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act had begun for the 7.5-kilometre (4.7 mi) Relief Line South from Osgoode to Pape stations.^[18][36] This study was completed on 24 October 2018.^[37] In January 2019, it was announced that the project could open by 2029.^[38]

In April 2019, Ontario premierDoug Ford announced that a new Ontario Line would be built instead of the Relief Line. Thus, in June 2019, TTC and City staff suspended further planning work on the Relief Line.^[7] At the time of project suspension, design work on the Relief Line was 15 percent complete,^[39] and construction was expected to start in 2020 with completion in 2029.^[40]

First proposed in April 2019, the Ontario Line will replace the Relief Line project. The Ontario Line will run fromScience Centre station in the north toExhibition Place in the south roughly following the Relief Line route betweenPape and Osgoode stations with some differences in routing. While the Relief Line would have been completely tunneled, the Ontario Line would use a mix of elevated and tunneled right-of-way, would take advantage of a railway right-of-way south of Pape station (particularly GO Transit'sLakeshore East andStouffville lines).^[39][41]

After negotiations, the governments of Toronto and Ontario reached a tentative agreement in October 2019 to build the Ontario Line, with the Ontario government agreeing to pay for the city's share of the costs.^[42] Toronto City Council ratified the deal the following week.^[1]

Potential extensions could have been made northward from the Relief Line's Line 2 connection in the east, as well as westward and northward from downtown to form a wide U-shape.^[4]

While Metrolinx, the TTC and the City historically considered the Relief Line as a project south of Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue, Metrolinx, the City of Toronto, York Region and the TTC also partnered on the Yonge Relief Network Study (YRNS) in 2015. This was a more detailed benefits case analysis that examined three different options for providing relief on Line 1:^[44]

• Option 1: RER Plus Network, providing enhanced service on GO Transit'sRichmond Hill andStouffville lines.
• Option 2: Relief Line, a fully grade-separated subway line
  • Option 2A: Relief Line Short, between Danforth Avenue and Downtown
  • Option 2B: Relief Line Long, between Sheppard Avenue and Downtown
  • Option 2C: Relief Line U, between Danforth Avenue and Bloor Street, via Downtown
• Option 3: Surface LRT, between Sheppard Avenue and Downtown

The YRNS found that Option 2B (Relief Line Long) would provide the most effective relief on Line 1.^[44]

Relief Line North
Legend
Don Mills Highway 401 East Don River York Mills Richmond Hill line Lawrence Canadian Pacific Railway Don Valley Flemingdon Park West Don River Thorncliffe Park Richmond Hill line Lower Don River Don Valley Parkway Cosburn Pape toOsgoode
All stations are accessible
This diagram: view talk edit

Originally,The Big Move had called for the Relief Line to terminate at Danforth Avenue, and for theDon Mills LRT to continue north to Sheppard Avenue andHighway 7.^[5] However, planning studies examined the potential extension of the Relief Line northward, serving the former borough ofEast York, and an eastern portion ofNorth York. From Danforth Avenue, the extension would have proceeded north on Pape Avenue throughPape Village, across theDon Valley toLeaside; east on Overlea Boulevard throughThorncliffe Park; and north again onDon Mills Road toSheppard Avenue andDon Mills station.^[44] As of January 2019^[update], an environmental assessment of this possible extension was performed.^[45] Part of this extension was later incorporated into the Ontario Line proposal.

Relief Line West
Legend
To Sherbourne Queen Osgoode Spadina  510  Strachan Dufferin Roncesvalles  501  504  High Park Dundas West Bloor GO/UP
All stations are accessible
This diagram: view talk edit

The Big Move called for the Relief Line to continue west ofOsgoode station and connect with Line 2 in the west.^[5] From downtown, this extension would have proceeded west onQueen Street West and north onRoncesvalles Avenue andDundas Street toDundas West station.^[44] This was in contrast to the Ontario Line, which is planned to run toExhibition Place.

Although the name Downtown Relief Line was used in planning discussions since at least 1985, there was debate about the use of the name. While it will be geographically located to serve downtown, local transit observers have pointed out the line will have benefits for transit riders located in the outer suburbs of Toronto. Given political sensitivity over transit planning inScarborough during the tenure of former mayorRob Ford, who was the brother of Doug Ford, using the word "downtown" in a future subway line's name was perceived to be negative from the perspective of Rob Ford's primarilysuburban base.^[46] In early 2013, TTC chairKaren Stintz said, "There is a general view that that line needs to get renamed."^[47]

Planning undertaken by the City of Toronto referred to the proposed line simply as the "Relief Line".^[48] According to the 2018–2022 TTC Corporate Plan, the Relief Line was being tentatively designated as Line 3 and coloured blue, matching the existing line number and colouring ofLine 3 Scarborough, as that existing rapid transit line was intended to be replaced by an extension of Line 2 by the time the Relief Line was projected to be complete.^[49]

• Eglinton West line
• Line 5 Eglinton, the successor of the Eglinton West line
• Scarborough Subway Extension of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth
• SmartTrack, a proposed regional express rail line serving a similar corridor to the Relief Line

• Levy, Edward J. (March 19, 2013)."Rapid Transit in Toronto: A Century of Plans, Progress, Politics and Paralysis". Archived fromthe original on July 25, 2015. RetrievedJuly 24, 2015.

• Official planning website

• Proposed Toronto rapid transit projects
• The Big Move projects

• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from September 2017
• Articles with permanently dead external links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from April 2024
• Pages with no gauge entered in Infobox rail line
• Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from May 2015
• All articles lacking reliable references
• Articles lacking reliable references from August 2020
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2019
• All articles containing potentially dated statements