Subway Space

The Toronto Star from Tuesday March 25th had an article about the possible early close of the subway in order to get maintenance work completed. The liners of the subway tunnels are apparently decaying and it is estimated that by 2010 they will no longer be deemed as safe as they could be. To fix the problem, crews have been working at night to replace the liners. When the subway closes at 2:00am and the power is shut off around 2:30, the crews have been able to work until about 5:00, when the workers have to be cleared out and the power turned back on for the start of the subway at 5:30. This 2 1/2 hour work period has not been enough to get the work done, and it is estimated that at this rate the work will not be finished until the year 2013. In order to get the work done by 2010, the suggested date of decay, it has been proposed that the subway be shut down at 12:30am to allow workers extra time.

This whole situation brings up the issue of scale. The major problem here is that there is a possible safety issue. While it is just a precaution (there is no certainty that the walls will crumble in 2010), the problem does need to be fixed. However, shutting down the subway line at 12:30 will undoubtedly affect a lot of people. The article does not cite numbers, but I can say for certain that there are still a number of people using the subway in the very early morning. In fact, I'm sure most people who have lived in Toronto can say that they have depended on the subway at one time or another for safe transportation during the night hours.

I guess the thing to keep in mind, is the mass amounts of people who would be affected if the subway were to shut down completely. The article states that if this plan does not work, the only other option might be to shut down the entire subway line for about three months in order to complete the work in an appropriate time. If this were to happen, I would hate to see the streets. A lot of people who could not take the subway would likely drive, which would clog up the streets even more than they allready are. The TTC would also have to provide above-ground transportation for those who depend on it, which only adds more traffic. In this sense, the best option seems to be the earlier shut-down at 12:30. While it would affect a lot of people, it would not be as bad as a full shut down.

Karen Giannetti