Toronto Transit Commission Line 4 Sheppard

	Line 4 Sheppard
Number of Branches		1
Distance		5.47km (Sheppard-Yonge Station - Don Mills Station)
Blue Night		385 Sheppard East
Types of vehicles used		4 Car TR Cars
Division		Davisville
Ridership (2018)		49,072

Line 4 Sheppard (formerly known internally as route 604) is a subway line operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This subway line has 4 stations and is 5.47km (3.4 miles) in length.

Route

This line connects Yonge Street on the Yonge subway in the west and Don Mills Road in the east via Sheppard Avenue East.

Overnight Service

Overnight service is provided by 385 Sheppard East over the entire route.

History

By the start of the 1980s, increasing density and changing travel patterns in northern Metro Toronto meant greater consideration was being given to a rapid transit line along the busy Sheppard Avenue or Finch Avenue. In 1982, TTC and city planners proposed a rapid transit line along Sheppard Avenue from the Yonge line to Scarborough Town Centre with possible extensions to York University and Toronto International Airport. Three years later, the TTC introduced Network 2011, a 28-year, $2.7- billion rapid transit development plan that included a subway under Sheppard Avenue and Eglinton Avenue as well a subway to relieve the existing Yonge subway. The first phase would see construction of the Sheppard subway between Yonge Street and Victoria Park Avenue at a cost of $536 million from 1989 to 1993. Extensions would take it east to Scarborough Centre and west to the Spadina Line beginning in 2004.

In 1987, the provincial Progressive Conservatives were defeated by the Liberals who were put off by the increasing costs of the Network 2011 plan and delayed its implementation. In 1990, they were defeated by the New Democratic Party. Construction of the Sheppard Line was approved in 1994 in addition to a subway under Eglinton Avenue West. However, in the midst of a recession, the Sheppard Line would only be built to Don Mills Road as a cost savings measure. The official groundbreaking on the line took place June 23, 1994. In 1995, the newly elected Progressive Conservative party cut capital funding to the TTC. The Eglinton West Line, which had also began construction, was cancelled, while the Sheppard Line was allowed to continue.

Two tunnel boring machines, named "Rock" and "Roll", from Lovat Tunnel Equipment, began boring in 1997. The first stage of the tunneling began at Leslie Street and ended just east of Yonge Street. The second stage began again at Leslie Street and ended at Don Mills Road. All stations were constructed with a 'cut-and-cover' method.

The Sheppard subway officially opened on November 22, 2002 with the inaugural train carrying Premier Ernie Eves, Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman, Transport Canada Minister David Collenette, and TTC Chair Betty Disero breaking through a commemorative banner. During the noon hour, the public was treated to free rides on the Sheppard subway. There was also a 12 foot long subway-themed cake that was prepared by students at George Brown College. Regular service began two days later. The final cost of the Sheppard subway was $933.9 million.

Future extensions

Sheppard East Extension

As part of Mayor Rob Ford's vision for transit in Toronto, he brought back the idea of expanding the Sheppard Line westward to Downsview and eastward to Scarborough Centre. In March 2011, the commission looked to Toronto Transit Infrastructure Ltd consulting sector of the TTC to work on a public-private partnership to fund and build the extensions. At the end of the month, the plan was unveiled to extend the Sheppard subway at a cost of $4.2 billion; however, there was no firm plan on how to fund the extensions. This extension plan would have effectively cancelled the Sheppard East LRT which has already begun construction.

On August 17, 2011, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that Mayor Rob Ford had asked him to provide up to $650 million towards a Sheppard Line extension if there were funds leftover from the money committed to the Eglinton Crosstown Line. A revised figure placed the cost of a Sheppard extension at approximately $4.7 billion. Extending the Sheppard Line relied on available funding and council approval.

After TTC Chair Karen Stintz's Transit City compromise proposal was voted down by the commission, she filed a petition for a special meeting February 8 asking council to renew their support for the Transit City plan. Her petition had the support of 23 other councilors. Council voted 26-18 in favour of Stintz' proposal, which was amended to defer the Sheppard corridor to a panel of experts. On February 13, Rob Ford's executive committee voted to go ahead with a Sheppard subway extension after debating Gordon Chong's funding report.

The expert panel endorsed light rail transit in the form of the Transit City Sheppard East LRT plan. The other two options discussed were a $3.7 billion extension of the Sheppard Line Scarborough Centre and a $1.8 billion hybrid plan with a Sheppard Line extension to Victoria Park Avenue and an LRT to Morningside Avenue. City Council voted to approve the LRT proposal on March 21, 2012.

The Sheppard East LRT is fully funded and approved with the province paying the full $1 billion cost. However, due to budget constraints, construction on the Sheppard East LRT will not begin until the Finch West LRT is complete.

Stations

Station Name	Date Opened	Notes
Sheppard-Yonge	March 30, 1974 (Yonge) November 24, 2002 (Sheppard)	Formerly named "Sheppard Station"
Bayview	November 24, 2002
Bessarion	November 24, 2002
Leslie	November 24, 2002
Don Mills	November 24, 2002

Summary

	Frequency	Vehicles Used	Notes
Weekday AM Peak	5:30	4
Weekday Midday
Weekday PM Peak
Weekday Early Evening
Weekday Late Evening
Saturday Early Morning
Saturday Morning
Saturday Afternoon
Saturday Early Evening
Saturday Late Evening
Sunday Early Morning	Route does not operate.
Sunday Morning	5:30	4
Sunday Afternoon
Sunday Early Evening
Sunday Late Evening
Last updated: November 30, 2002