Bloor-Danforth - Rolling Stock

Rolling Stock

The first trains to operate along the Bloor–Danforth line were M-series subway trains which were among the first subway trains to be manufactured in Canada. At the time of construction, these subway cars were the longest in the world. As a result of camshaft propulsion controls, the increased speed provided by the M-series trains and the H-series trains allowed the Bloor–Danforth line to operate efficiently between Islington and Warden without the need for a larger subway fleet. As a result the G-series subway trains confined to the Yonge line. In the 1980s as the H-series trains took over, the M-series trains were only used during rush hour as the trains were linked to be made up of vehicles of a single class. With the introduction of the T-series subway trains the M-series trains were gradually retired from service shortly thereafter with the last cars decommissioned as of 1999.

Due to the opening of the Bloor–Danforth line and the additional services that were required, a new set of trains were purchased from the Hawker Siddeley group. These trains which were a part of the H-series were similar to the M-series trains with newer features such as electrically-operated doors. With the introduction of the T-series subway trains, the H-1 and H-2 subway trains were retired while the remaining H-4 fleet was transferred to the Bloor–Danforth line.

With the introduction of the new articulated Toronto Rocket subway trains (which operates on the Yonge-University-Spadina line) more T-1 series trains will gradually move to the Bloor–Danforth line and will eventually become the only type of train model to service the line, similar to the Sheppard line, which uses only 4-car type trains. The H-4 trains were gradually retired throughout the fall of 2011, with the last cars leaving service on January 27, 2012. At the time, it was the oldest train operating in the TTC subway system, as well as the only model that was not equipped with air-conditioning systems and had large orange bench seating. The H-5 and H-6 subway trains were sold to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.