TORONTO – It’s no secret that people love to hate on Toronto, especially when it comes to the TTC. A new viral TikTok compares the Toronto subway system to transit systems in other world-class cities like Paris, London, and New York, and a lot of people feel like it’s lacking!
The video shows framed wall-art of the sprawling, complex system in these other cities, and the three-line system that always seems to be under construction in Toronto. While the video features no commentary, just a sound effect of some breathless laughter in the background, people online had a lot to say. Some pointed out that the underwhelming subway lines are not the only transit options Toronto has to offer.
“You forgot to add the useless streetcar lines,” posted one person.
“Add the GO network and it’s not so bad,” added another, while some people pointed out that maps of the other cities also include trains and LRT.
While others suggested that transit in Ontario is lacking altogether.
“What about Ottawa? We have two lines, and one of them has been under construction for the past 3 years,” one person said in the comments.
“You think TTC is bad you should check outside of Toronto especially the east in particular, Pickering, one bus can take you through the entire city,” added another.
Others suggested that the minimal system could be due to the fact that Toronto is “fairly young”. Toronto was founded in 1793, but the Toronto Transit Commission was founded in 1921, and the subway first opened in 1954. A bit more advanced, the London Underground system in England was first established in 1863, while construction on the Paris Metro in France started in the late 1890s, and New York City subway operations began in 1904.
While some suggested that population size could be a factor as to why our city’s system is so much smaller.
“All those cities have millions more people, you really can’t compare them to Toronto with its 2.8 million people,” said one person on TikTok.
“Comparing the population of Toronto to New York City is f***king laughable to think we need a subway system of that complexity. Let’s talk about some protective barriers that other ‘world class’ cities have especially in light of the number of incidents with people falling or even getting pushed onto the tracks,” posted an Instagram user.
They may be on to something. Census data shows that as of 2021, Toronto has a population of about 2.7 million, while New York City has a population of 8.38 million (2020), Paris’ population sits around 11.14 million (2022), and London’s population came in at around 9.4 million (2022).
Despite this, some people still feel like it’s time for the TTC to fix up! Let us know in the comments, how do you feel about Toronto’s subway?
