The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has awarded a contract to Hitachi Rail Canada to install Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) on the Line 2 Bloor-Danforth. TTC says CBTC will increase capacity and reduce signal-related delays, as the technology automatically controls speed and separation between trains.  

With CBTC, train location can be monitored more accurately, allowing more trains to operate closer together, enabling shorter headways. Hitachi Rail Canada says once the full Line 2 upgrades are complete, the system will enable an increase of up to 40% in the line’s capacity, meaning up to 33,000 passengers per hour will be able to travel on the line, up from the 23,400 passengers per hour during peak periods that Line 2 can currently carry. 

“We’re getting Toronto moving by making public transit faster for everyone,” said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. “By modernizing Line 2 we can run more trains more reliably while supporting 200 local jobs.” 

The 7.8 kilometer (4.8 mile) eastward extension of Line 2 to Scarborough will add three extra TTC stations [Sheppard, McCowan and Scarborough]. Hitachi Rail Canada notes the expansion of the line will put 38,000 more people within walking distance of the subway and increase access to economic opportunities for Scarborough residents. 

TTC says the new signaling system will replace the existing fixed-block technology. CBTC has been operational on Line 1 Yonge-University since 2022.  

“Line 2 connects communities from Etobicoke to Scarborough and carries hundreds of thousands of customers every day,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “The implementation of CBTC, together with the new subway trains coming to Line 2, will ensure the TTC can continue providing safe, reliable and efficient service for years to come.” 

Hitachi Rail will install its SelTrac CBTC system on Line 2. The technology is already used on major transit systems around the world, including New York's Flushing Line, London Underground's Four Lines Modernization program and Singapore's North-South and East-West lines.

“We're modernizing the TTC by investing in systems that increase capacity, improve reliability, enhance safety and support a growing city,” said TTC CEO Mandeep Lali. “CBTC is the next evolution in signaling, enabling us to better manage trains in real time and deliver more frequent service to customers.” 

The technology will be designed, tested and delivered from Hitachi Rail’s Canadian headquarters in Toronto as part of a C$100 million (US$71.3 million) investment that will integrate artificial intelligence and 5G to deliver smarter and more efficient rail systems. TTC notes the Scarborough office is home to its global signaling competence center and employs more than 1,100 people, including a large, highly skilled engineering workforce, and supports the delivery of projects across Canada and internationally. 

Hitachi Rail Canada notes it invented CBTC technology in Toronto in the 1970s and installed it on the Scarborough subway. 

“We’re proud that our world-leading technology, designed in Toronto, will transform passenger experience, reliability and increase capacity on Line 2," said Hitachi Rail Canada Managing Director and COO Arnaud Besse. "Today, our invention comes home. We developed this technology here 50 years ago and exported it to the world’s most complex transit systems. Now, it returns to where it all began.”  

Work on the project will begin this year, with initial design and engineering activities continuing through 2028. Implementation will take place in phases, with project completion scheduled for 2037.