The TTC celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sept. 21, 2021, and the city has launched an exhibit for public viewing to learn about the history of Toronto’s transit system.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the exhibit was launched online only last year. Now, it is open to the public, is free to attend and can be visited on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This exhibit, in the Toronto Archives on Spadina road, shows the history of the TTC throughout its century of service. Notable moments include the development of the subway lines and hiring female TTC workers during the Second World War.
“I am delighted to see the opening of the Archives’ in-person exhibit celebrating 100 Years of the TTC,” Mayor John Tory said in a news release. Congratulations to the TTC for this milestone and thank you to the Archives for capturing the TTC’s history in such a captivating way.”
Billions of rides taken in 100 years
The TTC’s chief executive officer praised the transit system’s legacy and share some stats on usage.
“I’m proud that while so much has changed in the last century, one thing that hasn’t is how vital public transit is to this city and the 32 billion rides taken on the TTC over the past 100 years.” Rick Leary, Chief Executive Officer of the TTC said in a news release.
Leary invited GTA residents to celebrate the anniversary over the next several months, and thanked the thousands of TTC workers who run the operations daily.
“I want to extend a special thank you to the nearly 16,000 employees at the TTC and all of the TTC’s past employees whose hard work and dedication have made this century of service possible.”
The exhibit also features two notable people who don’t usually get recognized. Irma James, the first Black female streetcar driver, and Lyn Morgan, the first female Lead Hand.
“It’s crazy to me that I never knew or thought about something like this,” Local TTC Rider Eva Locke said. “If this exhibit wasn’t happening, you would never know the names of those women. It’s great to see the TTC putting it on display for everyone to see. I’ll be checking it out whenever I can.”
If you would like to see the exhibit but can’t stop by the Archives, there are photography exhibits up at 12 TTC subway stations until July.
You can find more information about those and the main exhibit on the city’s website.