Metropolitan Street Railway Company of Toronto (26 January 1885 -
1893)
Incorporated 02 March 1877 (Ont.) Animal railway service on Yonge
Street began in 1885. Electric service began 01 September 1890. Animal power
was resubstituted circa October 1890 - circa May 1891 (RFC).
Name changed to MStRyCo 1893.
Metropolitan Street Railway Company (1893 - 1897)
Name changed to MRyCo 1897.
Metropolitan Railway Company (1897 - 01 November 1904)
Service extended to Aurora and Newmarket by 1899.
Controlling interest
acquired by the
Toronto Railway Company (city system), through
its subsidiary, the T&YRR, 01 August 1904. (photos Donald P. Evans collection)
Toronto and York Radial Railway Company (01 November 1904 - 16 March 1930)
Incorporated 1898 (Dom.) Owned by the
Toronto Railway Company (city system).
Company operations began when the MRyCo,
the T&SERL&PCo and the T&MRyCo were combined as the T&YRR 1904.
Acquired by the City of Toronto 16 August 1922 and
operated by the
Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario as
the
Hydro Electric Railways: Toronto and York Division from
01 November 1922 until 12 January 1927. After this date, service was
operated under contract by the
Toronto Transportation Commission.
Mimico line service suspended 27 September 1928 - 09 December 1928 and was
ended 09 February 1935> (RFC).
Scarborough line ended service 25 June 1936> (RFC).
North Yonge service abandoned by the T&YRR 16 March
1930>. Partial service resumed in July under a new owner.
North Yonge Railways (17 July 1930 - 09 October 1948>)
Owned by area municipalities. Operated under contract by the
Toronto Transportation Commission.
(photo: railpictures.ca/J. Bernard 1948).
Schomberg and Aurora Railway Company (1916 - 1922)
Incorporated 1896
(Dom.) Opened in 1904 as a steam railway and acquired that year by
the T&YRR. Line was the site of a trial operation by gasoline-electric
car in October and November 1912.
Electrified in 1916. Operated as a subsidiary of
the T&YRR throughout its existence.
Reported in the CYB 1916 to 1922 (CYB 1916-17 - CYB 1922-23).
Line closed June 1927.
Kingston Road Tramways Company (09 June 1875 - circa May 1887)
Horse car operation from the Don River east on Kingston Road (now Queen Street
and Kingston Road) (RFC, Stamp).
A forerunner of the T&SERy (RFC).
Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company
(01 July 1893 - 01 November 1904)
Incorporated 18 August 1892 (Ont.)
Controlling interest acquired by the TRC 06 March 1895. Line
divided between the city system and the
T&YRR in 1904 or 1906.
Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company (16 July 1892
- 1903)
Incorporated 14 November 1890 (Ont.) Initial service between Sunnyside (Toronto) and the Humber River. Service suspended 10 September 1892 -
01 July 1893 (RFC). Controlling
interest acquired by the TRC 05 July 1893.
Service extended from Humber River to Mimico Creek 10 July 1893, and further to
Etobicoke Creek (Long Branch) 29 September 1893.
Name changed to
T&MRyCo 1903.
Toronto and Mimico Railway Company (1903 - 01 November 1904)
Service extended from Long Branch to Port Credit 24 December 1905.
Amalgamated into the T&YRR 1904.
City and Suburban Electric Railway Company (October 1892 -
1894)
Incorporated 12 November 1890 (Ont.) as the
Weston, High Park and Toronto Street Railway Company. Name
changed to C&SERyCo 1891.
Davenport Street Railway Company (06 September 1892 - 1894)
Electric
railway operating west of the then city limits of Toronto. Line was
merged into the Toronto Suburban in 1894.
Toronto Suburban Street Railway Company (1894 - 1900)
Incorporated 1894 as the merger of the C&SERyCo and
the DSRyCo. Name changed to
TSRyCo 1900.
Toronto Suburban Railway Company (1900 - 26 December 1923)
Acquired by
Canadian Northern Railway Company
interests in 1911 and gradually extended. Line to Woodbridge opened October 1914. Service via Cooksville and Georgetown to Guelph opened 21 April 1917 (formal opening 14 April 1917).
Canadian Northern became
Canadian National Railways.
Suburban lines within the city of Toronto sold
15 November 1923 and absorbed by the TTC.
Canadian National Electric Railways: Toronto Suburban District (26 December 1923 - 15 August 1931)
(RFC).
Track in the Township of York sold to the municipality
25 November 1924 for operation as
York Township Railways
on behalf of the community by the TTC (see Toronto).
York Township and the
Town of Weston jointly acquired Toronto Suburban Weston line 28 November 1925, adding it to
York Twp Rys. The line from Weston north to Woodbridge
was abandoned 10 May 1926.
The Toronto - Guelph line closed 15 August 1931.
Toronto Eastern Railway Company (No operation)
Incorporated 04 April 1910 (Dom.) to build a high speed electric interurban from Toronto east
to Pickering,
Whitby, and
Oshawa. Company acquired by
Canadian Northern Railway
interests 1911 who extended the proposal east of Oshawa to
Bowmanville and
Cobourg. Construction begun 1912.
By 1913 track was in place from Bowmanville to Whitby, and construction halted. The
property passed with its parent to
Canadian National Railways September 1918.
Amalgamated with the Toronto Suburban 26 December 1923 to form
Canadian National Electric Railways.
CNERys began rehabilitation of the existing trackwork in 1923, and new construction between
Whitby and Pickering was undertaken. The CNR abandoned the project a second
time in 1924. No commercial service ever operated on the line. (RFC, Due)
Exactly when a train is a commuter train is open to debate. The pre-GO selections below are based on meeting three criteria:
Great Western Railway (1878 - August 1882)
Initiated Lakeshore commuter train service between downtown and Mimico using steam dummy locomotives pulling a coach. GWR taken over by the GTR in 1882.
(Boles 2015).
Grand Trunk Railway Company (August 1882 - 1896/1923)
Absorbed the Lakeshore service
from the GWR in 1882. Added a second line from York (now Danforth) via Toronto Union Station to Weston circa 1892. By 1896 GTR had discontinued both dedicated commuter train routes as unprofitable. GTR scheduled long distance trains to facilitate commuting into Toronto from Hamilton from at least the early 1890's through until it became part of Canadian National in 1923. (Boles 2015).
Toronto Belt Line Railway [Company] (30 July 1892 - 17 November 1894)
Organized by local interests but closely allied with the
Grand Trunk Railway Company. Constructed
linking trackage creating two loops between downtown Toronto and nearby suburbs.
Financially unable to complete construction, the TBL was
acquired 01 June 1892 by the GTR which completed it and began operations.
Unprofitable, the GTR terminated passenger service and abandoned some of
the trackage in 1894. (Riddell, p. 7)
Canadian National Railways (1923? - 1982)
Canadian Pacific Railway Company (1908 - circa 1910, 1950's - 1978)
Via Rail Canada, Inc. (1978 - 06 September 1982, 03 June 1985 - January 1990)
Commuter train operation by a public transit agency began in 1967.
GO Transit (23 May 1967 - present)
Originally established as
Government of Ontario Transit, but
this long form of the name is now obsolete.
GO Transit became the responsibility of the
Greater Toronto Services Board 07 August 1999 as the
Toronto Area Transportation Operating Authority (TATOA).
GO returned to provincial
control as a crown corporation under the
Greater Toronto Transit Authority (GTTA) 01 January 2002.
The GTTA adopted the name
Metrolinx in 2007. GO amalgamated with Metrolinx, becoming an operating division, in 2009.
(website, Wikipedia).
Seven rail lines.
system logo |
Service area population | 4,200,000 (1991) | Vehicle fleet | 211 buses, 45 locomotives, 314 coaches (2000) |
Ridership | 54,897,200 (2009) |
Employees | 1,193 (1991) |
Data source: | CUTA 1991/2 CTHF/SSG 2000 Mike Rivest 1998 (logo) CTF [Aug. 2010] (ridership) |
GO Transit (08 September 1970 - present)
See above.
Greyhound QuickLink Commuter Service (200x? - present)
Various routes and schedules operated by
Greyhound Transportation Canada Inc. in the Toronto Region are marketed
as QuickLink commuter services, with commuting schedules and monthly passes.
A January 2008 survey found around twelve routes with either schedules, monthly passes, or both:
Can-Am Hover Express (01 July 1974 - 21 September 1974)
Commuter ferry service operated between Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) and Toronto by hovercraft. Eight daily trips. Coordinated feeder bus services were operated from Niagara Falls to NOTL by
G & G Bus Lines, and from St. Catharines to NOTL by
Niagara Coach Lines.
Service cancelled a week after an accident with one of the two hovercraft.
(Canadian Coach, Jul.-Aug. 1974, pp. 15-16).
Niagara Navigation Company (1878 - 1913)
Toronto to Lewiston and Queenston via Niagara-on-the-Lake. Company acquired 1913 by CSL. Also operated Toronto to Hamilton.
(Henry).
St. Catharines, Grimsby & Toronto Navigation Company (circa 1882 - 1898)
Owner
A.W. Hepburn. Toronto to Port Dahousie East or St. Catharines. (Mills).
Lakeside Navigation Company (1892 - 1902)
Toronto to Port Dalhousie.
Acquired by
Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway Company interests who renamed the company NS&T Navigation.
(Mills).
Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Navigation Company (1902 - 1949)
Toronto to Port Dalhousie.
Passed with the NS&T to
Canadian National Railways which operated the boat service under the name
Canadian National Steamers (although the corporate name was unchanged).
(Mills).
Canada Steamship Lines (1913 - 1951)
Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Queenston, and Lewiston. Also operated Toronto to Hamilton until the mid 1920s. Lewiston stop discontinued after the 1938 season.
(Henry).
Cayuga Steamship Co., Ltd. (1953 - 03 September 1957)
Company formed to operated retired CSL ship on Toronto - Queenston route.
(Henry).
The author is always interested in comments, corrections and further information. Please email to: dawwpg@shaw.ca This page last modified: Saturday, 01-Jul-2023 13:35:55 CDT