Toronto’s most-hated subway transfer might actually save you time

It is widely considered a rookie mistake to transfer between the TTC’s Line 1 and Line 2 subways at Spadina instead of St. George — but could the cursed pedestrian tunnel at Spadina Station actually save you time?

It turns out the answer is…maybe?

Toronto transit users are all too familiar with sluggish TTC service, and it often feels like you can get from A to B faster on foot. This begs the question: Can a person walking at a casual pace between Spadina’s Line 1 and Line 2 platforms actually outrun TTC trains travelling between Spadina and St. George Stations?

blogTO’s Anton Wong and Sheeza Aamir put this question to the test with a friendly race.

Anton boarded a southbound (technically eastbound on this part of the line) Line 1 train at Spadina, then transferred to Line 2 and rode westbound back to Spadina, while Sheeza walked the long tunnel between Spadina’s Line 1 and 2 platforms.

Here’s how it all went down:

We answered the age old question when commuting in Toronto – should you transfer at St. George or Spadina? pic.twitter.com/pOVnMET2z3

— blogTO (@blogTO) March 3, 2024

In terms of distance, Sheeza had quite the head start, only needing to travel about 360 metres from platform to platform, compared to Anton’s distance of more than double. However, trains should theoretically be able to cover said distance at least twice as fast as someone moving on foot.

In the end, Sheeza beat Anton to the Spadina Line 2 platforms by a decent margin. Thanks to factors like the rush hour timing of the experiment, it is possible that Sheeza would have beaten Anton to the destination even if he had started his leg of the race at St. George’s street entrance.

So, the real question is, should you consider the Spadina tunnel instead of the more popular transfer at St. George?

Well, it really depends on where you’re going, the time of day, how much energy you have, and how bad congestion is at the often-overcrowded St. George. You might just shave a few seconds off your commute while getting some steps in.