lower bay ttc military

TTC warns of military exercise taking over abandoned Toronto subway station

Global tensions may be dangerously high right now, but if you see soldiers in military gear wandering Toronto's subway this weekend, don't panic and assume the worst has unfolded during the ten minutes of your commute where you had no cell service.

It isn't World War 3 — at least not yet — but merely a previously-scheduled military exercise taking place in Toronto's famous Lower Bay subway station, the city's only true "ghost station."

On March 5 and 6, The 48th Highlanders of Canada, one of Toronto's Army Reserve units, will be using the station for a training exercise that will involve unarmed soldiers in full uniform roaming the abandoned station.

The exercise will be conducted both days from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., during which time the public might encounter these reservists moving to and from the abandoned platform.

For those unfamiliar with the complete and functioning, but unused subway station, a brief refresher is in order.

Known by the TTC as Bay Lower, the station sits just below the busy Bay station on Line 2. Opened in 1966, it was part of a short-lived experiment that briefly intertwined the city's two (at that time) subway routes.

That plan didn't pan out as expected, and the station is now best known as a movie set and urban explorer holy grail, though the TTC often allows public safety organizations to use the preserved platform for various types of training exercises.

Signs will be posted in the active station above to ensure nobody freaks out at the sight of soldiers on the subway, and the TTC is stressing that no live ammunition will be used on this exercise.

If you're hoping to snap a perfect post-apocalyptic pic for your social feeds, don't bother, as the event will be closed off to both the public and the media.

Lead photo by

Jason Cook


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