I really wasn't aware that Canada had any profitable public transit. Some speculate the TTC subway is......but it is just one component of a system that, overall, isn't......and others doubt it would/could be profitable without the subsidized surface routes feeding it......so no part of the whole should be measured on a standalone basis.
Good for VCR if their system is profitable.
I read somewhere that the Eglinton bus wasn't profitable, and neither was the King streetcar, which implies that most if not all surface routes are a burden to the transit system. If this is true (noting that I don't remember the source), then it's very likely that the Yonge line, Bloor-Danforth line, and University-Spadina line between Union and Eglinton West are profitable. If we factor in only operating costs, we have electricity, drivers fees, and maintenance (there is a lot more but this is a basic analysis). We'll assume rush hour times and give the cost per train hour of work.
A typical TR train uses 3,100 kW of electricity when travelling at maximum power output. Normally this doesn't happen, and when the trains are breaking, they generate electricity for the system. We'll assume 2,000 kW of electricity are used on average, and the price of electricity is 13.2 cents per kWh during peak times. We'll assume this to be conservative. In total, a train uses 264$ of electricity per hour. There are two crew members on each train that need to be paid. Unionised workers probably work for around 30-45$ an hour. We'll assume 37.5$. Times two, we have 75$ an hour. In terms of maintenance, we'll assume it's the same as the cost of electricity. In total, we have the running cost of each train being $603 per train hour of work on Lines 1 and 2. Line 4 trains will have a cost of $407 (1,400 kW and 1 operator).
If we look at line 2, an average of about 30 trains are needed throughout the day, Line 1 requires about 40, and Line 4 requires 4. Assuming a day is 19 hours in length for the TTC, Line 1 uses $459,990 per day, Line 2 uses $343,710, and Line 4 uses $38, 665.
Assuming half an individual's fare counts for the subway journey (about 1/3 of subway users (probably more) don't require TTC surface transit, while some surface transit users require 2-3 buses, so it balances out), multiplying by the subway's average daily ridership, we find that Line 1 has $644, 640 in leftover revenue to cover other expenses (station and tunnel maintenance, with electricity being the biggest factor) Line 2: $422,220, and Line 4: $34, 940.
If we divide this by the length of the lines, we get for Line 1: $15,231, Line 2: $16,115, and Line 4: $6,353.
If we do it by station, the costs are: Line 1: $20, 145, Line 2: $14, 074 and Line 4: $6,988.
Noting that Sheppard's is about half of Line 2, but one must consider that Line 4's stations have fewer staff (fewer entrances), less cleaning requirements (fewer people), and are newer (maintenance is a much lower cost). Noting that $7000 buys you 53,030 kWh of electricity at peak rates, and the only real costs are lamps (which won't cost more than a few hundred dollars a day to operate), and station clerk salaries are at $30 an hour for 19 hours, that totals $570 for the day. Escalators don't use that much electricity either; only about 100 kWh per day each. Compare that to the 50,000 kWh available each day at peak rates, it's nothing, even for a station like Don Mills with 10 or so escalators. In summary, operating cost are pretty much covered for the Sheppard subway and therefore, all other subways in the system. Was there anything I missed?
EDIT: I forgot to consider transferring subway passengers, so rates for the Sheppard subway are actually significantly increased. In reality, revenue for that line should only be around 55,000-60,000$ (It's average daily ridership (~50,000 - 45,000 (transferring individuals))*2 (since these riders are likely to only be travelling along the Sheppard subway and the Sheppard subway only). 10,000 + 45,000 =55,000. There are other factors but these are difficult to calculate (ie, how much someone uses the Yonge subway over the Sheppard subway, and not all people going to Sheppard Yonge are actually transferring to the Sheppard Line). If we assume 55,000$ in revenue, that leaves us with $16,335$ or ~$3,250 per station. Noting collector fees leave us with about $2,750 per station to cover costs of electricity and maintenance, which is plenty for electricity, and since the Sheppard subway needs barely any maintenance, for the time being, we can assume that it covers those costs as well.
