The facts;
April 29 1909, the Evening Telegram News Paper printed an article about a subway to be built in Toronto. It reported a meeting between City Engineer Rust and the Kearney High-Speed Railway Company of London, England took place that would see Kearney High-Speed Railway Company willing to build and operate 2 underground lines at a cost of $1 million dollars per mile to build. The first Line would run up Yonge Street to Eglinton Avenue in the Town of North Toronto from Front Street. The 2nd line would run east from East Toronto along Queen Street to Dufferin Street then to Dundas and then to West Toronto. Once it was explained to Kearney High-Speed Railway Company that any franchise issued for these lines would end in 1921 when the City would take over all the franchise and run their own transit system, Kearney High-Speed Railway Company disappeared and was never heard again about from on their plan.
2nd Plan for 1909
The idea was put forth about build subways in Toronto. One subway would run north on Teraulay Street that ran from Queen Street to Greenville Street, now known as Bay Street after been change in 1922, angle north easterly to Yonge St and then to St Clair underground using streetcars that would continue north on Yonge Street. Stations would be at Front Street, City Hall, Dundas Street, Bloore Street, south of Davenport, north of Davenport, south of St. Clair Avenue and St. Clair Avenue.
The 2nd line would run along Queen Street underground from University Avenue in the west and Church Street in the east on the north side of Queen St. It would travel further west in an open cut to Niagara Street and then north to Bloore Street West, for the west end. The east end would travel east along Queen Street East to Carlaw in an open cut and embankments. It would then go north to Danforth Avenue at (?). Rest of Queen Street for both sides of these cuts and embankments would be at grade level. Station would be at Roncesvalles Avenue, Lansdowne Avenue, Dufferin Street, Dundas Street, Bathurst Street, Yonge Street, Sherbourne Avenue, Broadview Avenue, Pape Avenue, Coxwell Avenue.
On January 1st, 1910, the residents of the City of Toronto were asked to vote on this Subway referendum “Are you in favour of the City of Toronto applying to the legislature for power to construct and operate a municipal system of subway and surface street railway, subject to the approval of qualified ratepayer's”.
George R. Geary who did not support the subway plan was elected as mayor over the incumbent Horatio C. Hocken who did. Even thought the voters approved the voted for the subway plan by 19,268 to 10,697, Mayor George R. Geary refused to allow the building of the subway system.
1911
In the fall, council press forward with the subway development by issuing a tender for the construction tube structure made of concrete for a 3 mile long tunnel running from Bay and Front Street to Yonge Street and St Clair Avenue. The tender came in at $2.6 Million and allowing for track, equipment and the electrical system, it would be about $5.2 Million.
November 20 saw a follow up report prepared by E.L. Cousins, the Assistant City Engineer submitted to council stating that the diagonal lines would not be built without the corresponding roads. Since these roads could not be feasible, he recommended an alternate plan similar to James Forgie of the Jacobs Davies Company of New York. E.L. Cousins would see 2 east-west lines running along Queen Street and Bloore-Danforth from High Park in the west end to Broadview Avenue in the east where the lines would connect to each other forming a large loop. The Bloore line would see stations at Roncesvalles Avenue, Dovercourt, Bathurst Street, Yonge Street, Sherbourne Avenue, Broadview Avenue.
Based on E.L. Cousins idea for a subway on Bloore Street, Roland Caldwell Harris who became Commissioner of Public Works for Toronto in 1912 when Pubic works was created, cease that idea by incorporating that requirement in the design of the bridge over the Don Valley connecting Bloore Street and Danforth Avenue. There was great opposition to have this lower deck built when the bridge was built between 1913 to 1918. In the end, both Edmund W. Burke the designer of the Prince Edward Viaduct and Commissioner Harris were able to get their way with the building of the lower deck at the time of building the bridge. This foresight would come into play with the building of the Bloor-Danforth Subway in 1960's.
January 1st, 1912, the voters were again asked to vote for this subway plan. Based on the strong opposition of major of the newspapers and the unwillingness of the votes to deal with the extra taxes to build the subway, it was voted down by a 11,291 to 8,486 margin. Conflicting votes counts as one sources said's this number while another said 11,130 (no) to 7,697 (yes).
Bion J. Arnold suggested that if the City of Toronto could not come to some kind of agreement with Toronto Street Railways on their operation, that an underground streetcar line be built under Yonge Street. A loop would be built beneath Queen, Bay and Temperance Streets and run to St Clair Avenue. There would be a branch off the Yonge line at Bloore Street allowing for service to go east to Broadview. In 1915, a report was prepared on this plan and it was determent that there was no need for this subway.
1915
The city would again look at a subway on Yonge Street using Streetcars, but nothing comes out of it.
