/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Food & Drink

On walks in the Cedarvale Ravine, near Spadina, I’ve noticed a circular entranceway with doors leading into the hillside

By Toronto Life
Copy link

Dear Urban Decoder: On walks in the Cedarvale Ravine, near Spadina, I’ve noticed a circular entranceway with doors leading into the hillside. Are there hobbits living in the area?—Caroline Mayhew, Annex

Nothing quite so picturesque. Built in 1975, those doors actually give way to an emergency subway exit—a concrete staircase that descends to one of the deepest sections of track in the entire system. The exit has only been put to use once, on the fateful evening of August 11, 1995, when two trains collided just north of Dupont station, killing three passengers and injuring about 36 others. As temperatures in the tunnel soared to more than 40 degrees Celsius, rescue workers (there were more than 200 on the scene) relied heavily on the emergency exit to ferry gear down to the wrecked trains and to evacuate passengers. If it hadn’t been for those well-placed hobbit doors, Toronto’s worst-ever subway disaster could have been even nastier.

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Big Stories

Dancing Queens: Patrons, staff and performers share their wildest memories of Crews and Tangos, Toronto’s most storied drag bar
Deep Dives

Dancing Queens: Patrons, staff and performers share their wildest memories of Crews and Tangos, Toronto’s most storied drag bar

Inside the Latest Issue

Inside the Latest Issue

The April issue of Toronto Life features the anatomy of a Bay Street fiasco at RBC. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.