First ride on the new subway train

Several months ago the new subway trains started to arrive for the TTC on the Yonge-University-Spadina line. Until today I had not seen one in person. I had to make a rare trip downtown. I went to Random House to interview author and ER doctor Vincent Lam about his latest book The Headmaster's Wager for the fall issue of Existere, the journal I publish and where I mentor students in publishing. The interview went very well and Dr. Lam is a very engaging person to chat with (and a fantastic writer).

These trains are quieter than the old ones, more open, and more accessible to folks like me with mobility challenges. The most obvious difference to riders is the hollowed out design. This view shows the last two "cars" or articulated units. The train is one long articulated car in which you can see and move from one end to the other. The old ones were the traditional stand-alone cars linked together and passengers could not pass through from car to car without going outside on the platform. The audio call outs are much clearer and the subway map is now illuminated with LEDs which indicate your route and where the train is currently. So far, so good!