TORONTO, March 28 /CNW/ - On March 30, 1954, Toronto Mayor Allan Lamport and Ontario Premier Leslie Frost pulled a switch that began operation of Canada’s First Subway, the Yonge Subway from Eglinton to Union. They then boarded the first official train to Union Station. More than 250,000 rode that first day.

Fifty years and 5.7 billion rides later, Toronto Mayor David Miller and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty will be joined by Human Resources and Skills Development Minister Joseph Volpe and TTC Chair Howard Moscoe to re-enact the original ride taken by Frost, Lamport and party half a century ago. They will ride the official train to Union Station to join the Yonge Subway’s 50th anniversary celebration party in the Grand Hall of Union train station.

The public is invited attend the party by coming directly to the Grand Hall at Union train station, Bay and Front streets, or boarding the Special Anniversary train from one of the original 12 stations to the Grand Hall. The anniversary train leaves Eglinton Station southbound at about 10:35 a.m. It will stop at Davisville, St. Clair, Summerhill, Rosedale, Bloor-Yonge, Wellesley, College, Dundas, Queen and King, arriving at Union Station at about 10:50 a.m. The regular subway schedule will continue to serve the entire 69-station subway system.

At Union train station, entertainment will include musicians from the Claude Watson School for the Arts, “The Subway Song” - first played in Toronto in about 1950, strolling entertainers, displays of historic TTC photos, the John DeRinzy Yonge subway construction art collection and art from Winchester, Rosedale and Northern Secondary school students. Following the official ceremony, scheduled to begin shortly after 11 a.m., a giant cake prepared by the students in the George Brown College Baking and Pastry Arts Programme will be served.

Public Event

Who: Representatives of three levels of government - Mayor David 
     Miller, Premier Dalton McGuinty, Human Resources and Skills 
     Development Minister Joseph Volpe - along with TTC Chair 
     Howard Moscoe

What: Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Yonge Subway, Canada's
      First Subway

Where: Public can come directly to Grand Hall at Union Station or 
       join the Special Anniversary train from any of the original
       12 stations, Eglinton to Union

When: 10:35 a.m. Tuesday, March 30, 2004

For further information: Marilyn Bolton, Media Relations, (416) 393-3741