Here's what the Toronto region's transit map could look like in next few decades

A recent transit map created by a U.S. tourist provides a look at what the public transportation network could look like in the GTA in the next few decades. 

The viral transit map was created by Chicago resident Luka, who currently works part-time at the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), which oversees all transit in the Chicagoland region, while he completes his Master's Degree in transportation planning. 

During a trip to Toronto and Niagara Falls earlier this year, Luka was inspired to create a Golden Horseshoe Rail Map, including transit stops in the GTA that are currently open, under construction, or proposed by various levels of government. 

"I had the opportunity to ride TTC and GO services, and I was really impressed with both the service levels you guys have in Toronto as well as your ambitious transit expansion programs. I couldn't help but compare your city's transit system to my own in Chicago, especially considering our cities' similar geography and population," Luka told blogTO. 

I made my own map of the GTA's rail services!
byu/BukaBuka243 ingotransit

"I know complaining about the TTC and Metrolinx is a favourite pastime in your region, but trust me, you don't know how good you have it! Toronto's system is smaller, but it's also much more frequent and expanding." 

The futuristic transit map includes forthcoming projects like the Ontario Line, which stretches from Exhibition to Don Valley, as well as the delay-plagued Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

Luka says he changed the names of some stations that aren't open yet to align with the naming conventions the TTC and Metrolinx use for existing stations, such as Royal York North for the Line 5 station, rather than just Royal York, which already exists as a station name on Line 2. 

The Chicago resident also used the letter-based system for naming GO lines that Metrolinx floated a few years ago in planning documents. 

"I create maps like these for fun, but also as a way to learn about a system I didn't know much about. This is far from the first map I have made, but I consider my best work to be a similar map I made for Chicago's rail services last year," Luka explained. 

The map itself was created in Adobe Illustrator, and Luka followed the example of his earlier Chicago map and used 30/60/90 degree angles for lines and labels rather than 45/90. "I did this because I feel the availability of an additional angle helps make a cleaner map for a system as large and grid-oriented as Toronto's," he explained. 

Luka shared his transit map on Reddit earlier this month and quickly garnered over 50 comments and nearly 200 upvotes, with many praising him for his attention to detail. 

"I've been very pleased with the response. The vast majority of people who have seen the map have reacted positively, which I'm quite grateful for," he said. 

Luka has since worked on a new version of the map using feedback from Reddit users and anticipates updating the map as the GTA transit network changes.