TTC unveils new subway washrooms

For those unlucky enough to have had to use a subway washroom, the need for an overhaul comes as no surprise.

On Wednesday morning, TTC chair Karen Stintz and newly-minted CEO Andy Byford were at Finch Station to unveil the facility that opened there last month and reveal plans to upgrade the other nine subway washrooms.

Changes include better equipment — hands-free faucets and dryers — and a pilot program to clean the washrooms every 90 minutes.

“We have replaced all the fittings and fixtures,” Byford said. “We have replaced the tiling because over time that can become quite unpleasant.”

The TTC chief said money from the existing capital budget will pay for the renovations and the new cleaning schedule.

“This is evidence of a holistic approach to cleaning,” he said.

“This isn’t a flash in the pan. We are serious about improving the ambiance and the cleanliness of all aspects of the TTC — not just the subway, but also the streetcars, the [Scarborough Rapid Transit], the Wheel-Trans and the buses, of course.”

Customers at the TTC’s first town hall meeting last November complained to senior management about the notoriously foul washrooms.

“Feedback had been consistent and over time that our washrooms were not in a state that people felt comfortable using,” said Stintz.

The project will be done by the end of June.

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