H series (Toronto subway)

They were built in six production sets, named H-1 to H-6, from 1965 to 1990 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

The first five sets were manufactured by Hawker Siddeley Canada until 1979, when the company was purchased by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), which then took over production.

The facility was taken over by Bombardier Transportation in 1991, which has continued to produce all subsequent rolling stock for the subway.

Based on the 75 ft (22.86 m) M1, the early H-series cars improved on the design, notably by enlarging the operator's cab and using a single-handle controller.

The H-6s replaced the original red G-class cars and were used almost exclusively on the Bloor-Danforth line,[3] with no further H-series orders made.

Bombardier added new technology such as AC propulsion to a platform based on the predecessor H-series cars.

In 2006, the TTC placed an order with Bombardier Transportation for the first 39 articulated Toronto Rocket (TR) trains to be operated on the Yonge–University-Spadina (YUS) line.

This allowed for the retirement of the H-4 cars, between the fall of 2011 until January 27, 2012, when the last H-4 train made its last run during the morning rush on the Bloor-Danforth line.

[7] The H-4s were expected to be scrapped at Future Enterprises in Hamilton, Ontario, although some H-4 cars were retained for use as maintenance trains.

Interior of an H-4 subway car. The H-4s had an interior design similar to that of the H-2 subway cars but had less seating to allow for more passengers. The H-4s were the last H-series cars to have large padded bench seats. The H-2 and H-4 cars had beige doors, yellow panels, orange padded seats, dark brown walls and light brown floors. These were the last Toronto subway car models not equipped with air-conditioning systems.
Interior of an H-6 subway car with individual vinyl orange covered seats.