In some excellent news for Toronto and York region commuters, the TTC has finally confirmed an opening date for the new, long-waited Toronto–York Spadina Subway Extension.

The extension, part of Toronto's long term plan to improve its transit network, will move from Sheppard West station (formerly Downsview) almost 9 km all the way to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station, which is already proving a hub for development.

The new extension will represent the most significant addition to the Toronto subway system since the original Spadina Line opened in 1978, and we've been waiting patiently for it to open since city council identified it as a top priority all the way back in 2005.

Great news: Grand opening of Spadina subway extension for revenue service is December 17; 103 days to go! #TTC — Joe Mihevc (@joemihevc) September 5, 2017

The TTC has promised that the line would open by the end of 2017 for some time, but at its September board meeting today, CEO Andy Byford revealed that the first day of service will be December 17, 2017. That puts it 103 days away.

There's lots to be excited about when it comes to this subway extension. The new stations feature dramatic architecture and the opening of the line signals the arrival of Automatic Train Control on a portion of Line 1.

This is progress!