Chronicling public transit in black and white
Images capture the story of Greater Golden Horseshoe in motion.
Feb 5, 2019
Before the break of dawn, on a Kitchener Line GO Train headed eastbound toward Union Station, Ayush Bharbwaj quietly sat and stared down at his phone.
A student, he was headed to an appointment at a downtown hospital – his image, in prayer-like deep thought, reflected in the mirror blackness of the nearby train window.
And then it was all captured in a single picture taken by another traveller on yet another smartphone.
On the coldest of winter days, we recently asked Metrolinx staff to shoot photos of the important people and places that occupy our space – and illustrate what we do.
The black and white images, including the one of Ayush on his morning journey, captured quiet but important moments.
At Metrolinx, we are the sum of many vital parts. And on that frigid day, against a -30C wind-chill, we froze some of them in time.
We received scores of submissions – too many to show you here. So, as we look to use others in future blog posts, these are just a sampling of what our staff saw as they looked for those moments.
GO bus driver, Dillon Forret, keeps his shaded eyes on the road while carrying passengers along Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway. (Photo by Matt Llewellyn)
Hot sips from her favourite mug leads Metrolinx comms person Sara Wilbur out of bed and onto the Lakeshore East train every morning. (Photo by Sara Wilbur)
Ice forms on the side of a GO Train. (Photo by Thane Burnett)
Erin Duffy, Metrolinx community relations specialist, presents to grade 5 students at Tiffany Hills Elementary School in Hamilton. (Jessica Scott photo)
From above – A Birdseye view of an old school locomotive in downtown Brampton. (Photo by Mandeep Jassal)
A lone figure walks past windows in an upper walkway above Union Station. (Photo by Peter Bailey)
Commuters wait patiently on the train platform at Cooksville GO Station. (Photo by Fannie Sunshine)
At 8:50 a.m., customers wait in a shelter at the Long Branch GO Station, as a lone traveller stands outside in the cold. (Photo by Scott Money)
During the evening commute, a GO Train picks up passengers at Union Station. (Photo by Rob Granatstein)
