The need for a downtown relief subway line to ease the pressure on the Yonge-Bloor subway system has reached the urgent stage, according to CEO Andy Byford.

The head of the TTC tells the Sun, it's time to start talking about a relief line because Yonge-Bloor is already at capacity. Byford feels the best way to go about it, is by subway.

There could be a couple of different route options but in the end, it would have to relieve the "bottleneck" at Yonge and Bloor. The CEO also notes that they are open to the idea of selling air rights above bus, LRT and subway stations, which is something the TTC has not been in favour of in the past.

Byford's big concern is that building it, will take about eight to ten years. With that in mind, he believes it's time for the city to take action and start planning. His hope is that Metrolinx will lead the discussion on a new line but it should not be under the control of a provincial agency.