An innovative new video game is giving Torontonians the chance to get behind the wheel of a TTC subway train and ride the rocket from a new perspective.
Weilan Huang, an 18-year-old student from Conestoga College, has created a virtual simulator called TTC Academy that gives users the chance to drive a TTC train from the comfort of their own home.
The technology connects members online and designates times that users can drive the trains while Huang controls the system from his bedroom.
The simulation, which features both the Yonge-University-Spadina line and the Bloor-Danforth line, mimics the signals and schedules of a train and allows users to communicate with controllers.
The goal of the game is to get from one end of the subway line to the other without crashing.
In order to give gamers the most realistic experience, Huang took to the streets and recorded sounds from several different TTC stations.
“There is some realism; it has a similar appearance to actual operator area, gadgets and lights and levers,” Huang told CTV Toronto.
Doug Fearon, a TTC train operator for the past 35 years, says passengers always love the thrill of sitting at the front of the train and experiencing the ride as driver.
“Part of the thrill is riding on the real train – the sounds, the brakes, the motors or going through the tunnel,” Fearon said.
Huang, who is studying to become a commercial pilot, says the game has tripled in membership since it was first launched last year.
He hopes the game will attract even more users curious to take a behind-the-scenes look at the TTC.
