Saturday, May 31, 2008

Winnipeg's Subway System

That's right, Winnipeg doesn't have a subway system, or LRT, underground or any other of that sort of transportation.
But then that brings up the question: "what is John. K. Samson talking about when he wrote the line 'a thousand sharpened elbows in the underground' for the Weakerthans song One Great City?"
I realized this a while ago and I still have not come up with an answer to that.
It really is a mystery and I regret not asking him that when I got the chance to interview him last fall.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

i wonder if he is talking about a graveyard? dana

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing he might mean the underground area right under Portage and Main street that interconnects some of the banks, stores and hotels.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I don't think the Weakerthans were talking about a rail subway under P&M in that particular, but they have been quoted as supporting one here.

They were more likely singing about the pedestrian concourse under P&M.

Anonymous said...

But indeed there was a plan for subway trains to roll under Portage & Main. There were three lines drawn, but the plan sat on the shelf for many years.

Is anyone going to implement this?

Winnipeg subway

And a report about the proposed subway I found here:

Subway report

Jer said...

I am pretty sure they mean the underground concourse which connects various buildings and is lined with shops, hence the reference to "in the dollar store, the clerk is closing up."