Train your ears to recognize if your train is the one that barrels into the station loudly and then starts to become quiet, or if it starts quiet and then becomes louder. This works well when the stairs are close to one end of the platform and one train is loud as it enters the station near the end you come in, while the other train is quiet as it enters the station from the other end of the platform.
— submitted by groshbarr
In stations with two platforms divided by the tracks, you can tell if an approaching train is yours by the noise it makes. If the screeching, clicking and clunking sounds are loud and clear, it’s not your train. But if the sounds are quieter and muffled, it is your train. This is because the platform blocks the noise coming from the train’s wheels and brakes as it rides directly beside it.
— submitted by pjs
If people are coming up the stairs or escalator on the side that you are going down, there is likely no need to rush, as you probably just missed your train.
— submitted by Jonathon Markowski
If people are coming up the stairs or escalator from the platform opposite to the one you are going down, and then you hear a train coming into the station, you should rush to catch it.
— submitted by anonymous
While paying your fare, look at the video screens in the collector’s booth. Use them to judge whether your train is coming (and you should rush), your train is in the station (and you can take it easy, as it will be gone by the time you get to the platform) or the train going the opposite direction is coming or already in the station (and you know now to rush if you hear a another train coming as you approach the stairs going down). Screens are often labeled with E/B, W/B, N/B and S/B (eastbound, etc.). For frequently used stations, memorize which screen is for which direction.
— submitted by Yermum
If you hear a train pulling into the station while you are walking down the stairs to the platform, look to see if the people further down the stairs who can see which train it is are hurrying. If they are, you should too.
— submitted by Wes Hodgson
For centre platforms, while on the stairs, look at the floor at the bottom — you can sometimes see glints of the indoor lighting from the train beside the platform, and you’ll be able to determine which direction the train in the station is going.
— submitted by anonymous
When going down the stairs to the platform, you can sometimes tell the direction the train is traveling by the wind it generates. If you feel a strong gust, it means the train is coming from the opposite direction of the stairs you are going down.
— submitted by marc
Know the subway stations where the trains sometimes pause (and that it’s worth rushing for a train even if you are at the top of the stairs). Pause stations: Bloor, Chester, Christie (westbound), Coxwell, Eglinton, Ossington (eastbound), Royal York, Union.
— submitted by bangersandmash
It takes 4.7 seconds from the time the closing door chime first begins until the train door is completely closed. Pace yourself accordingly when you hear the chime.
— submitted by Matthew Blackett
From the outside of Lawrence station, or up above the platforms in the station, you can sometimes see northbound or southbound trains approaching — use these to gauge whether you should rush down to the platform.
— submitted by David Teitel