Mayor John Tory says the city has a new plan to speed up the construction of the downtown relief line by "at least" two years, and is urging council to spend $162 million to fund it.

The money would be included in this year's TTC capital budget, Tory said at a Thursday news conference at Pape Station.

The advanced timeline could mean the subway — seen by the TTC and city officials alike as a crucial expansion to deal with overcrowding on the Line 1 — would be up and running by 2029, as opposed to the current target of 2031.

Tory said he's aware that "relief can't come soon enough" for those commuting on the Yonge-University line.

City council has yet to approve the new funding.