This article describes the transit services affected by various construction project in the east end and the changes that will take effect on Sunday, June 18, 2023. This is a follow-on to my original article, and some of the information there is out of date due to changes in the TTC’s plans.
Information and maps in this article are taken from a presentation to the TTC Board meeting of June 12, 2023.
Construction projects affecting streetcar service are summarized in the map below. Some of this work is underway or completed already.
- TTC overhead upgrades for Flexity streetcar operation with pantographs on King and Kingston Road was completed in the Spring. All routes in the system now operate with pans, although there are selected areas that have not been modified yet and operators must switch to trolley poles if cars run there.
- Repairs to the Queen Street Don Bridge were completed a few weeks ago, and streetcars are now operating over the bridge, albeit only for carhouse moves and short turns.
- Repairs at Main Station are underway and will continue through the summer.
- The sewer work at Coxwell & Gerrard has completed, and work will now shift to track replacement.
- Sewer work on Broadview is underway.
Changes Effective June 18, 2023
Here is a map showing the route configuration from June 18 to July 29, 2023.
The major service change is that there will be no north-south service on Broadview from Danforth to Gerrard due to track and road reconstruction. Work in this area includes:
- Reconstruction and expansion of Broadview Station streetcar loop to accommodate two streetcars at a time on both the 504 King and 505 Dundas platforms. The first phase of this (June 18 to early July) will require Broadview to be closed to traffic from Erindale to Danforth for track replacement. Work will shift into the loop in a second phase to allow streets to re-open.
- Track reconstruction between Gerrard and Danforth. The first phase (July 4 to early August) will run from Victor to Sparkhall with track storage between Gerrard and Victor. (See maps in the original article linked above.)
The affected routes are:
- 504/505 Broadview/Parliament shuttle bus: This route will not operate and there will be no bus service on Broadview between Danforth and Gerrard and beyond to King & Parliament. This will be replaced by:
- 72A Pape: This branch of the Pape bus now operates to Pape and Eastern Avenue, but it will be redirected and extended effective June 18 to operate west from Pape on Queen and King to loop as Parliament the way the 504/505 has been doing.
- Not shown on the map but also effective on June 18:
- 100 Flemingdon Park: This route now operates to Broadview Station, but it will shift east to Pape Station effective June 18.
- 8 Broadview, 62 Mortimer and 87 Cosburn will remain at Broadview Station, but looping arrangements have not been announced for the various stages of construction.
In the previous article, based on maps in a March 2023 presentation regarding Main Station, there was a new route “519” that would split off the west end of the 72B Pape to Union Station service. This proposal is not part of the June 18 package, and the 72B will continue to serve Union Station.
The 501B Queen shuttle bus will be modified to improve its westbound connection with the 501 Queen streetcars. Before June 18, the 501B loops north on Broadview to Gerrard, west to River and south to Queen. This loop will be changed so that buses run south on River only to Dundas, and then return east to Broadview and south to Queen. This will provide an overlap between the 501B and 501 services at Broadview in both directions.
The 501 and 505 streetcars will continue on the same diversions and schedules:
- 501 Queen cars will operate via McCaul, Dundas and Broadview to bypass Ontario Line construction, and thence east to Neville Loop.
- 505 Dundas cars will operate via Broadview, Queen and Kingston Road to Bingham Loop at Victoria Park.
The 506 streetcar diversion will be changed westbound:
- 506 Carlton cars will operate eastbound from Gerrard and Broadview via Broadview and Queen to Woodbine Loop at Kingston Road.
- Westbound 506 cars will change their route. Until June 17 it is (officially) via Queen, Broadview, Dundas and Parliament to the regular route at Gerrard. This will change on June 18 to run via Queen and Parliament to Gerrard. Many cars do this already.
- The schedule for 506 Carlton has not been updated and is still short of running time. Many cars will likely continue to short turn at Broadview and return west rather than going east to Woodbine Loop.
The pseudo-503 Kingston Road service will continue to be provided by 504/501 buses running from Kingston Road & Queen to York & King. These buses are now scheduled as part of the 501 service and should appear on tracking apps. Current plans call for the 503 service from Bingham Loop to King & York to return as a bus at the end of July, and as a streetcar in the Fall.
Track reconstruction at Coxwell & Lower Gerrard will cause changes in three routes:
- 22 Coxwell, which has been operating between Danforth and Queen with diversions enroute, will be suspended.
- 31 Greenwood will operate from Coxwell Station (its current terminus during reconstruction of its home station for accessibility) to Woodbine Loop via Danforth, Greenwood and Queen. The routing at the south end via Eastern Avenue is not known as I write this.
- 506C Carlton bus service will continue to run between Castle Frank and Victoria Park Stations, but it will divert via Greenwood, Danforth and Coxwell to Upper Gerrard in both directions.
There will be no service on Coxwell between Upper Gerrard and Queen. The normal 22, 31 and 506C routes will resume on July 30.
Reconstruction of Main Station continues through the summer. All of the bus changes with route interlines and extensions to Victoria Park Station will remain in effect.
The TTC has three key messages about the pending changes.
Proposed Changes Effective July 30, 2023
The following changes are proposed for the period from July 30 to September 2, 2023.
- Queen/Kingston Road corridor:
- 501 Queen route unchanged.
- 503 Kingston Road buses operate from Bingham Loop to King & York.
- 505 Dundas route changed to terminate at Woodbine Loop (via Broadview and Queen) rather than at Bingham Loop.
- Gerrard & Coxwell construction ends:
- 22 Coxwell and 31 Greenwood resume their normal routes. This includes the 22A evening and weekend service to Bingham Loop.
- 506 Carlton streetcars operate to Woodbine Loop via Gerrard, Coxwell and Queen.
- 506C Carlton buses resume their route from Castle Frank to Victoria Park.
- Broadview construction continues:
- 501B Queen bus continues to loop north via Broadview to Gerrard, then loop via Gerrard, River and Dundas back to Broadview.
- 72A Pape bus extension to King & Parliament continues.
- 100 Flemingdon Park bus continues to operate to Pape Station.
- Looping arrangements for 8 Broadview, 62 Mortimer and 87 Cosburn at Broadview Station TBA.
- Track construction shifts to the segment from Sparkhall to Danforth from mid-August to late September. Rail storage will be between Withrow and Sparkhall.
- Reconstruction of the Danforth & Broadview intersection will occur between the Simcoe Day and Labour Day weekends (date TBA).
Proposed Changes Effective September 3, 2023
The following changes are proposed for the period from September 3 to October 7, 2023.
- Queen/Kingston Road corridor:
- 501 Queen route split due to Metrolinx work east of Broadview.
- West end streetcar service will terminate at McCaul Loop.
- 501 buses will operate from Wolseley Loop at Queen & Bathurst via Queen, McCaul, Dundas and Broadview to Neville Loop.
- 501B Queen buses continue to operate between Bathurst and Broadview via Queen diverting around Ontario Line construction.
- 503 Kingston Road buses continue to operate from Bingham Loop to King & York.
- 505 Dundas route continues to terminate at Woodbine Loop (via Broadview and Queen).
- 501 Queen route split due to Metrolinx work east of Broadview.
- Main Station construction ends:
- 506 Carlton streetcars resume their route from High Park to Main Station.
- Bus routes serving Main Station revert to their normal routings.
- Broadview construction continues:
- 501B Queen bus continues to loop north via Broadview to Gerrard, then loop via Gerrard, iver and Dundas back to Broadview.
- 72A Pape bus extension to King & Parliament continues.
- 100 Flemingdon Park bus continues to operate to Pape Station.
- Looping arrangements for 8 Broadview, 62 Mortimer and 87 Cosburn at Broadview Station TBA.
- Track construction shifts to the segment from Victor to Gerrard from mid-September to early October. Rail storage will be between Withrow and Sparkhall.
Proposed Changes Effective October 8, 2023
The TTC proposes two route configuration options effective October 8, and will conduct a public feedback session on them. Here are the two options:
In both options, the 503 Kingston Road streetcars return between Bingham Loop and King & York via Wellington, and the 505 Dundas car continues to terminate at Woodbine Loop.
The differences between the options are:
- 501 Queen:
- Option A: 501 Queen streetcars operate as a continuous route from Neville Loop to Sunnyside (or beyond if the line reopens to Long Branch) via Dundas. 501B buses operate from Bathurst & Queen to Gerrard & Broadview.
- Option B: 501 Queen streetcars operate west from McCaul Loop. 502 streetcars operate from Neville Loop to Church looping via Church, Richmond and Victoria.
- 505 Dundas:
- Option A: Dundas cars continue their September routing via Gerrard and Coxwell.
- Option B: Dundas cars revert to the current routine via Broadview and Queen.
This configuration would last until the end of 2023. An important issue will be the flexibility to restore normal service at Broadview Station as soon as possible when all construction is finished rather than waiting until the January 2024 schedule change.