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 This is a follow-on to my original article, and some of the information there is out of date due to changes in the TTC’s plans.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.
Updated June 14, 2023: Information about the 304 King Night Bus added.
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.The planned expansion of the loop has been deferred. - 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.
- The 304 King Night Bus will operate to Pape Station via Queen, Carlaw, Riverdale and Pape.
- 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. 506C buses will make on street stops at Coxwell & Danforth. They will not enter Coxwell Station.
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 but operates via Gerrard and Coxwell. [Corrected June 13/23]
- 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.
Steve Munro 
With the return of the 503, will the 22A be making a return as well? Kingston Road to Coxwell station.
Steve: Yes. I will update the article to clarify this.
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Presumably the 72 service that runs off the map south on Cherry from Commissioners will turn around at the traffic circle at Cherry Beach as the 121 service once did.
Steve: There is no such service shown on the map. Cherry Beach has its own route 202 now.
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The Pape bus will struggle to make the turn into Queen from Carlaw, it being so tight, and then the opposite direction, going north, to make the left turn onto Carlaw, skipping a major stop at Queen N/B.
They should just follow the 72B routing down to Commissioners/Cherry,etc and up Parliament to King. Similar to what the original 72A did 20 years ago. Minus the loop.
Having the Pape bus on Queen will just clog Queen street. I get what they’re doing, but I don’t think it will be practical.
They have a better plan if they brought in an alternative on Eastern Ave, like the proposed 150 route , but extend it east to Neville. Similar to the 143, but local.
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“Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight: I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.” I wish that there will be no construction that cause streetcar diversions or bus replacements for a WHOLE year!
Knock wood!
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Steve: Streetcars will not return to the 503 until October after Metrolinx finishes its work at Queen and Degrassi.
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Boy, I feel really bad for everyone who lives east of the Don and south of Bloor. By the time kids are back in school, people will start to be quite fatigued by trying to keep up with the constant (and almost for sure horribly managed / communicated) changes.
Hopefully once complete, that’s “it” for a while.
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The funny part is that after ALL this Queen will need to be done from Broadview to about Parliament since its been 20 years since this was last done.
Steve: That segment used to be on the TOInview project map, but has disappeared. Possibly deferred.
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Any mention of effects on night routes? The 322 Coxwell route will probably be impacted.
Steve: It’s not mentioned in the Broadview announcement, but I expect to see something in the June service memo when it eventually comes out.
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I don’t understand why buses must follow the same route as the old streetcar diversion. Do they not understand buses don’t need to follow the tracks?
Steve: The intent, as described by TTC’s head of Service Planning, is to maintain consistency of route. The 2022 diversions which shifted every few days because buses are so flexible confused and pissed off riders. This was a major point of negative feedback on how design diversions.
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Looking at the diagram I think it’s worth noting that during Sep 3 to Oct 7, 505 Dundas streetcar will divert via Gerrard east to Broadview, instead of “continues to terminate at Woodbine Loop (via Broadview and Queen).”
Steve: Sorry about that, but thanks for catching the cut-and-paste error. I have corrected the article.
Replying to a comment above, bus stop signs have been gradually replaced with 202 route number along Queens Quay and Union station area recently. But it’s true we always see TTC being so slow in updating everything for sure.
I personally like more the idea of option B. I got a great impression of streetcars being way too unreliable, and I think it’s because their routes are generally too long and prone to traffic congestion (especially when tracks are shared with other vehicles). Having shorter streetcar routes can help relieve this problem since traffic in an area will only impact a single segment. After all if you want to take a long way from east to west, why not take the subway?
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I had a customer get on my replacement 506 bus recently and ask me why don’t they just get rid of the streetcars and run buses full time since they run them all summer anyway during construction.
I couldn’t argue with them…🤷🏻♂️
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If the TTC or the city does not do something to drastically improve the operations of the streetcar network, my fear is that people will get so fed up they will demand the dismantling of the network, or at the very least the mixed traffic parts. In reality so much could be done to improve travel times from better signal priority to banning left turns, and making it quicker for drivers involved in minor accidents to clear the scene on their own by taking photos and carrying on. There is no need to send out a supervisor and stop service for a minor accident with no injuries and little to no physical damage.
Finally a more coordinated approach to construction would be great. And finding a way to make construction quicker. Add more crew members, research a new top layer for the tracks that can be removed in modular sections rather than having to jackhammer it all up. they could have precast concrete panels that fit overtop of the tracks and lock in place. this way broken sections could be replaced in hours rather than weeks.
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There is a lot under the control of the TTC when it comes to streetcar operations without ever having to get other departments involved. They could fix their broken down 40 year old switching technology and remove slow orders/do not pass orders from junctions. They could remove the asinine slow orders which were instituted to guard against other road users making illegal moves. They could sound the door warning chimes after servicing each stop to lock the door open buttons. They could restore the original door closing speeds. The list of senseless things instituted for safety theatre is enormous. They don’t really improve safety but they slow service to a crawl.
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That may be so in a vacuum but any confusion would be offset by having both 501 branches overlapping in the middle so people traveling to points between Bathurst and Broadview have a much higher effective service level over the balkanized service.
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Any innocent person reading this description of the streetcar and bus routes would assume that the 501 always of at least usually ends at Neville Park. In fact it usually short turns at Kingston Road.
Steve: Oh you cynic!
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Two comments as they pertain the work at Main Station.
1) The work is proceeding at an abysmally slow pace. After the initial flurry over a couple of days to demo the streetcar platform, I have not seen any workers or equipment on site in more than a week. I’m not saying there have been none, but I have been through the station multiple times, generally during daytime hours, and I can see no visual evidence of any further progress.
That’s really no way to treat the customer, for the level of inconvenience being caused to riders, I want to see six-day a week, 12-hour per day construction to get things done as quickly as possible.
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2) Mortimer 62 and Dawes 23 are now boarding at the former stop location on the south side of Danforth just east of Main. But no shelter of any kind has been installed. This, even though this was a stop with a shelter as recently as three years ago, and it has a shelter pad in place! Again, abysmal project planning and very poor customer service.
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