There are only a few changes for the Christmas schedule period this year, notably the return of full service on the Queen streetcar to Long Branch.
The summary linked below also includes a diagram of the schedule plans over the holiday period.
Steve Munro
Transit & Politics
Steve Munro 
If I read the table right, the TTC seem to think that the closure of the Don bridge that means the 504 is diverted will be continuing until summer 2015. (Though they may be right, the most recent date from Infrastructure Ontario is ‘early 2015’.) The West Don Lands CLC on Oct 7 was told “The work is about 50% completed and is expected to be completed early 2015.”
The TTC are also predicting the end of the 72/172 split and route diversion in May – many in the neighbourhood hope that the split will end ASAP and that the diversion via King Station will continue. (Last word on that was from Chris Upfold recently who said it is still being evaluated.)
Steve: The date for the Don Bridge is my best guess based on the sign physically on the bridge. Maybe IO could convert it to a digital display with a countdown clock that resets itself every week or so.
As for Pape/Cherry, according to the January 2015 service change memo, the current arrangement is planned to the end of the March board period which takes us into early May (that period actually runs from March 29 to May 9). With the schedule changes coming out about two months before they take effect, this means that we won’t know what is planned for May until late January.
LikeLike
Service west of Humber takes a big hit with the reintroduction of streetcars. The TTC actually put up new transit stop schedules and they had “FS” (frequent service, every 10 minutes or less) on Lake Shore between about 6 AM and 3 AM Monday-Saturday. Now, as can be seen, only weekend middays would (just) hit the 10 minute headway mark.
The loss of the evening 508 trippers again reduces service west of Humber. Both in my experience and through talks with operators, the 508 runs never got short turned, even if they were twenty minutes down. I have on multiple occasions been offloaded at Kipling by a short-turning 501 to be picked up by a through 508.
Given that I have no faith that the TTC operations has figured out how to run anything close to scheduled service out to Long Branch, anyone living west of Humber along Lake Shore should be very concerned, and anyone who wants to ride west of Kipling is probably doomed.
The shuttle buses were not perfect. The bunched, and — yes — would sometimes short-turn at Kipling. (Ongoing road work and condo construction at Park Lawn and Lake Shore made for a traffic mess.) The streetcars are going to be worse.
As the TTC is sticking with its “501 is a single route” position, the time has come to demand that all service be scheduled between Long Branch and Neville Park. With increasing student population at Humber College’s Lake Shore campus, both east-west and north-south service has to be increased and made more resilient. Humber students who come in via GO train to Long Branch station are left waiting for long periods for an erratic streetcar service, while the Kipling South 44 buses are overloaded by Humber students, as well as ones from the two high schools in the area. Basically, Kipling South buses run packed to the doors, and if you are trying to get on in the peak direction anywhere between Kipling station and Horner Avenue, you are probably out of luck.
LikeLike
For the first part, last I heard the TTC was still talking about moving the returning service from Humber to a new loop at Park Lawn – though how that fits into the available space and intersection geometry will be interesting to see – which at least would help out the thousands of new condo dwellers in the area. (With thousands more coming; the towers keep going up!)
And the rest – well, there’s a reason I normally walk twice as far and pay twice as much to ride the GO train. Unless I have a really good book I want an excuse to finish, then at least I’m on early enough to get a seat. 🙂 (Once the Humber students get off, anyway.)
It’s crazy that the TTC can’t even get the _planned_ headway down to 10′ past Humber at peak times; the demand is certainly there!
LikeLike
I personally blame TTC management for this. People have been arguing for a restoration of the 507 Long Branch car operating to Dundas West Station. This would also help out the 504 King car (504 cars that short turn at Sunnyside can have their passengers picked up by a 507 car for the trip up Roncesvalles Ave.)
However, the TTC seems to do nothing – even keeping a single car doing the Long Branch – Humber run would be an improvement.
Steve, do you know if the TTC has even looked into the service west of Humber? For local service the buses have been great – although the transfer at Humber has been a joke. Both time I tried, it was a long wait and an overcrowded ALRV! And there was a Supervisor there the first time who did not appear to know anything about what was going on.
Steve: I very much doubt it. It’s amusing to note that the Queen car west of Humber is included in the TTC’s proposed “10 minute network” (August 2014). We will have to wait to see whether this materializes, or how much of that “10 minutes” actually makes it west of Roncesvalles.
LikeLike
Perhaps the time has come for Humber College to offer a shuttle bus connection between Long Branch GO Station and the campus.
Sheridan College has buses connecting its two campuses in Peel Region (Mississauga City Centre and Brampton South) although MiWay offers a direct service on McLaughlin Road and the University of Toronto at Mississauga is expanding its shuttle buses connecting to the St. George campus.
Cheers, Moaz
LikeLike
Hey Steve,
I was riding the bus with one of Arrow’s night drivers, and he mentioned that 46 Martin Grove might be switching to Queensway around the new year. Any info on this?
Steve: There is nothing about this in the January service change notice (my article on this will be up next week).
LikeLike