There are comparatively few service changes pending for the November-December 2016 schedules as it’s late in the year, and the TTC’s main concern is to constrain costs in anticipation of a revenue shortfall for 2016.

2016.11.20_Service_Changes

Construction Projects

Various diversions will end with this schedule period or shortly thereafter:

• Construction at St. Clair and St. Clair West Stations will be complete allowing:
  • resumption of streetcar service over the full 512 St. Clair route,
  • operation through the bus loop by 74 Mt. Pleasant and 88 South Leaside, and
  • the interline between 126 Christie and 33 Forest Hill will be broken, and these routes will once again access St. Clair West Station Loop.
• Construction at Neville Loop will be complete allowing resumption of 501/301 Queen streetcar service to the east end of the line.
• Water main construction on Queen is expected to end by November 30 at which point the Queen car will return to its normal routing between Spadina and Shaw.

The list of routes affected by the Eglinton Crosstown project continues to grow, and additional running time will be provided on 7 Bathurst, 11 Bayview, 29 Dufferin, 33 Forest Hill, 56 Leaside and 90 Vaughan (the peak period 90B branch to Eglinton West Station will not operate). Generally speaking, these routes will not get added vehicles, but the headways will be stretched to accommodate congestion. The November 2016 changes only affect weekday schedules, but weekend changes will occur in the future.

Streetcar Shortage / Exhibition Loop

The continued shortage of streetcars will trigger the following arrangement for service to Exhibition Loop:

• 511 Bathurst will be operated with buses, and these will run through to the Exhibition grounds replacing the existing 509 shuttle service. Streetcars will return in early 2017 when vehicles will become available from bus substitutions elsewhere (notably the west end of 501 Queen) and from delivery of additional new cars.
• 509 Harbourfront cars will turn back at Fleet Loop until construction at Exhibition Loop completes in mid-December.

Trimming Service

Various routes and periods will see small changes to frequency of service to free up resources and reduce costs. The projected changes in loading on the affected routes remain within the Service Standards.

Routes 121 Front-Esplanade and 514 Cherry will be modified so that their hours of service match the standard 6 am to 1 am pattern (8 am on Sundays).

Christmas Period Schedules

The Christmas period for 2016-17 will be three weeks long because the holidays land on a weekend. Reduced service will operate through to the second weekend in January 2017 because schools will be closed for the first week of the year.

The TTC anticipates free transit service on New Year’s Eve, but has not yet announced a sponsor.