The TTC will make several changes to its services on July 30, although this round is more of a “fixer upper” to correct problems with some existing schedules rather than major changes.
Weekday evening subway service will be formally restored to every 6 minutes or better on Lines 1 & 2. Streetcar service in the east end will be reorganized to correct schedule problems and reflect progress on construction work (much of these changes are already in effect). Several bus route schedules will be updated to improve reliability including use of common headways on overlapped sections.
Subway Service Changes
Weekday evening service on lines 1 Yonge-University and 2 Bloor-Danforth will be restored to a scheduled level of every six minutes or better. This has been operating on a temporary basis with extra trains for several weeks.
| Scheduled Weekday Service | Eff. June 18 | Eff. July 30 |
| 1 Yonge-University | ||
| Early Evening | 5’10” | 5’00” |
| Late Evening | 7’45” | 6’00” |
| 2 Bloor-Danforth | ||
| Early Evening | 5’37” | 5’37” |
| Late Evening | 8’05” | 5’42” |
Streetcar Network Changes
The original service design for the combined effects of the Ontario Line construction, road and track work on Broadview north of Gerrard, and sewer and track work at Coxwell & Gerrard did not work out very well as I have detailed in previous articles. Some changes that are already in place on an ad hoc basis will now be formally scheduled.
503 Kingston Road
The loss of a direct service to downtown from Kingston Road coupled with erratic service on the extended 505 Dundas car to Bingham Loop brought many complaints. As an interim step, service has been operating as:
- A pseudo-503 bus service (also sometimes styled at 501/504) from Bingham Loop to King & York running on all days until 8 pm.
- 505 Dundas cars turn back at Woodbine Loop until 8 pm after which they run through to Bingham.
The new service will be:
- The 503 Kingston Road bus operating at all times from Bingham Loop to King and York (looping via York, Richmond and University).
- The 505 Dundas car is scheduled to terminate at Woodbine Loop during all periods.
506 Carlton & 22 Coxwell
With the completion of work at Coxwell & Lower Gerrard, the 506 Carlton car is now operating to Woodbine Loop via Gerrard, Coxwell and Queen. The new schedules also extend the running time for this route to correct a problem with the previous version that was so tight it forced most service to short turn at Broadview.
In the west end, the Carlton car terminus will shift from High Park Loop to Dundas West Station due to sewer and overhead work on Howard Park Avenue. There will be no replacement service. This is planned to last until the October schedule change on Thanksgiving weekend.
In a related change, the 22 Coxwell bus will resume operation between Coxwell Station and Queen Street, and the 506C bus will no longer divert via Greenwood, Danforth and Coxwell to Upper Gerrard. Construction at Main Station is supposed to finish for the September schedule change on Labour Day weekend, at which point the 506 Carlton streetcar service will be restored between Coxwell and Main Station.
Service levels on routes 505 and 506 are unchanged, but running times have been updated to reflect actual conditions. This should reduce the instances of short turning.
501 Queen
There is no change on the Queen streetcar and bus service this month. In the September schedules, streetcar service will return west of Sunnyside. The currently proposed arrangement will see the 507 Long Branch and 508 Lake Shore cars return.
Here is a map of the network as it will exist in August.
CNE Services
Extra service will operate on routes 29 Dufferin, 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst during the CNE.
Eglinton Station Construction
A water main project was originally scheduled on Duplex Avenue, the exit from Eglinton Station bus loop, but this has been deferred. However, schedules allowing for this were already in place. They will be operated until September with the following effects:
- 13 Avenue Road: This route was going to be extended east to Mount Pleasant Loop, but will continue to terminate at Eglinton Station. Headways have changed in several periods due to the new schedule.
- 51 Leslie & 61 Avenue Road North: These routes will be interlined, but will continue to serve Eglinton Station in both directions. Service on 51 Leslie is largely unchanged, but buses on 61 Avenue Road North will come less often during all periods.
- 56 Leaside: This route was going to be extended west to Eglinton West Station, but will continue to terminate at Eglinton Station. Headways will be similar to the current schedules.
Kipling Station Construction
The bus bays at Kipling Station will be rebuilt over the next year in part to accommodate articulated buses. Routes will be re-organized from time time to accommodate this work.
- 45 Kipling and 945 Kipling Express will shift from bays 9 and 10 to a temporary loading area in the passenger pick-up lot.
- 111 East Mall and 112 West Mall will shift from bays 1 and 2 to bay 10.
- 123 Sherway will shift from bay 3 to bay 9.
Finch West LRT Construction
Work at Finch & Kipling has progressed to the point where extra running time in the 45/945 Kipling schedules is no longer required. With the new schedules, the express buses will operate on a common headway with the locals so that a properly blended service leaves Kipling Station.
The 337 Islington Night Bus will resume its standard north end loop via Islington, Steeles, Kipling and Finch.
Other Bus Service Changes
- 21 Brimley: Route reassigned from Birchmount to Malvern garage due to construction work and space constraints at Birchmount.
- 31 Greenwood: The extended route via Eastern Avenue to Queen & Kingston Road has been made permanent. Buses continue to operate from Coxwell Station due to construction at Greenwood Station. Service on 31 Greenwood is reduced in recognition of the return of buses on 22 Coxwell.
- 36 Finch West: All buses heading to Finch West Station will use route number “36” with no letter suffix. “36A” will be used for service between FInch West and Finch stations. The other existing letters will be used only for outbound trips such as “36B” to Humberwood. The intention is to have common signing for buses that have a common destination.
- 37 Islington: A new trip at 5:00 am from Steeles will be added to address crowding.
- 50 Burnhamthorpe: Service in peak periods will be reduced to match lower demand.
- 52G Lawrence West Martin Grove: Sunday morning and afternoon service will be reduced to match lower demand. Service on the other 52 branches is unchanged.
- 63 Ossington: Trips at the end of the PM peak that now dead-head northbound will run in service so that peak service level remains until about 7:45 pm.
- 64 Main: Recovery time will be shifted to the south end of the line to reduce queuing at Main Station.
- 71 Runnymede & 79 Scarlett Road: Headways will be adjusted so that a blended service can operate northbound from Runnymede Station. Depending on the time period, this will either improve or reduce service on each route. Service on the 79B branch via St. Clair will be added on Saturday early morning and Sunday early evening to serve shopping trips.
- 75 Sherbourne & 82 Rosedale: Service on 75 Sherbourne on weekend daytimes will run less frequently and running times extended to provide reliable service. Evening weekend service will be improved on the interlined Sherbourne and Rosedale services.
- 96 Wilson: Five trips have been added to reduce crowding:
- Eastbound from Humber College North Campus at 3:15 pm.
- Westbound from York Mills Station at 3:10 (96B), 3:15 (96A) and 4:25 (96B) pm.
- Eastbound from Humberline Loop at 10:40 pm.
- 165 Weston Road North: The north end of the line has been moved to Old Weston & Steeles.
- 600 Run As Directed: The number of RAD buses has been reduced from 44 to 18 in the daytime period, and from 84 to 59 in the afternoon/evening.
Budgeted Service Hours
The service to be operated will be about 2% higher than the originally budgetd level.
Fleet Utilization
Both the bus and streetcar fleets continue to be used well below the level that would be possible, even allowing for maintenance spares. The current fleets comprise about 2032 buses and 204 streetcars.
Deliveries beginning this year include:
- 269 standard sized hybrid buses
- 68 articulated hybrid buses
- 60 streetcars
Many of the buses will replace aging vehicles, and it is not yet clear how many will provide net new service. The TTC also plans to award a battery bus contract, but this is not yet reflected in the fleet list.
The streetcars will all be net additions to the fleet.
Construction Projects
Consolidated List of Service Changes
The spreadsheet linked below shows the current and planned service levels on all affected routes.
Steve Munro 
Will any of this be impacted by the Line 3 closure?
If the RT doesn’t reopen after the derailment I’m sure there will be some sort of changes.
Then again it may reopen and the above referenced changes will be a moot point.
Steve: None of the changes is in the territory affected by the Line 3 closure plans.
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Perhaps not the most apt string to ask this in, but relevant none-the-less:
What are the plans, if any, for the TIFF streetcar diversions this year? The TTC and City websites are years out of date. I’ve searched various times and found nothing.
Let’s flip this over: Is a King diversion even possible with the present mess in the area?
Steve: There has been no announcement, and frankly I don’t know how they could be operated without the track on Adelaide or Queen being available. It is time to tell TIFF to get stuffed and put their street fai somewhere other than on King Street.
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Yet again Kingston Rd is left without streetcars. No consistency at all on the 503. Why not run the streetcars to Spadina all day and night?
Steve: The TTC seems reluctant to try to field lots of streetcars and counts on various diversions and bus replacements to keep their service requirements at about 2/3 of the total fleet. This needs investigation, but will depend on an activist new TTC Board to happen. We won’t know if the Chow regime intents to install one for a few weeks.
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I don’t understand the logic of reducing PM peak service on 50 Burnhamthorpe.
It is ridiculous that the headway during the PM peak (every 20 min) is longer than late evenings (every 17 minute)
I think the route was kinda impacted by 26 Burnhamthorpe bus which now serves both Kipling and Islington Station after the terminal opened at Kipling. It never served Burnhamthorpe between Dundas and Kipling before the terminal opened so some folks using Islington Station took 50 bus to Mill Rd loop and get a ride from someone at the loop.
However it seems to be very ridiculous.
I am wondering if that headway will continue beyond September or this is just a temporary move for the rest of the summer.
Steve: I can’t imagine making a schedule change like this on a minor route to last only a month.
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I thought TTC had already awarded the contract for for the electric bus order to NewFlyer which will get the majority of the order, and Nova bus. I know Christina Freeland had made a major funding announcement for them a few months ago.
Steve: This is a very strange situation. There was the announcement of funding, and the TTC posted on the bid website that they had named a winner, but there has been no actual announcement. It’s almost as if someone wants a big photo op.
Which routes are TTC planning on making artic routes? I know a report some years ago had routes 45 kipling, 927 hwy 27 and I’m pretty sure 900 airport express was entertained.
Steve: We don’t know yet. I am hoping to see some of this info when they get into consultation on their 5 year service plan.
With the new 60 streetcar order about to be delivered, will TTC make any spec changes to them that might be an improvement from the 204 order? I know it will be the same model cars, but may have some upgrades to them?
Steve: If they made any changes to the spec, that would have happened some time ago. There have been various mods over the years, and even the last of the original cars were not identical to the first that were delivered.
And what’s the status on the new Hillcrest LRV facility? What’s the timeline on that? I’m sure it’s been mentioned, but so many TTC projects have been delayed or altered.
Steve: It is still on the books and funded. They don’t need it right away as there is space for the first batch of new cars within existing carhouses. In the capital budget the major spending occurs in years 2025 to 2027.
This is probably a stupid question, but I’ll ask anyways. With the new revised setup for streetcar routes, 501, 507 and 508 west of Sunnyside loop, why can’t TTC set up the shuttle buses the same way in anticipation for the changes? That way customers get use to the new set up for when streetcars start rolling through there again.
Steve: I suspect the decision to revive the 507 is recent enough that the existing bus service was already planned out to September. Also the road system does not make for an identical operation to what the streetcar loops at Humber Loop provide.
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Steve wrote: 36 Finch West: All buses heading to Finch West Station will use route number “36” with no letter suffix. “36A” will be used for service between FInch West and Finch stations. The other existing letters will be used only for outbound trips such as “36B” to Humberwood. The intention is to have common signing for buses that have a common destination.
Do you mean “36” will be used on eastbound buses to Finch West Station, “36A” on all buses going between Finch and Finch West Stations in both directions and “36B/D/F” will only be used on westbound trips west of Finch West Station?
Steve: Yes, that’s how I read the TTC’s service memo.
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It’s not. My guess? All streetcars operating west of Spadina will turn back at Charlotte loop. All streetcars operating east of Yonge will turn back at Church. TIFF gets to stage their celebrated world famous street carnival.
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I swear I read somewhere in the last 2 weeks that starting July 30, the 504 won’t be using Dufferin Gate Loop due to some type of construction down there, and that all westbound 504 cars will be going to Dundas during this construction. I remember there was supposed to be major work down at the loop sometime in the near future, but then that was all put on hold.
I can’t seem to find anything that confirms what I just said above, though. Have you seen anything about Dufferin Gate Loop maintenance?
Steve: See my article about service plans for September here. The 504B will be extended to Roncesvalles.
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Hi Steve,
Do you know what will be happening to the schedules of the other routes that serve Eglinton Station (32, 34, 54)?
Also, if the construction ever does happen, is there a reason they wouldn’t use the second entrance to the bus terminal off Berwick Ave?
Steve: As they have done on previous occasions, they would have used the Berwick entrance via Yonge Street from Eglinton. There is no change to their schedules.
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I wrote:
To which L. Wall replied:
Steve replied:
Steve, who has alluded in the past to being a TIFF aficionado, had counselled finding a way to satisfy all sides. That seems to have reached the end of its tether.
I disagree with Wall while agreeing with his possible scenario. I think more than just Steve has reached the end of his patience on this.
TorStar had a piece on it three days back.
I had the temerity to ask in the reader comments:
And that sparked a nasty but not unexpected response from a self-entitled reader who ostensibly spoke for the TIFF:
She’s got a solid future working for the likes of the City or the TTC, or any other org deflecting the need for the public to be informed.
Steve: The whole issue with diversions, indeed the purpose of this year’s Service Plan consultations, is to discuss options well in advance rather than springing them on the city at the last minute.
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Thank you for sharing.
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Wow, big 75 [Sherbourne] service cuts. But the service was always crap … perhaps this will fix it.
I hadn’t appreciated the extent of the 31 Greenwood route change – until I read this and looked at https://www.transsee.ca/routemap?a=ttc&r=31 I’d assumed it was just a slightly longer route during early AM and late PM. Was there ever any consultation on this? (Looks great to me though!)
Was this ever documented anywhere on the TTC website?!? That would have been useful to know the other day when I had to go down to Lakeshore and Leslie to get my Canada Post package.
Does this mean the 150 Eastern is dead?
Is the 22 Coxwell only running to Queen even at nights? Is that permanent … I’ve heard mumblings, but nothing 100%.
Great summary!
Steve: Thanks.
Yes, the Sherbourne bus has been a mess thanks to running time problems, and the fix has been to stretch the headway in some periods. If it actually arrives as scheduled, this could be an improvement, but I will have to see this in operation before celebrating.
With regard to the various route changes in the east end, consultation was fouled up in the whole TTC budget process earlier in the year when anything to do with service was a state secret and route proposals emerged only just before they were implemented.
The 150 Eastern implementation was delayed through a combination of conflicting construction projects downtown and the decline in core area demand. It is showing no sign of coming back in service proposals. A side effect of the extended 31 Greenwood route is that service on Greenwood is better on weekends, although it is less frequent on weekdays.
As for 22 Coxwell, yes, the direction seems to be that the 503 Kingston Road route will operate evenings and weekends as a bus, and in October as a streetcar.
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I didn’t bother complaining when they cancelled the 503 and a 50 minute bus ride turned into 1.5- 2 hours plus……
I simply voted with my wallet and stopped paying my fare. I have resolved never to pay for sub-standard garbage service from the TTC ever again.
When the TTC provides the service, they get paid.
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Rusty writes:
This might appear to be a superfluous stance (albeit fully understandable, I and many others are close to the edge of doing this), but the TTC should be worried about this. How worried?
NYC’s MTA is prescient on the point.
From the New York Times:
I subscribe to the NYTimes, but if you Google this title, I suspect the full article will appear w/o firewall:
With Toronto’s rapid ‘slide from grace’ in many respects, not least standard of living and quality of life, it’s a matter of time until a court case for fare evasion rules against the City and agencies (TTC et al).
The TTC specifically excludes its terms for tariff against poor service. That legal exclusion is tenuous.
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Even with the 503 bus ostensibly running your normal trip can take 1.5 hours. I sometimes use it and at other times I have a view of King Street from where I work. Very long gaps are common on the route.
I understand during the first days of the new schedules and diversions there was no formal schedule for the 503. Some operators seemed to interpret that to mean they could layover and recover at the end of the line for an hour while their buddies joined them and then come out from the terminal behind the folks who arrived after them.
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There seems to be a lot of 503 criticism here. Certainly not running it to begin with was really poorly planned. But it was restored weeks ago, and seems to be running well and frequently when I took it. I wonder if those saying it takes over an hour have ridden it this month. Things will improve when predictions return on Sunday.
Earlier this week, I caught 503 mid-day at Woodbine and Kingston. I only had to wait a couple of minutes, and 10 minutes later I got off at Carlaw. I have no doubt it was at King and Yonge quickly. Last week I caught one in rush hour at King and Jarvis. 25 minutes later I was at Queen and Coxwell. Again, I only waited a couple of minutes.
I had more thoughts about the 75 Sherbourne. It crossed my mind that when I worked at Sherbourne and King, I used to take it up towards the Bloor subway; but if it wasn’t coming, I’d invariably take 504 instead. With 504 not running for months, how much has 75 ridership increased? I’d certainly be taking it a lot more if I was still doing that commute.
Steve: The changes on 75 Sherbourne are on the weekends when it already was scheduled less frequently, and the headways are getting wider except in the evening.
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For when the first train of the morning leaves on time, at Wilson Station as before? They only make people nervous, because many start work at 6:30 am. Every day the schedule is different: 5:49, 5:50, 5:52, 5:54, and sometimes it starts at 6:00am. Lack of respect for users.
Steve: On the official schedule, the first southbound train from Wilson is at 5:57 am weekdays, 5:54 Saturdays, and 7:42 on Sundays.
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“A water main project was originally scheduled on Duplex Avenue, the exit from Eglinton Station bus loop, but this has been deferred. However, schedules allowing for this were already in place. They will be operated until September…”
Sorry, but could somebody please explain to me why construction that is not going to happen has to impact the TTC schedule for a month after it is confirmed to not be happening? Is this like the Flemingdon Park bus diversion to Pape for the expansion of the Broadview streetcar bay, which is also not happening? I really, truly do not understand what is going on here. Do they expect us to believe they’re running such a fine-tuned transportation machine that any slight change in plans will lead to chaos?
Steve: The problem is that the schedules are frozen about a month before they go into effect because operators sign up for work, vehicle allocations are planned, etc. What we have seen both at Eglinton and at Broadview is a project scope change that probably was made at the last minute. In the case of Broadview, there will still be reconstruction of the loop, just not to the same extent as originally planned, and this will disrupt bus access. Because of the scope change, there has been a timing change with work in the loop starting later than planned, but the Flemingdon Park bus had already been shifted to Pape. Broadview and Mortimer are interlined with schedules that assumed the buses would not come south to the station, and so running times are tight and service is erratic. All of this has been left in place for the July 30 schedules because construction will actually start in mid-August.
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Am excited to have the streetcars at the Humber Loop again.
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I would like to know if 21 Brimley from Scarborough Center will continue the same route to Kennedy Station?
Steve: There are no changes planned for 21 Brimley. However, the larger plan for after the SRT shutdown in November did include through routing of some lines that now terminate at STC down to Kennedy to avoid the need to transfer to the shuttle service. During public consultations in late 2021, the TTC said:
I suspect that this list might change by the final implementation, but it gives you an idea of their plans.
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I don’t see the Streetcar Service map (posted in the article) on the TTC website where it would be useful given that routes seem to change every few weeks. Does the map come from an internal report not available to the general public?
Steve: It was part of a presentation to the TTC Board. I linked this deck from my recent article on the subject.
It is unfortunate, but not unusual, that this map is not in an easy to find location on the website. Many times I have written about the disorganization of TTC comms. One part of the organization goes to the trouble of producing a map like this, but another does not post it and may not even be aware that it exists.
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Regarding the construction at Eglinton and changes to the 32, 34, and 54:
Thank you for your response. Is there a reason the 13, 51, 56 and 61 weren’t also going to use that entrance? In the case of the 56, it was going to be extended all the way to Eglinton West. The 13 also would have been extended to Mt Pleasant. Wouldn’t it have been easier for it to just use that entrance? Now we are left with changed headways and running times for those routes.
Steve: The other routes would not have stopped in the station, but would have loaded at temporary on street stops. Yes, I know that’s a stretch considering the chaos at Eglinton Station thanks to the Line 5 construction, but that was the plan. This would limit the number of buses and bays required to the three major routes.
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On the streetcar service changes page at the very bottom of the 504 King section there is an ominous statement:
The entitlement of the TIFF thugs must be satisfied. We’re at under four weeks to go and they don’t want to share.
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