When I published my article about the year-long shutdown of streetcar service on St. Clair, I did not expect it would trigger a wave of complaints on Twitter/X about the scope and length of the project. Late last week, I was busy dealing with the announced service changes overall, but now am taking another look at St. Clair.
In the presentation deck (about which more below) there is a chronology showing that there was consultation back in May 2023. Exactly what this might have entailed is hard to say, but there were certainly no fireworks four months ago.
Anyone who is trying to keep on top of TTC construction plans has something of a challenge finding information. The Projects and Plans page is only linked from the common footer of all pages on the TTC site. If you don’t scroll down to the bottom, you will never find it.
Within that page is a link to the St. Clair project page. It contains links to an August 24 version of the project overview and a construction notice. The August 24 version is the one I used in writing my article. There are, however, three versions of the project overview.
The description of the planned work in the last version is quite different from the May 2023 version on which consultation would have been based.
Courtesy of the Internet Archive, I pulled up the original version of the St. Clair project page posted on August 12. Note that it says “Work will result in intermittent bus replacement on the 512 St. Clair streetcar route”, not a complete shutdown lasting to summer 2024. By late August, the page had changed.
Here are the three versions of the presentation deck:
In the May deck, text on a diversion map talks about intermittent bus operation, and the projected end date is first quarter 2024 for third party works. However, elsewhere we see that the full project including St. Clair West Station would run through to the summer.
It is quite possible that the May version of the deck gave the impression of a shorter, less intrusive project than the one now underway.
This was the version in effect for the original consultation.
By the August 11 version, the dates have not changed, but reference to “intermittent” replacement is gone.
The August 24 version contains the same information in a different form.
What is not clear is whether the TTC ever actually consulted about a more extensive shutdown, or about the problems created by operating buses in the traffic lanes, not on the streetcar right-of-way. The latter is difficult because of the support poles for the overhead system which lie between the eastbound and westbound tracks.
This is an example of scope creep coupled with changing and hard-to-find information. One might think that the TTC has been taking lessons from Metrolinx.
Steve Munro 
Sadly, when it comes to the TTC, this lack of transparency is par for the course.
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We have had to take the bus on St. Clair twice each day for the last 2 days. The driving is erratic and as elderly people (89 and 79) there is little to no understanding given to those of us who can’t move quickly. This area is filled with seniors and you can’t Uber to Loblaws, a three minute drive, easily. It will be a long and dangerous winter for all the seniors on St. Clair.
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Seems to be a good opportunity to install side poles on one side of the right-of-way, if they are not going with a grassy right-of-way.
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Instead of looping the 512 bus at Gunns Loop, extend alternate buses to Scarlett Road for the duration of the St. Clair construction. Replacing the 189 Stockyards bus at the same time.
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This project creep is reminiscent of the decision years ago to use pantographs. Of course, they are better, but I do not remember any mention of the fact that this decision would mean the whole of the overhead system (wires and poles and electrical) would also need to be changed. Having been ‘on the other side’, I understand why the TTC staff did not raise this, but that is what a Board should ask about!
Steve: I also think that projects are undermanned these days and should be proceeding much faster. It should not take so long to redo the overhead on a route that is one of the shortest in the system. The big question is why St. Clair West Station is in such bad shape that the entire slab has to be replaced at concourse/loop level, and why that work is going to take so long.
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An absolute nightmare already! Up to 30 min wait at St. Clair West for ONE bus going west. Nowhere to sit while waiting. Then 8-10 minutes just to go 1 block to Bathurst. This will be a year from hell, guaranteed.
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I haven’t seen a bus along St Clair that is higher or wider than a streetcar. I just don’t understand why the buses cannot use the ROW for most of the route.
Steve: The streetcars are on tracks and there is no chance of them swerving into a pole or off of the raised track. Think of this in the context of bad winter weather, not a hot, dry summer day.
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I have no doubt this work will be a fustercluck and I’m glad I don’t live there anymore. However, when it comes to groceries, I think anyone who has trouble getting to the store or carrying the groceries home should look at Instacart or one of the other delivery services. There are some costs involved with using it, but an Uber or a cab to the store is going to cost as much. It also lets you order from a variety of stores so you can shop sales. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about struggling to get bulky or heavy items home. And any senior who can post here has the skill to use it. Years ago I used to take the subway from Spadina/Bloor area to Wilson, walk to the Costco, buy groceries–being careful to not get more than I could carry–and then use giant shopping bags to carry them all the way home. Did this in all weather. Nowdays if I want giant rolls of toilet paper or a case of ginger beer, I can place an order for heavy and bulky stuff. It doesn’t mean you can’t go out, but it means you don’t suffer bringing stuff back. TTC will get you around but the options for bringing a lot of stuff with you are limited.
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TTC is pathetic.
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The temptation to revert to vehicle ownership is a direct result of TTC incompetence and misinformation. I was astonished when I discovered the St. Clair Streetcar would be replaced by shuttle bus service until 2024. What was the point of it then? Indeed, local businesses were concerned about the impact of the dedicated line but, as it turned out, the impact was negligible.
I appreciated the “speed” of the dedicated tracks – when service was optimal. Yet frequency was left to be desired. Several streetcars would pass in the opposite direction while I waited for at least one going my way. At times is was faster to simply walk to the subway or take a taxi if I was in a hurry. I returned to Toronto 10 years ago after working in Frankfurt am Main, Germany for 12 years. The TTC could learn a few (if not many) things about public transportation from them. Efficiency. Reliability. Service. All at a lower price to boot.
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Remember when they took the 512 out of service a few years back. They said it was to make alterations to the stops for the new streetcars. And to make the necessary hookups for on platform presto machines. But at the end of it all it seemed like the only thing they ever did was to add a new horizontal rail at the bottom of the railing. Which is rusted to hell now because for some reason they use coated steel and not galvanized. My point is…. what the hell did they actually do during those months of no service. Because we still don’t have presto on the platforms.
I’d also love to know more technical details regarding the structural status of SCW. is there something more serious at play then they are letting the public know about. Because this does seem excessive. The structure is not that old, and built with modern construction. Its probably over built. So what is really going on here.
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With a construction project so vast, consultation and coordination with the city, should have revamped the parking rules..on any given normal day, just look at all the cars parked from Yonge street to Bathurst..imagine bus replacements, trying to navigate and merge into 1 lane, westbound from Yonge..this creates not only a hazard to drivers, but pedestrians alike..just another lack of consideration for our neighborhood, with little forethought of consequences.. Josh Matlow, where is your voice, as our representative?
Steve: Considering that the TTC is supposed to have consulted with the local Councillors along the route, it will be interesting to hear just what they were told.
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The shutdown claims having to replace the overhead electrical wires for the streetcars. Is this new construction about 10 years old? Are we looking at a shutdown every 10 years for this type of work now? Could they not have done this in 2 sections? From Yonge St to St Clair W station, then from St Clair W station to the Keele St loop? It’s been shutdown now for more than a week and there has been no sign of work started. The back up of traffic on St Clair Ave due to bunching up of buses is horrendous!
Steve: The major overhead work is at intersections where they will remove provision for “hybrid” pan/pole operations. Elsewhere along the line, the TTC says that there is some overhead that still has to be fully converted notably for self-tensioning support (this is already in place on parts of but not all of the line). But the controlling factor in the length of the shutdown appears to be the work at St. Clair West, and this has allowed all other work to have a leisurely schedule. That’s not the sort of thing that people who are fuming about the loss of their streetcars want to see.
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Car traffic along St Clair West is slow at the best of times because of ample on-street parking and related bottlenecks. It’s effectively one lane of moving traffic in each direction, most of the time. (And this despite lots of underused Green P lots along its length.)
As such, it’s a complete mystery to me how this scheme was allowed to go ahead without getting rid of street parking, at least temporarily.
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The work on the St Clair West station loop appears to be the most time-consuming part of this bunch of projects. If that is the reason for this very long closure, could they not open east-west service on the whole route when the other projects are done by going down the ramp and up the other one and bypassing the station loop?
Steve: Riders would have to walk from nearby stops at Bathurst or Tweedsmuir to transfer to/from the subway entrance which is far from ideal. That is likely the rationale.
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If all goes my mind that’s a city keeps insisting that streetcars are more efficient….. If you look at the streetcar service over time….. They are out of service for upgrades or repairs much more often than the lines are running.
I also believe many of the projects are make work projects for the TTC construction department.
Mind you I rarely ever see actually anybody working on these lines when they are closed.
Steve: As a contrasting example, I offer the work on Broadview Avenue this summer, with a side trip to Coxwell and Gerrard. The Broadview work progressed quickly from north of Gerrard up to Danforth, and will occupy the block north to Erindale next week. The replacement of the Coxwell/Gerrard was done quickly and the street reopened early. Where there have been problems, notoriously with the KQQR project, the delays have generally been due to other work on the roads or utilities that have not gone according to plan.
There is a big problem with some of these consolidated projects. They are supposed to improve overall performance by bundling many smaller jobs into one big one, but what tends to happen is that one or more component goes awry fouling up the entire bundle. There is some reason why The Queensway work is late (again), but I cannot get a straight answer on this out of the TTC or City. This makes me think there is an “oops” that nobody wants to talk about.
For several years, and especially in the covid era, the TTC has a big surplus of buses and seems quite happy to put them out in service to replace streetcars. This allows a lazier approach to project deadlines, even though line-by-line, the TTC is driving riders away.
Oh yes, the workers who rebuild the track are TTC. Everyone else works for the City’s contractor or for various utilities.
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The 503 has been unable to use Wellington for 4 or 5 years and THAT was absolutely NOT the TTC’s fault. The City was in charge and water work, Toronto Hydro, Enbridge and the telecoms all took MUCH longer than expected. Apart from the (useless) new traffic lights at Scott, all is done and the TTC now appears almost ready to run the 503 there again: the overhead is now fully hung except at the two ‘joins’ (on Church south of King and York south of King) – though I doubt it’s connected to the power yet. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king!
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Do you know if the rail bridge work at St. Clair and Caledonia is going to account for a future station at that transit intersection?
I would hate for them to have to re-do a bunch of work if they eventually decide to have a local inner city rail stop return from a 40 year hiatus.
Steve: There is no plan for a station at St. Clair on the Barrie line. There will be one at Keele/Weston on the Georgetown/Kitchener line.
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Why are they even rehabilitating the bridge (between Weston and old Weston) that will be torn down during the Davenport realignment project in a few years anyway…
Steve: If you look at the overall project schedule, the bridge at Keele/Weston is being done as part of overall plan for the are including the new GO station, but not until late 2024 and even that is “TBA”. The rehab work included in this round is on the bridge west of Caledonia which carries the Barrie GO trains.
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There are public meetings on Sep 12 (already passed), Sep 13, and Sep 14. I plan to attend the one today at St Clair West.
Steve: It is sad that they are conducting public participation after the fact when, allegedly, this happened back in May, albeit before the scope change.
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Any idea why the 90 bus was changed to Bathurst in the updated plan rather than run them to the street above St Clair West station like they initially had? Traffic on Bathurst is always a mess and it seems like a more inefficient route now.
Steve: No. If any reader has more info on this, please add to the comment thread.
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I anticipated that this project would cause a lot of headaches and other problems along my main route going East from St Clair W, but honestly, in terms of having a bus reliably show up every 3-5 minutes, it’s been amazing. Such a benefit compared to the previous mornings when I’d be trying to get to an appointment on time only to check the ETA and see it often > 15 or 20 mins to my local stop – resulting in many costly Uber rides to reach my destination on-time. The better bus frequency is probably largely due to the fact that several buses can effectively queue on the south side of St Clair Ave W between Bathurst and Tweedsmuir, but it just goes to show how much of a bottleneck the stops in and around that station have become.
I would like the TTC should either remove or make the adjacent stops to St Clair W station non-rush hour only stops when the streetcar service is resumed, and perhaps using the nearby intersections as a test for transit-priority signals.
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Steve, from the Star article today:
Is TTC actually saying that the expected lifespan of a streetcar track is only 15 years?! Or does this have to be a misquote.
He is talking about an enclosed space, too, sheltered from the elements. I thought the epoxy coated steel thingies were supposed to last 25-30 years?
Thread on Mastodon.
Steve: It isn’t just the track. Much the slab of the concourse level that has to be replaced, but an important part of the work is the expansion joints, according to the presentation deck. See my previous article on the subject where the presentation decks are linked.
As for the 15 year remark, yes Stuart Green got that wrong. Track typically lasts for 20-25 years, but the TTC is putting a positive spin on the situation.
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