Sunday, October 29 saw streetcars return west of Sunnyside Loop after a long absence during many construction projects. Service operates as far as Humber Loop on route 501, but with rush hour 508 Lake Shore trippers to Long Branch. The 507 Long Branch car will return on Sunday, November 19 at the next schedule change running between Humber and Long Branch Loops. Late evening service will run through with 501 Long Branch cars.
Here is a gallery of photos taken on November 3 and 5 of the restored operation.
While it is heartwarming to see streetcars back on a right-of-way that dates to the 1950s, the operation is hampered by the TTC’s fetish for caution with stop-and-proceed rules at all facing point switches (four between Queen & Roncesvalles and Sunnyside Loop, and even at the Humber Loop tail track), and at all intersecting roads. The concept of “transit priority” is diluted almost to vanishing.
Steve Munro 
Outstanding photos, Steve …. especially with the brilliant fall colours!
Steve: Thanks! There were other shots I wanted, but I didn’t have enough time to get them all, for example west of Windermere at the South Kingsway stop and up on the bridge, as well as from the roof of St. Joseph’s Hospital parking garage. Another time!
LikeLiked by 2 people
When non-transit using decision makers run things.
Why concrete? In case emergency vehicles have to use them? (Insert crickets here.) Stop prioritizing the single-occupant automobile, SUV, or pickup truck, when the streetcars can carry up to 100+ passengers. How many pickup trucks carry a full complement of passengers?
With bi-directional cycling lanes, emergency vehicles could use them as a “fire route” (unless they are used to park a pickup truck as the only person inside steps out to fetch some coffee).
LikeLiked by 2 people
Is the Parkside stop and passageway back into full service? And is it altered from before it was closed for “renovations”?
Steve: Yes it is. I transferred from the 501 car to the 80 Queensway bus there for a short trip up to High Park Loop. New treads on the steps too! And there is a traffic signal under installation just north of the underpass. No more dashing across traffic to get to/from the southbound stop, and also good for connecting the pedestrian way that runs along the north side of The Queensway.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m curious as to why the tracks were fully embedded in concrete, as if were a regular street, do they now let buses use the right of way, at least as far west as Humber loop?
Steve: The idea appears to be to make all rights-of-way bus friendly now. Note that the overhead support poles are all along the side, not in the middle where it makes bus operation more difficult.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s great to finally see streetcars return here after so long! Just regarding the Humber Loop tail track, is it ever actually used to store streetcars? I can’t think of another place in the system with a tail track so it seems a bit out of place.
Steve: It’s a rather odd part of the system. Other tail tracks have been removed over the years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When a cyclist is harmed or worse, it’s often a small distance, like inches or centimetres. Alas, I see a relatively large amount of excess widths in what is now built in the RoW, and to some degree in road allowance, including the south side, and where is that property line? So it’s a sad and vexing thing to have the continuity of the Queensway bike lane nixed in concrete for a few decades, and does reinforce my view that the TTC and City don’t really like to provide safer cycling, including for Parkdalians trying to get to High Park, as the bikes are competition to the transit, some days more than others.
I do hope nobody is killed along here; but hope that if so, the City/TTC are successfully sued though they do have a phalanx of lawyers to overcome.
Steve: Hamish: This is the last post of yours I will promote with the ridiculous idea that the City and TTC are out to get cyclists. Enough already.
LikeLike
I’m amazed that the TTC has so little confidence in their ability to design, build, operate, and maintain track work that they force ALL CARS to stop and proceed.
Just as well, I guess, that they seem to have well-advanced plans to turn all streetcar RoW into busways.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The tail track at Humber loop is not to store extra streetcars. It was suppose to be another track so streetcars can bypass one another, but they messed up when laying the tracks and the turn was way too sharp for streetcars, so they just left it as is.
Steve: Argggghhhhhhhhhh! (And, no I am not a pirate.)
LikeLike
I seem to recall there are actually a couple of centre poles around Sunnyside/Glendale, for reasons best known to TTC.
Not that having side poles helped to run the buses in the right-of-way rather than in mixed traffic with randomly located and poorly signed temporary stops between Colborne Lodge and Lake Shore Blvd for the past two years. There’s no affordance for buses to exit into the roadway at Humber loop rebuilt ~5 years ago, either. Is the right-of-way tunnel under the Gardiner cleared for bus operation, it seems pretty narrow?
Steve: You are asking for a co-ordinated policy and planning when what you get is ad hoc arrangements depending on whatever the issue of the day might be.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Is there a reason why there are no crossover sections on any of the dedicated streetcar routes, between turnarounds, so that individual streetcars can bypass a track issue or a disabled streetcar rather than having a huge section of track go out of service?
Steve: The problem with this type of operation is that it limits the frequency of service. Also, for mixed traffic running, wrong-way operation would be difficult especially on roads that effectively have only one lane in each direction due to parking, cycling lanes, or widened sidewalks. For construction projects, it is much better to rebuild the entire road and track structure in a single pass without having active transit traffic running through the site. Serving stops would be particularly tricky because streetcars do not have left side doors.
LikeLike
Long overdue. There are I think many of us Lakeshore forever people who have doubted its completion. Alas we’re older now.
LikeLike
“(unless they are used to park a pickup truck as the only person inside steps out to fetch some coffee).”
I’M ONLY GOING TO BE A MINUTE!
LikeLiked by 1 person
In a few of your photos the streetcars appear to be on a bit of a bank. Was it always this way, is there some benefit to this arrangement? I cant see streetcars ever going fast enough to justify banking the tracks.
Steve: There is some banking of the curve east of Humber Loop, as well as the one east of Parkside Drive. Given the “speed” of TTC operations, it’s a bit of a joke, but a sad one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Point understood and taken…
Sorry I sometimes neglect/forget to say good things: Thank you for taking and posting the photos – especially with the autumn colours they are lovely and appreciated!
Steve: You’re very welcome!
LikeLike