In a previous article, I wrote about problems with the TTC’s subway work car fleet that were revealed by a day-long shutdown of Line 2. See The State of Disrepair (II).
A series of question to the TTC brought little information and a reply suggesting my sources did not know what they were talking about when, in fact, the TTC misrepresented my question.
TTC management have not yet reported to the Board on the status of the work car fleet.
Updated: There is a one-page status update in the June 20, 2024 Board Meeting agenda in the CEO’s Report.
Work car condition and availability are key to the large off-hours program of infrastructure renewal. Many of these cars are specialized for their tasks and, unlike the passenger fleet, cannot be substituted for each other. The variety is shown in the chart below which was part of a TTC presentation at the May 2024 board meeting.
Immediately after the hydraulic fluid leak on May 13, much of the fleet was put through an inspection to determine how prevalent leaks and similar problems might be. Until they were deemed fit, cars that could have such problems were out of service. The sudden change in availability is shown in the charts below.
The red cells indicate that a car was held out of service either for repairs, or awaiting inspection. The amber cells indicate a car that can be used with some restrictions depending on the fault. On Wednesday, May 15, two days after the Line 2 shutdown, much of the fleet was put on hold for inspection with cars gradually returning. Details about individual cars follow later in the article.
This information is taken from daily reports of the work fleet’s status. Note that some days, mainly on weekends, are missing. Each page below covers the six-week interval for a group of cars.
Of particular concern are the two tie-tampers, RT-21 and RT-41 which are crucial for some major rail work. Both have been out of service since mid-May, and projects are rescheduled to work around the availability of needed cars.
There is a direct link between the availability of work cars and the TTC’s ability to keep up with ongoing maintenance, let alone to address a backlog. Scrimping on the budget for maintenance vehicles might solve a short term budget problem, but it exposes the system to disrepair through just getting by with available resources.
Updated June 13, 2024 at 8:00 am: A table comparing scheduled service levels on Queens Quay has been added.
Updated June 13, 2024 at 2:00 pm: A table comparing scheduled service levels on the 510 streetcar with proposed bus service has been added.
In April, I reported TTC plans to replace 510 Spadina Streetcars with buses from June 23 through the summer and fall. The TTC has now updated the announcement and extended the program from October into December. Here are the April (left) and June (right) versions of the maps for comparison.
Enabling works for Spadina Station Loop expansion. Condo construction east of the station will expose part of its structure, and the TTC will make provision for extending the streetcar loading platform.
Overhead reconstruction from Spadina Station to College Street, and from King to Queens Quay.
There is no information about the segment from College to King which was omitted due to resource limitations according to the TTC. It is unclear whether there will be another shutdown in 2025 to finish the work. I await clarification on that issue from the TTC.
Buses will operate in mixed traffic, not on the streetcar right-of-way. According to the Transit Notice:
The City will be deploying traffic wardens to assist bus operations on Spadina Avenue.
Narrow lane width and centre overhead poles in certain sections preclude bus service on the streetcar right-of-way.
Overhead crews will be actively working in the right-of-way in different sections of Spadina Avenue.
Operating in both the streetcar right-of-way and in mixed traffic lanes would require new signals and limit any travel time benefits.
Some of this does not entirely make sense. There are centre overhead poles only south of Front Street. No work is planned between College and King. It is not clear that completely new signals would be needed for buses to shift between the streetcar right-of-way and curb lanes, especially at College and at King where there are already priority signals for streetcar turns northbound and southbound. Some reprogramming would be necessary.
As for traffic wardens, they will be little use on lower Spadina where traffic is regularly backed up from the Gardiner Expressway. I would not be surprised to see many buses short turn at Adelaide rather than attempting the trip south to Queens Quay.
Service on 509 Harbourfront will be improved, but the details have not yet been published.
I will update this article as more information is available.
Comparison of Service Levels on Queens Quay
The table below shows the existing scheduled service on Queens Quay until June 22 with the 509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina cars, and from June 23 with the revised 509 service. It is quite clear that there will be less service on Queens Quay from June 23 onward.
The values shown below are headways in minutes and seconds, and vehicles/hour e.g. “10′ (6)”.
509 Harbourfront to June 22
510 Spadina to June 22
Combined 509/510 to June 22
509 Harbourfront effective June 23
Percent Change
Weekdays
AM Peak
7’15” (8.4)
10′ (6)
4’10” (14.4)
6′ (10)
-31%
Midday
9’30” (6.3)
10′ (6)
4’53” (12.3)
7′ (8.6)
-30%
PM Peak
9’30” (6.3)
10′ (6)
4’53” (12.3)
6′ (10)
-19%
Early Evening
9’15” (6.5)
10′ (6)
4’48” (12.5)
7′ (8.6)
-31%
Late Evening
10′ (6)
9’30” (6.3)
4’53” (12.3)
8′ (7.5)
-31%
Saturdays
Early Morning
8’30” (7.1)
9’30” (6.3)
4’49” (13.4)
8’30” (7.1)
-47%
Late Morning
9’15″(6.5)
8’30” (7.1)
4.25 (13.6)
7′ (8.6)
-37%
Afternoon
8’15” (7.3)
7’45” (7.7)
4′ (15)
4′ (15)
Nil
Early Evening
9’15” (6.5)
5’15” (11.4)
3’21” (17.9)
7′ (8.6)
-52%
Late Evening
10′ (6)
9’30” (6.3)
4’53” (12.3)
8′ (7.5)
-39%
Sundays
Early Morning
15′ (4)
15′ (4)
7’30” (8)
10′ (6)
-25%
Late Morning
8’45” (6.9)
9’45” (6.2)
4’35” (13.1)
7’30” (8)
-39%
Afternoon
8’15” (7.3)
9′ (6.7)
4’17” (14)
5′ (12)
-14%
Early Evening
9’15” (6.5)
6’15” (9.6)
3’44” (16.1)
7′ (8.6)
-46%
Late Evening
10′ (6)
9’30” (6.3)
4’53” (12.3)
8′ (7.5)
-39%
Comparison of Service Levels on Spadina
The table below compares the existing streetcar service on 510 Spadina between Spadina Station and Queens Quay with the proposed level of bus service. Note that streetcars carry two to three times the load of a standard bus. Values are shown in minutes and seconds, with vehicles per hour in brackets.
Steve Munro 