The TTC is into the second round of its consultation for service changes and construction projects in 2026. There is a general page on the 2026 Network Plan and a Survey for feedback.
If you comment here, be sure to also complete the survey so that your feedback goes into the official record.
Updated August 14, 2025 at 1:20pm: This article was written based on information in the customer survey as it existed about 4:00 pm on August 13 when the link to it went live on the TTC site. This included a reference to a minimum 5 minute time saving for express buses which did not match the TTC’s own service standard. The survey now contains the correct information. Text in this article has been updated accordingly.
Updated August 22, 2025 at 2:40pm: The City of Toronto has confirmed that widening of the St. Clair underpass east of Keele Street will not be part of the Metrolinx/TTC project planned for 2026.
Public Pop-Ups
- August 13:
Pioneer Village Station near express route bus bays
7:30-9:30 a.m. - August 14:
Kipling Station near express route bus bays
7:30-9:30 a.m. - August 18:
Kennedy Station near express route bus bays (Platform A and B)
7:30-9:30 a.m. - August 19:
Don Mills Station near express route bus bays
4-6 p.m. - August 20:
Yonge and College 506 Carlton, Eastbound stop
4-6 p.m.
Note that almost all of these relate to the review of express bus services, and only one of the construction proposals (College/Carlton) is covered. More consultation in affected neighbourhoods is definitely required.
Express Network Review
Although the TTC has various standards regarding the design of its express network, not all routes actually meet the standards. An important question is whether the route designs are somehow “wrong” or if the problem lies with the standards.
In the original version of the survey, there was a reference to a five minute time saving standard. The correct standard is a saving of 15-20% versus local service.
The following routes do not achieve the minimum travel time saving of five minutes 15-20% compared to local service:
- 925 Don Mills Express
- 937 Islington Express
- 938 Highland Creek Express
- 944 Kipling South Epress
- 945 Kipling Express
- 953 Steeles East Express
- 954 Lawrence East Express
- 960 Steeles West Express
- 984 Sheppard West Express
- 986 Scarborough Express
The five minute standard does not exist in the official Service Standards document. Instead, it provides:
The Service Standards provide:
- the express service travel time must be approximately 15%-20% less than the existing TTC alternative for each of the operating periods being considered; and the one-way distance between the start and end of the local route must be greater than 10 km, or;
- express service can be implemented on routes with a one-way distance of less than 10 km if the average customer trip length is 60% or more of the local route’s one-way distance. [Service Standards at p.24]
The specification of an exact time, five minutes, represents a different percentage saving depending on the length of the route. Moreover, the time saved by each rider will vary depending on how much of the route they travel. For example, a one-way trip on the Finch Express from STC to Finch West Station is 84 minutes in the AM peak, but not every rider travels the full length of the route. A five minute saving represents barely 6% of the trip length, well below a 15-20% standard.
It is not clear why the TTC is using a different metric for express routes here than the one specified in their own standards.
In the route-specific part of the survey, the TTC asks about the express bus compared to the local service both in speed and in terms of stop spacing. It is clear that they seek to “speed up” the service by having it stop less frequently. Whether this actually addresses demand patterns is another matter. They also ask whether there are destinations not served by the express bus that should be added.
Current Service Standards for local bus and streetcar routes is a spacing range of 300-400m. For express routes, the Standard is 800-1200m. There is no explicit “wiggle room” to deal with local conditions where major destinations might justify a shorter spacing.
Construction Plans
Major road projects will affect service on parts of the streetcar system in 2026. The TTC seeks feedback on diversion plans for three of them. (This is not a complete list, but the three stand in for the rest for the purpose of the survey.) All dates are tentative.
College-Carlton From Bay to Church
The work is planned in two phases with a FIFA “intermission”.
- March-April 2026: Replacement of track and overhead at the Bay & College intersection
- Juy-December 2026: Track, overhead and water main work from Bay to Church
During the first phase, the proposed service diversions shift the 506 streetcars onto Dundas between Parliament and McCaul. A 506B bus would operate between Castle Frank and Spadina Stations shifting south to Gerrard from Parliament to Sherbourne (to connect with the streetcars) and between Yonge and University (to bypass construction).
The TTC proposes two options for the second phase. The only difference between them is that in option 1, the 506B bus returns to Carlton Street between Sherbourne and Church, while in option 2 it stays on Gerrard from Parliament to Bay.
In a consultation session I asked why the streetcars would use McCaul rather than Bay which would have been rebuilt in phase 1. The TTC replied that they were unsure of the rebuilt overhead being ready at Bay, and plan on using McCaul even though this is the less desirable diversion.
They also acknowledge that the streetcar diversion to Parliament is needed because the missing curves (north to east, west to south) at Church and Carlton were not added the last time this intersection was rebuilt.
King West Between Dufferin and Close, Shaw and Spadina, and at York Street
Two projects are proposed for King Street continuing the upheavals of 2025.
- July 2026 to mid-2027: Water main work west from Spadina
- September to December 2026: Intersection of King & York track, overhead and water main work
Two diversion configurations are proposed, one for the period when King & York remains open, and one for the period when it is closed. The schedule for this work strikes me as unduly extended as if nobody really cares how long transit service will be disrupted.
(Note that the track work at York & King will include the addition of an east-to-north curve that will allow diversions via Adelaide or, eventually, Queen.)
There is no discussion of subdividing the work to allow streetcar service to return to parts of King before the end of the project.
- 504 King Service
- Phase 1:
- Streetcar service will be removed from King west of Spadina.
- A bus replacement will operate from Distillery Loop to Roncesvalles.
- Phase 2:
- Streetcar service will be removed west of Church and will operate to Queen via the Richmond/Adelaide diversion of the 501 Queen car. This routing is yet to be confirmed as the TTC appears to be concerned about all of the streetcar turning movements at King & Church even though they have only just finished rebuilding the intersection.
- The bus replacement service from Distillery Loop to Roncesvalles will continue with a diversion around King & York to be determined.
- Phase 1:
- 503 Kingston Road Service
- Phase 1:
- Buses will replace streetcars over the entire route. This is partly a question of diversion requirements and partly due to a shortage of streetcar operators. The 503 will continue operating to Dufferin Loop rather than to its former downtown terminus via Church/Wellington/York.
- Phase 2:
- Buses will continue to operate to Dufferin Loop, but they will divert around King & York via a route to be determined.
- Phase 1:
- 508 Lake Shore Service
- The 508 streetcar route will be cut back to Distillery Loop from it current eastern terminal at Broadview Station. It will follow the same diversion as the 504 streetcars during each phase.
- The 508 Lake Shore will be suspended, as usual, over the summer months in 2026.
St. Clair From Old Weston to Keele, Gunns Loop
The main construction work is at the underpass between Old Weston Road and Keele Street both for GO expansion, the new station on the Kitchener corridor, and the Davenport Road extension. It is not yet clear what physical changes will be made at the underpass such as widening to provide a reserved streetcar lane. The City of Toronto has confirmed that widening of the underpass will not be part of this work.
The timing and length of this project are unknown.
While the west end of 512 St. Clair is shut down, the TTC will replace the track in Gunn’s Loop.
The proposed diversion services are mapped below.
- 512 St. Clair streetcars will turn back at Earlscourt Loop at Lansdowne.
- A 512 bus will operate from Gunn’s Loop to Lansdowne Station. It will be scheduled independently from the 47 Lansdowne based on poor performance during a previous diversion when service on St. Clair was provided by a branch of the 47 bus.
- The 312 St. Clair night car will also be cut back to Earlscourt Loop.
- The 340 Junction night bus will be extended east from Gunn’s Loop to Oakwood Loop.
There is no discussion of how services will operate during any period when St. Clair is closed at the underpass, but these are expected to be weekend events, not extended shutdowns.
Construction Project Outlook
The map below was included in a consultation session but is not on the project’s website. It shows all of the planned work affecting the streetcar network in 2026.
Round One Proposals
Possible changes to various routes were discussed in Round One. Based on mixed feedback from consultations, two of these were “postponed”, although they could surface in future years.
- Downsview (101 Downsview Park and 128 Stanley Greene)
- Lawrence West Corridor (11 Bayview, 52 Lawrence West and 124 Sunnybrook)
- Scarborough (154 Curran Hall and 905 Eglinton East Express)
- Rosedale (75 Sherbourne and 82 Rosedale – postponed)
- Yorkville (19 Bay and 26 Dupont – postponed)
The survey includes the option of commenting on the three remaining proposals.
Steve Munro 
Interesting they now see how useful the missing curve at Carlton & Church would have been if anyone had remembered to install it and good they will add the one at King & York (if nobody forgets!)
Of course, it would be even MORE useful if they extended the southbound track on York for the ca 100 meters between Adelaide and King and added another curve there and on Adelaide but …
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I wonder what part of Long Branch loop needs to be rebuilt now.
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I left feedback for them, to stop adding express stops as it slows down the routes. 939 didn’t need to have Willowdale/Senlac added given the frequent 39/36 service and little demand for the 98. 985 feels like barely an express route with little to no time savings with the 85 as it stops so frequently.
I also indicated that they need to actually dispatch articulated buses on artic routes. It’s a daily occurrence for at least a few vehicles on 902, 904 and 939 to be standard buses despite having an artic schedule which is frustrating as the frequencies were reduced for artics. If they are having an equipment issue/shortage, they should look at perhaps reverting 129B back to standard buses to free up some artics. It’s funny how they wrote on the Line 3 replacement website that they will operate the service with new hybrid electric articulated vehicles, only to, a year later send almost all of them back to Mount Dennis. So now you never see the Flyers on 903 when earlier this year and last year the entire route exclusively ran with them.
Also, I remember reading in a proposal that they want to cut back 939 to STC like it was before they extended it to Kennedy for reliability and given all the other routes operating on the line 3 corridor. I haven’t seen that in this consultation. Are there still plans to do this eventually?
Steve: I have not seen anything on this, but wouldn’t be surprised if it happens. Your point about artics is important. I will look at this as an issue for other artic routes based on tracking data.
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I for one am really excited for the TTC to have a new diversion track that they won’t use for diversions. Adelaide between Charlotte and York needs friends!
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Adding too many stops to the 984 especially between the Sheppard West and Yonge stations slows it right down. The express buses should just stop an the major junctions only, when the 196B was running it only stopped at Bathurst. The 984 can be fast on the section between Jane and Keele only if the lights are in its favour.
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On Express Buses:
On most of these routes, I don’t see an excessive number of stops.
Perhaps there’s one here or there, but I think they should probably be more focused on operational changes will improve travel time.
All-Door loading, eliminating cash fares, express buses are a good way to start this, as there are relatively few stops, which could then get fare purchasing machines.
Tackling overcrowding as this bloats dwell times at stops.
David C’s comment about streetcars bares reinforcing. The TTC needs to tackle the absurd size of many diversions, removing 3-5km of route to get around 250m of construction.
Additional turning movements where track already exists is the low hanging fruit. I think there also really needs to be a new N-S connection between the Gerrard and Queen tracks between Broadview and Coxwell, that gap is unreasonably large.
Steve: Such a connection was proposed decades ago, but it was rejected due to low projected use and high cost.
Also, re overcrowding, the received wisdom for some time is that routes are not overcrowded and don’t need more service. That is, of course, a handy excuse for not spending more. A recent presentation to the TTC’s Strategic Planning Committee included proposed spending to address, among other things, overcrowding. Depending on the political flavour of the day, TTC acknowledges or downplays this problem. It will be interesting to see what the Ridership Growth Strategy proposes when it comes out later this month.
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I find it interesting that they are proceeding with construction without a phase 2 plan already in place.
Steve: Which project are you referring to?
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Stop punishing those ttc passengers on King West west of Bathurst.
Navigating from that area to the financial district between University & Jarvis is already a mess and it’s going to be extended west of Spadina for another year!!!!
Who makes these questionable decisions?
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They should add an advance left turning phase for WB Gerrard to SB Broadview. 501/503 diversions like last week’s 7 day affair always result in gridlock on Gerrard.
Steve: This is one of several locations where turns for diversions occur quite regularly but with no signal priority. A disgrace.
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Steve, there will be more track replacement and watermain replacement on King Street in 2026 and 2027. It will necessitate diverting the “504 King” streetcars onto Queen Street. Also, the “503 Kingston Road” to switch to shuttle bus operation, and the seasonal (summer) suspension of the “508 Lake Shore” streetcar route.
Steve: Yes, I know. That info is in the article.
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The dunces in charge have to pull their heads out of their asses and think less about the $10-15 million hit to their bloated budgets and more about the value such a connection would bring to their customers.
Cutting off-route diversion mileage and the number of stops dropped by half is in itself worthwhile. So too is providing alternate track between the yards where three quarters of the fleet are stored and the mainline so that construction shutdowns on one street combining with emergency stoppages on the other street won’t prevent service from getting out on to the roads.
I even have a suggestion as to where they could get money to build such a connection. Cut back the budget being wasted on schedule padding and reallocate the millions of dollars to projects like this.
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When the SRT was taken out of service due to the derailment accident, it was replaced with a whole slew of buses servicing commuters from Kennedy Station to Scarborough TC.
The SRT did this route in 10 min and came into the stations every 5-8mins.
The current buses seem to take twice the time and the wait times are now longer at Kennedy station.
Why can’t the TTC implement an express bus that will travel straight to STC and vice versa with no stops in between. If you go down Brimley to Eglinton and into Kennedy, the travel time would be less and equivalent to the SRT time of 10 min.
I’m really not a Transit planner but I’ve been suggesting this route that the 131 Nugget bus used to take before Covid. I guess it was too much of a good thing so the brass got rid of that to complicate things further for us transit riders.
Steve: When the SRT busway goes into service, we will likely see a re-arrangement in routes. One other issue about Brimley is that when construction of the SSE gets seriously underway at the south end of the extension, I suspect that traffic will be more constrained than it is today.
As for wait times, that is an endemic problem with TTC bus routes where schedules have long terminal recovery times. The SRT couldn’t sit around at Kennedy because it was a single track platform.
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Echoing Mark’s sentiment, it’s hard to think the city views Liberty Village / City Place / all the infill in Parkdale, Queen West, and the Entertainment District as anything but a cash cow to keep Etobicoke’s property taxes low. As I’ve commented before, this will mark the fourth summer in six years where there is no service between Bathurst and Shaw. The bananas decision to divert at Church and provide no service across the financial district is beyond infuriating.
One could also point to the anemic response to the traffic issues last summer, the decision to punt the King/Liberty GO station into the next millennium, or the foot dragging on investing in sidewalks in Liberty Village as examples of these residents paying the highest property taxes per hectare in the country (maybe even North America) and repeatedly getting punched in the face by city hall as a thank you.
Good thing nearly all of the impacted residents are in one electoral district so they can punish Councillor Malik and let Councillor Holyday off scott free to rant about the high tax burden of Etobicoke homeowners. (The median condo in her district pays more taxes than the median home in his, but I digress).
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I wonder how the Old Weston Rd & St.Clair Project will pan out. The road is quite narrow as it is now; is it possible to widen the road?
I assume it would mean expropriation of some properties, but if a dedicated streetcar track would be added, that would be wonderful.
What’s happening at Long Branch Loop? I thought they already renewed the tracks along Lake Shore in Etobicoke.
Hope you’re doing well, Steve. Thanks again for the article. I hope you had a wonderful summer 🙂
Best regards
Steve: There is a plan to widen the underpass, but it is unclear if this will actually occur. I have sent a note to the city asking whether the widening will occur next year.
Not sure what’s going on at Long Branch. Will find out.
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What is the TTC’s end goal for fixing the travel times south of Eglinton on the 925? Cutting stops won’t fix it. But bus-only lanes with no vehicles in them may help – except when Overlea is down to a single lane in each direction for OL construction (not so easy to do). Makes me wonder, in 250 years when the OL opens, will they simply chop the entire line south of Eglinton and terminate it at the new Don Valley Station?
Steve: Yes, I expect that Don Valley Station will be the south end for the 25/925 and there will be separate services to the south. The three stations from Thorncliffe Park to Don Valley will make a big change in travel and demand patterns.
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Would there be another 340 Junction Bus added?
Steve: For the extension east to Oakwood, I expect so, but the service designs are not included in the proposals.
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