This post continues a series of articles reviewing travel times for streetcar and bus operations on 510 Spadina. Recent events include winter storms, temporary bus substitution for one week in February 2026 due to power supply issues, and implementation of better transit priority at three intersections.

This article includes data from January 2024 through March 2026 showing travel times on Spadina. Also included are comparisons of speeds and dwell times along the route from October 2025 and March 2026.

For an extended period in 2024-25, the 510 route operated with buses and was, for a time, diverted to St. George Station. Comparisons between streetcar and bus travel times varied through this period depending on the location, time of day, traffic conditions and the degree of priority given to buses, if any.

In February 2026, signals at College, Queen Dundas and King were modified to give streetcars a clear signal before allowing left turns. In the data to March 31, the effect of this change is small. At the level of an individual intersection, this is hard to measure because the change in wait time for a signal is comparable to the frequency with which streetcars report their location. This problem is discussed in more detail at the end of the article. [Corrected at 5:45pm, April 6]

Although signals may clear for streetcars more quickly, there is no change in TTC operating practices that force vehicles to crawl through intersections. The results were not as good as I had hoped, and there are areas on 510 Spadina that need priority far more than the three intersections modified so far.

At this point, confirmation of the benefit of signal changes awaits more data as well as possible expansion of the program.

More generally, the three modified intersections are only part of a larger route, and not necessarily the primary source of delay. Any attempt to improve 510 Spadina travel times must look at the whole route, and at the many locations where streetcars can be delayed.

One point of interest is that streetcar travel times rose slightly after the period of bus operation compared to before (Spring 2025 vs Spring 2024). The change is small but noticeable. What made the difference?

The City and TTC must address why it is possible for buses in mixed traffic to outrun streetcars on reserved lanes during periods when traffic is not congested. A mixture of signalling, stop location and TTC operating practices make this possible.

My apologies to readers who say “oh no, not more charts” and move on to something else. I have deliberately included a lot of them here so that those who are interested can see how the data behave. Any suggestions for changes in presentation or analysis are welcome.