Water main construction, coupled with track repairs, will force the diversion of 504 King streetcars from November 2026 to early Summer 2027.
The map below is taken from a report at Toronto & East York Community Council on July 8-9 (p 4).
Two areas will be affected starting November 2026: Close to Dufferin, and Portland to Spadina. At the end of February 2027 work will begin between Shaw and Bathurst Streets.
The following services will operate over the 504 King corridor:
- 504 streetcar from Broadview Station to Dundas West Station diverting both ways via Queen between Roncesvalles and Spadina
- 504 bus service from the Distillery District to Sunnyside Loop
- 503 Kingston Road bus service from Bingham Loop to Dufferin Loop
- Not shown in the map is the 508 Lake Shore car whose summer 2026 suspension appears to continue through the construction period.
Night service will be provided by:
- 304 streetcar over the same route as 504 King car
- 304C bus over the same route as 504C King bus
Projects planned for 2027 includes watermain work and intersection reconstruction at King and York. This was originally expected in Fall 2026, but has been pushed back into the next construction year. TTC advises that King/York is scheduled to start in late June 2027 with the intention of completion before the film festival in September. Other projects will affect King West in 2027, but details for this work have not been announced.
Traffic regulations will be changed at several locations to assist transit vehicle movement during the construction. Details follow the “more” break.
Service Levels
Planned service levels (PM peak) are:
- 501 Queen streetcar: 10′ (6 cars/hour, no change)
- 504 King streetcar: 10′ (6 cars/hour, no change from the 504A service)
- Combined service of 5′ (12 cars/hour) on Queen West from Spadina to Roncesvalles
- 10′ service (6 cars/hour) to Dundas West and Broadview Stations (no change)
- 504C King bus: 5’30” (11 buses/hour)
- 503 Kingston Road bus: 5’30” (11 buses/hour)
- Combined service of 2’45” (22 buses/hour) on King from Sumach to Dufferin
Traffic Regulation Changes
Queen Street West currently has “No Stopping” restrictions in the peak period, peak direction. These will be changed extending both the hours and days they are in effect. Outside of these hours, there are no parking restrictions, and this will not change.
| Current | Proposed | |
|---|---|---|
| Roncesvalles to Dufferin | ||
| North Side | 4-6pm Mon-Fri | 7-11am & 2-7pm Mon-Fri |
| South Side | 7-9am Mon-Fri | 7-11am & 2-7pm Mon-Sun |
| Dufferin to Shaw | ||
| North Side | 4-6pm Mon-Fri | 7-11am & 2-7pm Mon-Fri |
| South Side | 7-10am Mon-Fri | 7-11am & 2-7pm Mon-Sun |
| Shaw to Spadina | ||
| North Side | 4-6pm Mon-Fri | 7-11am & 2-7pm Mon-Sun |
| South Side | 7-10am Mon-Fri | 7-11am & 2-7pm Mon-Sun |
The following left turn restrictions will be implemented:
- 7am to 7pm Mon-Sat
- Queen & Sorauren EB
- Queen & Dufferin EB
- Queen & Dovercourt EB & WB
- Queen & Strachan WB
- 2-7pm Mon-Fri
- Queen & Portland WB
- Queen & Augusta WB
These changes will take effect on November 1, 2026 and will remain in place until September 2027 or until streetcar service is restored on King Street.
Travel conditions will be monitored for both motor vehicle and transit travel times.
The report does not list any transit priority signalling changes. Three of the four turns at Spadina used by the diversion route already have priority signals, with only Queen eastbound missing.
The southbound left turn at Queen and Roncesvalles is already part of a single-direction phase.
Details of construction projects, diversions and traffic regulation changes for the 2027 works will be brought to the new Council after the Fall 2026 election.
Steve Munro 