Transit Toronto

A major road race in Burlington and Hamilton extensively disrupts transit services in those cities this Sunday, *March 26.

GO Transit is replacing trains with buses along the 65 Barrie line Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26. This weekend, Metrolinx crews are working between Bradford and **Downsview Park GO stations to maintain or rebuild tracks as part of the GO Expansion Program.

Buses skip Downsview Park GO Station. Board TTC trains along Line 1 Yonge - University to travel to and from Downsview Park station.

Some buses operate express to Aurora GO Station. Be sure to check schedules and signs before you board a bus at Union terminal.

Southbound

• Buses leave East Gwillimbury GO Station and drop off or pick up passengers at all stations except Downsview Park, ending their trips in Union Station Bus Terminal.
• More southbound buses start in Aurora GO Station and serve passengers in all stations except Downsview Park. And even more southbound buses operate express from Aurora. They drop off or pick up passengers at local stops in Aurora, but then operate without stopping to Union terminal.
• Buses continue to operate along the 68 Barrie / Newmarket / Aurora route to connect passengers travelling between Allandale Waterfront GO Station and East Gwillimbury.

Northbound

• Some buses replacing trains leave Union and drop off or pick up passengers in all stations except Downsview Park and end in East Gwillimbury GO Station.
• More buses leave Union terminal and end in Aurora GO Station. They serve passengers in all stations south of Aurora except Downsview Park.
• Even more buses operate express — without stopping — between Union and Aurora.
• Buses continue to operate along the 68 Barrie / Newmarket / Aurora route to connect passengers travelling between East Gwillimbury and Allandale.

Metrolinx and GO plan to accommodate more passengers and increase service along the Barrie line, as part of their GO Expansion Program (formerly “regional express rail”).

The TTC is closing Line 1 Yonge - University subway between Lawrence and St Clair stations earlier than usually Monday, March 20 until Thursday, March 23. Line 1 subway trains operate only between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and St Clair stations and between Finch and Lawrence stations after 11 p.m. those days.

Frequent shuttle buses partly replace the trains, stopping in subway station bus terminals or on the street near each station of the closed section of the line.

(Or, consider a shuttle-bus alternative.)

While this section of Line 1 is closed, Metrolinx contractors continue working on the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line — the TTC’s future Line 5 Eglinton.

All stations remain open so you can pay fares or connect with TTC buses and streetcars.

Since Lawrence Station is not yet an accessible station, if you’re travelling southbound along Line 1 and need an accessible connection, exit the train at York Mills Station and ask a TTC customer service employee for help or directions.

According to a TTC news release, “While the TTC does most subway maintenance at the conclusion of service each night, it continues to require weekend and early weeknight closures to complete critical infrastructure and… signal upgrades.”

The TTC is closing this section of Line 1 once more during March:

• Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26 — York Mills to Bloor — all day — signal upgrades.

Late nights after 11 p.m. Monday, March 20 until Thursday, March 23, Line 1 Yonge - University subway trains in both directions operate along the southbound tracks only between Vaughan Metropolitan and Pioneer Village stations.

During single-track operation, both south- and northbound trains alternate along the southbound tracks. The TTC is operating a subway shuttle train between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Pioneer Village. The subway shuttle train operates along the southbound tracks, while crews repair the northbound tracks.

You must board northbound trains on the southbound platforms at Pioneer Village and Highway 407 stations. You may also have to wait for trains longer than usually.

If you require Wheel-Trans service, speak with any TTC customer service staff member for help or directions.

According to a TTC news release, “While the TTC does most subway maintenance at the conclusion of service each night, it continues to require weekend and early weeknight closures to complete critical infrastructure and state-of-good-repair work.”

Regular service resumes by 6 a.m. each morning.

The TTC is closing this section of Line 1 once more during March:

• Monday, March 27 until Thursday, March 30 — Vaughan Metropolitan Centre to Finch West — late-evening single-track operation — track work.

The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade wends its way through downtown Toronto this Sunday, March 19, resulting in detours or delaying TTC services.

A reader very kindly noted that some individuals still don’t trust the Internet enough to send money by e-mail or web form, and we respect that. They noted that some railfans may be interested in contributing to the fundraiser to digitize the remainder of Richard Glaze’s collection of 16mm films, and would be more likely to do so if there was some way for them to contribute by cheque through the mail. We also respect that.

So, if you are one of those individuals who would rather not make their contribution electronically, you can still participate in this fundraiser by sending a cheque made to “James Bow” at the following post-office box address:

James Bow
c/o Earthenhouse Incorporated
10-525 Highland Road West, Suite 252
Kitchener, ON
N2M 5P4

All contributions are welcome. At present, we have raised enough to digitize the three remaining 400-foot reels containing footage of the last days of streetcar operation in Montreal, Ottawa and Rochester, as well as nearly 20 100-foot reels of footage from the 1970s. Around 60 100-foot reels remain, but at a digitization charge of $49/minute, each 100-foot reel could be done for $150. I may be able to do those gradually over time, but every $150 raised between now and the end of the campaign (March 31, officially; unofficially, the film will be taken to Frame Discreet on April 17) will add another 100-foot reel to the pile.

Thanks once again to everybody who has contributed to this campaign, getting over three hours of classic footage digitized and made public. I am humbled by everyone’s support, and I know that Richard is delighted to have these films see the light of day.

The TTC is closing Line 1 Yonge - University subway between York Mills and Bloor stations Saturday, March 18. Line 1 trains operate only between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Bloor stations and between Finch and York Mills stations those days.

Shuttle buses partially replace subway service. The buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops near each station on the closed section of the line. TTC staff are available in each to station to direct you to the shuttle-bus boarding and offloading locations.

(Or, consider a shuttle-bus alternative.)

Summerhill Station is closed. All other stations on the closed section of Line 1 remain open so you can buy or pay for fares or connect to other TTC buses and streetcars or GO Transit buses.

At Lawrence Station, the TTC is closing the automatic entrances / exits at Ranleigh and Bedford Park avenues Saturday. All other entrances and exits at the station will be available.

While this section of Line 1 is closed, TTC crews are installing the Automatic Train Control (ATC) signal system.

The TTC says that “Portions of the previous signalling system dated back to the 1950s when the subway first opened. The implementation of ATC represents an important step forward in modernizing Canada’s busiest subway system and is essential to providing the best service possible for our [passengers].”

According to a TTC news release, “While the TTC does most subway maintenance at the conclusion of service each night, it continues to require weekend and early weeknight closures to complete critical infrastructure and state of good repair work as well as ATC signal upgrades.”

The TTC is closing this part of Line 1 at least twice more during March:

• Monday, March 20 until Thursday, March 23 — Lawrence to St Clair — close early — Metrolinx construction of the Eglinton - Crosstown light rail transit line.
• Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26 — York Mills to Bloor — track work.

Image: Durham Region Transit.

In Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe (and probably most other places), the most you ever hear from people about their bus or streetcar driver… is usually a complaint.

This Saturday, Saturday, March 18, is the day to change that during the annual Transit Worker Appreciation Day.

Consider this: For hours on end, transit drivers manage to keep a schedule, check fares, give directions, remember stop requests and more, all while safely maneuvering an extra-large vehicle through unpredictable traffic, adverse weather conditions and some really tight spaces. The fact is, transit drivers don’t have an easy job, they just make it look that way.

Celebrate the contributions of your hard-working bus and streetcar drivers and train operators! Honour the hard work of the thousands of other transit workers who keep vehicles and stations clean and functioning. That could be as simple as a smile and a wave when you board the bus or train and a “thank you” when you leave. You can also spread the word on social media, using the hashtag #thankstransit. And, don’t forget to submit an official commendation for a job well done, so your transit agency can formally recognize your transit workers for their efforts. (You can do that any time of year.)

OK, so maybe it’s not an official holiday… yet. Here’s your chance to help spread the word and make it a tradition.

School bus drivers have their day to shine, and so do truck drivers. Some riders in Seattle conceived Transit Driver Appreciation Day in 2009 and we think it’s a great way to honour the many hard-working men and women who keep us all moving every day.

Why March 18? That’s the day in 1662 that Blaise Pascal — mathematician, inventor, physicist, philosopher, author and general savant — started operating an omnibus service in Paris.

Image: TTC.

Starting Saturday, March 18, Burlington Transit’s Downtown Transit Terminal opens Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Monday-to-Friday hours remain the same: 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.

The Downtown Terminal is closed Sundays and holidays.

Metrolinx and its contractors continue building the Hurontario light rail transit line in Mississauga and Brampton. When the line is operating, it will be called the Hazel McCallion Line, to honour the late Mississauga mayor.

Starting 7 p.m. Friday, March 17, the Region of Peel is closing

• Dundas streets east and west between Confederation Parkway and Kirwin Avenue / Camilla Road and
• Hurontario Street between Hillcrest Avenue and King Street

in the City of Mississauga so that contractors can relocate and upgrade the sewer and water main as part of the LRT construction project.

The work zone blocks the regular path for GO Transit buses along this route:

• 21 Milton / Toronto.

However, GO has not announced detour-routing information.

MiWay is detouring buses along these routes, while the intersection is closed:

• 1 Dundas;
• 2 Hurontario;
• 101 Dundas express; and
• 103 Hurontario express.

Construction at Dundas / Hurontario and the resulting GO and MiWay detours continue until March 20 (6 a.m.)

According to an article on the Metrolinx News blog by Maria Khan, Metrolinx communications senior advisor, crews are excavating a trench four metres deep in the middle of the intersection during the closure this weekend. They will replace and upgrade pipes, while the system is “live”. A sewer bypass pump will divert or reroute sewage and other waste during construction to avoid interrupting service while work proceeds. A sewer bypass pump is typically capable of bypassing thousands of litres of sewage per minute.