Transit Toronto

The TTC is advising passengers that, from 11 p.m. Thursday, March 27 until 5 a.m. Friday, March 28, it’s detouring streetcars along these routes, “due to streetcar infrastructure work”:

• 301 Queen overnight; and
• 501 Queen.

(The TTC hasn’t specified the exact location where its crews are working.)

• Shuttle buses replace the cars between Roncesvalles Avenue / KingStreet West and Shaw Street.

The TTC is closing Line 1 Yonge - University subway between Finch and Eglinton stations earlier than usually, Monday, March 24 until Friday, March 28. Line 1 subway trains operate only between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Eglinton stations after 11 p.m. those evenings.

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.)

Most stations on this section of Line 1 remain open, so you can load PRESTO fare cards, buy PRESTO tickets and connect to TTC buses, streetcars and Line 4 Sheppard subway trains or to GO Transit and York Region Transit buses. However, North York Centre and Lawrence stations are closed.

Since the bus terminal at Lawrence Station is closed, board connecting buses at temporary stops on Lawrence Avenue West, instead of in the station bus terminal:

• westbound at Lorindale Avenue (one block west of Yonge Street); and
• eastbound at Yonge Street.

Finch and St Clair are accessible stations. The TTC is assigning two Wheel-Trans vehicles to operate along Yonge Street between the two stations. Speak to any TTC staff member for directions or help to locate Wheel-Trans stops at or near each station.

While this section of Line 1 is closed, TTC crews are maintaining the tracks and tunnel and installing technology for future 5G connectivity in the subway tunnels. The TTC also likely continues working on the Easier Access elevator project at Lawrence Station. And, Metrolinx contractors continue building the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line — the TTC’s future Line 5 Eglinton — at Eglinton Station evenings this week.

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

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

• Monday, March 31 until Friday, April 4 — Finch to St Clair — close early — track work.

The TTC is closing Line 1 Yonge - University subway between Finch and St Clair stations Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23. Line 1 subway trains operate only between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and St Clair 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.)

Most stations on this section of Line 1 remain open, so you can load PRESTO fare cards, buy PRESTO tickets and connect to TTC buses, streetcars and Line 4 Sheppard subway trains or to GO Transit and York Region Transit buses. However, North York Centre and Lawrence stations are closed.

Since the bus terminal at Lawrence Station is closed, board connecting buses at temporary stops on Lawrence Avenue West, instead of in the station bus terminal:

• westbound at Lorindale Avenue (one block west of Yonge Street); and
• eastbound at Yonge Street.

Finch and St Clair are accessible stations. The TTC is assigning two Wheel-Trans vehicles to operate along Yonge Street between the two stations. Speak to any TTC staff member for directions or help to locate Wheel-Trans stops at or near each station.

While this section of Line 1 is closed, TTC crews are maintaining the tracks and tunnel and installing technology for future 5G connectivity in the subway tunnels. The TTC also likely continues working on the Easier Access elevator project at Lawrence Station. And, Metrolinx contractors continue working on the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line — the TTC’s future Line 5 Eglinton — at Eglinton Station this weekend.

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

The TTC is closing this section of Line 1 twice more during March and early April:

• Monday, March 23 until Friday, March 28 — Finch to Eglinton — close early — track work.
• Monday, March 31 until Friday, April 4 — Finch to Eglinton — close early — track work.

From late Friday, March 21 until early Monday, March 24, GO Transit is cancelling train service along the 71 Stouffville line.

Shuttle buses replace trains along the line Saturday and Sunday, but will not drop off or pick up passengers in Milliken, Agincourt and Kennedy GO stations. Instead, board the TTC to travel to and from those stations. York Region Transit buses also operate near Milliken.

GO is cancelling train service to accommodate Metrolinx construction of the Ontario Line subway near the future Gerrard and Riverside / Leslieville stations.

This construction also affects service along the 09 Lakeshore East line this weekend.

GO is adjusting schedules and connection times this weekend. Replacement GO buses may leave stations at different times than the usual train times. Check schedules and leave earlier than usually to make sure you can board your bus at the correct time.

Friday, March 21

Northbound

• GO is extending the train that starts its trip in Union Station at 10:12 p.m. The train operates to Stouffville and Old Elm GO stations, instead of ending its trip in Mount Joy GO Station, as usually.
• GO is cancelling the train that usually starts in Union at 12:12 a.m. Instead, a GO bus along the 71C branch of the 71 Uxbridge / Stouffville / Toronto route replaces the train. The bus starts in Union Station Bus Terminal and operates express — without stopping — to Unionville GO Station. It then drops off or picks up passengers in Centennial, Markham, and Mount Joy GO stations.
• Passengers waiting to connect with the bus along the 70 Uxbridge / Stouffville / Markham route that leaves Old Elm at 1:32 a.m. must wait seven-to-twelve-minutes (one minute less or four minutes more than usually).

Saturday, March 22
Sunday, March 23

• Buses replace trains all day.
• Replacement buses operate along the 71C or 71E branches of the 71 Uxbridge / Stouffville / Toronto route. Buses operate express between Unionville and Union Station terminal.
• Buses along the 71C branch serve passengers at all stations between Old Elm and Unionville, then operate express between Unionville and Union
• Buses along the 71E branch serve passengers between Mount Joy and Unionville, then operate express.
• Southbound passengers aboard a bus along route 70 have to wait 16 minutes (one minute more than usually) in Old Elm to connect with a train-replacement bus.

Due to ongoing track maintenance after the weekend, GO will slightly adjust the schedules for trains along the line until April 14. + Northbound passengers connecting with a bus along route 70 at Old Elm have to wait six-to-11 minutes (two minutes less or three minutes more than usually). + Northbound passengers connecting with a route 70 bus at Mount Joy have to wait four-to-19 minutes (four minutes less and six minutes more than usually).

From late Friday, March 21 until early Monday, March 24, GO Transit is cancelling train service along the 09 Lakeshore East line between Pickering GO Station and Union Station.

Shuttle buses replace trains along the line Saturday and Sunday, but will not drop off or pick up passengers in Rouge Hill, Guildwood, Eglinton, Scarborough, or Danforth GO stations. Instead, board the TTC to travel to and from those stations.

GO is cancelling train service along this section of the line to accommodate Metrolinx construction of the Ontario Line subway near the future Gerrard and Riverside / Leslieville stations.

This construction also affects service along the 71 Stouffville line this weekend.

GO is adjusting schedules and connection times this weekend. Replacement GO buses may leave stations at different times than the usual train times. Check schedules and leave earlier than usually to make sure you can board your bus or train at the correct time. GO is also adjusting the schedules for buses along the 88 Peterborough / Oshawa route to make sure passengers can connect with trains.

Depending on your destination, you may wish to use other GO services, including buses along the 92 Oshawa / Yorkdale, 94 Pickering / Mississauga, or 96 Oshawa / Finch express routes to connect with local transit and continue your commute.

Friday, March 21

Eastbound

• GO is cancelling the trains that usually start their trips in Union Station at 11:50 p.m. and 12:20 and 12:53 a.m.
• Instead, GO buses along the 90B branch of the 90 Lakeshore East route replace the trains. They start their trips in Union Station Bus Terminal and operate express — without stopping — to Pickering GO Station. The buses then drop off or pick up passengers in Ajax, Whitby, and Durham College Oshawa GO stations.

Westbound

• GO is cancelling the trains that usually start their trips in Pickering at 11:10 and 11:39 p.m. Buses along branch 90B replace the trains.
• Instead, GO buses along the 90B branch of the 90 Lakeshore East route replace the trains. They start in Oshawa, then serve passengers in Whitby, Ajax, and Pickering. They then operate express to Union Station terminal.

Saturday, March 22
Sunday, March 23

• Buses replace trains west of Pickering all day. Trains continue to operate between Oshawa and Pickering every 30 minutes.
• Late-night / early-morning buses continue to operate along the 90B branch of the 90 Lakeshore East route with regular schedules.
• Replacement buses operate along the 90E branch of the 90 Lakeshore East route. Buses along branch 90E branch operate express between Pickering and Union Station terminal.

Buses along the 88 Peterborough / Oshawa route

Friday, March 21

Northbound

• Passengers aboard train-replacement buses arriving in Oshawa at 12:55 and 1 a.m. have to wait nine or four minutes to connect with the 1:04 a.m. Route 88 bus (one minute more or four minutes less than usually).

Southbound

• Passengers arriving in Oshawa at 11:24 p.m. have to wait 21 minutes to connect with a train-replacement bus leaving at 11:45 pm. (six minutes more than usually).

Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23

Northbound

• Passengers arriving in Oshawa have to wait 26 or 28 minutes to connect with Route 88 buses (16 or 18 minutes more than usually). And, passengers travelling from Union have to arrive as much as 30 minutes earlier than the usual train time to connect with the route 88 bus in Oshawa. They also have an extra transfer from bus to train in Pickering.

Due to ongoing track maintenance after the weekend, GO will slightly adjust the schedules for trains along the line until April 14.

Metrolinx is building the Ontario Line subway between Exhibition Place / Ontario Place and the area near the former Ontario Science Centre, through downtown Toronto.

From late Friday, March 21 until early Monday, March 24, the contractors are relocating the tracks in the rail corridor near the future Gerrard and Riverside / Leslieville stations as part of the project to build the new subway. They’re shifting the tracks from the east to the west side of the corridor between Jones Avenue and Jimmie Simpson Park. They’re relocating one set of tracks during this weekend and they’ll relocate a second set during another weekend in April.

GO Transit is cancelling train service along the Lakeshore East line west of Pickering GO Station and along the entire Stouffville line this weekend to accommodate the work.

Crews work 24 hours a day to:

• relocate barriers;
• cut and move rail tracks; and
• “surface” (compact), excavate, and back-fill ballast (the crushed stone that supports the tracks.)

They can’t complete these tasks while trains are operating and they must work overnight to make sure they have relocated the tracks in time to resume train service Monday morning.

Expect noise and vibration from construction equipment, including excavators, rail-cutting saws, spike pullers, track surfacing equipment, rollers, loaders, dump trucks, and hand tools. Expect to see site lighting at night.

The contractors will schedule disruptive activities, including surfacing during the daytime, wherever possible. They’ll use noise barriers and coverings to reduce disruption. And, they’ll direct site lighting away from residences.

Trucks enter and exit the work zone at access points on Eastern or Pape avenues.

Starting 11 p.m. Friday, March 21, TTC crews are upgrading the tracks

• in Exhibition Loop.

The work zone blocks bus access to the loop.

The transit agency is detouring buses along these routes, while the loop is closed:

• 509B Harbourfront shuttle buses; and
• 511B Bathurst shuttle buses.

(The buses replace regular streetcar service during construction at the intersection of Bathurst Street with Lake Shore Boulevard West and Fleet Street.)

The construction likely also affects service along the 307 Bathurst overnight route, but the TTC hasn’t announced detour information for buses along that route.

Construction in Exhibition Loop and the resulting TTC detours continue until March 23 (1:30 a.m.)

Metrolinx continues to upgrade the Lakeshore East and Stouffville rail corridors as part of the GO Expansion Program.

Starting 5 a.m. Wednesday, March 19, the City of Toronto is closing

• Danforth Avenue between Eastwood and Warden avenues

to accommodate Metrolinx construction on the overpass that carries GO Transit tracks over Danforth.

The TTC is detouring buses along this route, while the street is closed:

• 20 Cliffside.

Metrolinx construction on the Danforth Avenue overpass and the resulting TTC detour continue until March 27.

During the road closure, Metrolinx contractors are using a mobile crane to install metal girders across the road between the bridge piers. They work on the girders from the street level to permanently secure them.

Crews work 24 hours every day during the construction period. Expect to hear noise, feel vibration and see site lighting. The project also increases the number of heavy vehicles in the area. Construction activities may also generate dust.

The crews limit disturbances to residents, business people and commuters by:

• Reducing idling of non-essential equipment; and
• Pointing lights away from residences.

Metrolinx and GO plan to accommodate more passengers and increase service along the Lakeshore East and Stouffville lines, as part of the GO Expansion Program (formerly “regional express rail”).

The TTC is closing Line 1 Yonge - University subway between Finch and St Clair stations earlier than usually, Monday, March 17 until Friday, March 21. Line 1 subway trains operate only between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and St Clair stations after 11 p.m. those evenings.

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.)

Most stations on this section of Line 1 remain open, so you can load PRESTO fare cards, buy PRESTO tickets and connect to TTC buses, streetcars and Line 4 Sheppard subway trains or to GO Transit and York Region Transit buses. However, North York Centre and Lawrence stations are closed.

Since the bus terminal at Lawrence Station is closed, board connecting buses at temporary stops on Lawrence Avenue West, instead of in the station bus terminal:

• westbound at Lorindale Avenue (one block west of Yonge Street); and
• eastbound at Yonge Street.

Finch and St Clair are accessible stations. The TTC is assigning two Wheel-Trans vehicles to operate along Yonge Street between the two stations. Speak to any TTC staff member for directions or help to locate Wheel-Trans stops at or near each station.

While this section of Line 1 is closed, TTC crews are maintaining the tracks and tunnel and installing technology for future 5G connectivity in the subway tunnels. The TTC also likely continues working on the Easier Access elevator project at Lawrence Station.

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

The TTC is closing this section of Line 1 three more times during March and early April:

• Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23 — Finch to St Clair — track work.
• Monday, March 23 until Friday, March 28 — Eglinton to St Clair — close early — track work.
• Monday, March 31 until Friday, April 4 — Finch to St Clair — close early — track work.

TTC transit control continues to ask subway operators to reduce their speed through certain areas of the subway system “as a safety precaution”. It’s also now put in place reduced speed zones (RSZs) on sections of the streetcar network. The TTC explains that the RSZs allow trains and streetcars to operate safely during service hours while minimizing disruptions to [passengers]. According to the TTC, they also protect workers who may work at track level to conduct routine or emergency inspections.

Subways

Here’s where reduced speed zones are in effect on Line 1 Yonge - University and Line 2 Bloor - Danforth:

At reduced speeds, trains are moving at between 15 and 25 kilometres per hour (km/h), instead of normal speeds of 40 to 50 km/h. One reduced speed zone can add about one to three minutes to a subway trip.

TTC staff are making announcements on the trains and sharing information on the screens near the doors on trains along Line 1 to let you know why the train is travelling more slowly than normally in that area. Similar announcements are also playing at stations so you’re aware that your commute may be longer than usually before you board a train.

To address RSZ in the subway system, the TTC says it’s leveraging state-of-good-repair projects and early and weekend closures to complete the track maintenance. These planned closures allow crews to work efficiently and effectively to complete the work, which often involves:

• replacing aging rails, ties and clips with new ones;
• replacing a section of the track; and
• compacting the “ballast” (stones beneath the tracks, which help with draining and stabilizing the rails).

The TTC says, “Crews are working as quickly as possible within the available overnight and weekend windows to complete the track work. Our goal is to minimize the overall number of RSZs so the impact on trip times is minimal. While we anticipate reducing the number of current restrictions significantly over the coming months, ongoing proactive track inspections mean that the TTC will always have some slow orders in place in different locations across the network.”

Streetcars

Five reduced speed zones are in place on the streetcar network. The impact on travel time will be minimal but will vary, especially in cases where streetcars are travelling on a section of road where vehicles operate too. 

*These reduced speed zones are in place during the winter months. 

Note that streetcars along the 511 Bathurst and 512 St Clair routes only travel along the section of track on Bathurst Street at Bridgman Avenue, when entering and leaving service. This part of the streetcar network doesn’t receive regular service.

Streetcars travel at 10 km/h when they travel through an area with a RSZ. Once past the RSZ, cars operate at a safe and legal speed and according to traffic conditions.

Similar to its work to remove RSZs on the subway system, the TTC is also working to reduce the number of reduced speed zones on the streetcar network during closures by:

• replacing aging rails, concrete and overhead infrastructure;
• repairing sections of the track, concrete and overhead wires that are broken, damaged or worn out; and
• continually exploring technical solutions to remove any weather-related speed restrictions and implementing changes where possible.