The TTC have finally issued a statement with regard to the condition of trackwork along Fleet Street which, earlier this week, resulted in a streetcar derailment.

Recently, rail conditions have resulted with the removal of streetcar service from Fleet St. between the Bathurst St. and Strachan Ave. intersections. This has required significant operational changes to both the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst routes with those changes being; the blending (interlining) of both routes into common route with Union Station and Bathurst Station being the end terminuses.

To facilitate service to the CNE \ Exhibition Place, replacement buses have been scheduled to operate between Exhibition Place Loop (Eastern Entrance) and Spadina Loop (located at QueensQuay). Resources for the bus replacement service are being provided by the following divisions; Malvern, Eglinton, Birchmount, Wilson, and Arrow Rd.

Commencing on Monday, April 9, personnel from the TTC’s Way Dept will be conducting repairs to the track areas for Fleet St. deemed as inoperable. It is anticipated the repair work will take as long as 4–6 weeks to complete. Therefore until this work is complete, it is necessary for the identified bus requirements to be provided.

What I find most confusing about this notice is that it doesn’t reference the track replacement work and the upgrade to private right-of-way that is currently scheduled for this section of track this coming May. It would seem to be a waste of resources to do spot repairs on this section of track, reopen it for service, and then close it again in a week or less in order to do the work properly.

Unless the TTC is talking about starting work on the project early, doing what can be done until Toronto Hydro’s scheduled work can commence, and possibly finishing in mid-to-late May with fully refurbished track on a new private right-of-way, it would seem that it will be longer than 4-6 weeks before streetcars can operate at full speed along Fleet Street.

We will keep you posted.

(Update: Monday, April 9, 3:30 p.m.): We finally have an official post on the situation available from the TTC’s website. This flyer confirms that the trackwork and the diversions will continue for the next four to six weeks, although it does not mention the planned reconstruction of the tracks scheduled to begin this May.