Update — Friday, June 28, 11:04 p.m.: The TTC will further detour streetcars operating along the 502 Downtowner and 503 Kingston Rd tripper routes during two related construction projects to replace streetcar tracks on York Street and to replace the tracks and install new watermains at Queen Street West and York Street, starting Tuesday, July 2.
The TTC is also revising the detour routing for the 324 Victoria Park overnight route, starting Sunday, June 30.
Update — Tuesday, June 18, 7:33 p.m.: The TTC starts the second phase of the project, Sunday, June 23. It will be detouring buses operating along the 22A Coxwell via Kingston Rd, 322 Coxwell overnight via Kingston Rd and 324 Victoria Park overnight routes. It’s also increasing service along the 12 Kingston Rd, 22A Coxwell via Kingston Rd, 64 Main and 92 Woodbine South routes to partially replace the frequent streetcar service.
The City of Toronto and TTC are rebuilding the streetcar tracks on Kingston Road between Queen Street East and Victoria Park Avenue.
Contractors are working on the project in two phases:
- In Phase 1, from Monday, June 3 until June 22, they’ll be welding and storing sections of rail on the roadway. The TTC is replacing streetcars with buses and increasing the frequency of service of buses operating on north-south routes crossing Kingston Road.
- In Phase 2, from Monday, June 24 until December, they’ll start rebuilding the tracks.
The work includes:
- Installing new streetcar tracks;
- Modifying curbs for so that they’re compatible with the TTC’s new, accessible, low-floor streetcars;
- Rebuilding the pavement on some sections of Kingston Road;
- Improving the “streetscape” by installing new trees, curbs and sidewalks; and
- Updating traffic signals.
Contractors are proceeding on the project in two work areas at the same time to speed up the process so that the TTC can resume streetcar service as soon as possible.
Work area #1 stretches from just north of Queen Street East to Waverley Road, while work area #2 extends from Waverley Road to Victoria Park Avenue.
During this first phase of the project, the TTC is revising bus and streetcar service along these routes: 502 Downtowner, 503 Kingston Rd tripper and 502 / 503 Downtowner / Kingston Rd shuttle bus.
This is the fifth summer in a row that buses have replaced streetcars along Kingston Road.
See:
- 2009: “Buses replace streetcars along Kingston Road, starting August 9” here.
- 2010: “Buses replace streetcars along Kingston Road during construction at Bingham Loop”, here.
- 2011: “Buses replace streetcars along Kingston Road until September 12”, here.
- 2012: “Buses replace streetcars along Kingston Road and Queen East, starting May 6”, here.
Also from the Transit Toronto archives:
- “A history of streetcars on Kingston Road”, by James Bow, here.
- “Venerable Bingham Loop”, by James Bow, here.
You can learn more about the project to replace the tracks on Kingston Road here and here.
502 Downtowner
Mondays to Fridays from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m., streetcars start and end their trips in Queen / Kingston Road Loop. Buses replace the cars between Bingham and Queen / Kingston Road loops.
From Monday, June 3 until Friday, June 21, westbound cars skip their regular stops
- in Bingham Loop,
- on Bingham Avenue at Kingston Road and
- on Kingston Road at Scarborough Road, across from Beech Avenue, at Malvern Avenue, across from Glen Manor Drive, at Walter and Main Streets, across from Lee Avenue, at Brookside Drive, across from Elmer Avenue, west of Woodbine Avenue, across from Columbine Avenue and at Dundas Street East.
Eastbound cars skip their regular stops
- on Kingston Road at Dixon Avenue, Rainsford Road, Woodbine and Elmer Avenues, Waverley Road, Lee Avenue, Southwood Drive, Glen Manor Drive, across from Malvern Avenue, at Beech Avenue, Scarborough Road and Bingham Avenue and
- in Bingham Loop.
Instead, westbound buses pick up passengers at a temporary stop
- on Queen Street East at Kingston Road.
Update — Friday, June 28, 11:04 p.m.: From Tuesday, July 2 until Friday, July 26, the TTC will further detour the streetcars at the west end of their route during streetcar track reconstruction and water-main construction York Street at Queen Street West.
502 / 503 Downtowner / Kingston Rd shuttle bus
Mondays to Fridays from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m., buses replace the cars between Bingham and Queen / Kingston Road Loops.
From Monday, June 3 until Friday, June 21, westbound buses start their trips in Bingham Loop, then proceed:
westward through Bingham Loop;
southward along Bingham Avenue;
southwestward along Kingston Road and Eastern Avenue; and then
northward along Coxwell Avenue to a stop just south of Queen Street East,
ending their trips.Westbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- in Bingham Loop,
- on Bingham Avenue at Kingston Road,
- on Kingston Road at Scarborough Road, across from Beech Avenue, at Malvern Avenue, across from Glen Manor Drive, at Walter and Main Streets, across from Lee Avenue, at Brookside Drive, across from Elmer Avenue, west of Woodbine Avenue, across from Columbine Avenue and at Dundas Street East and
- on Coxwell Avenue south of Queen Street East.
Eastbound buses start their trips on Coxwell Avenue, then proceed:
northward along Coxwell;
eastward along Queen Street East;
northeastward along Kingston Road;
northward along Victoria Park Avenue; and then
westward into Bingham Loop,
ending their trips.Eastbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- on Coxwell Avenue south of Queen Street East,
- on Kingston Road at Dixon Avenue, Rainsford Road, Woodbine and Elmer Avenues, Waverley Road, Lee Avenue, Southwood Drive, Glen Manor Drive, across from Malvern Avenue, at Beech Avenue, Scarborough Road and Bingham Avenue and
- in Bingham Loop.
Starting Monday, June 24, the TTC revises service along the 22A Coxwell via Kingston Rd route to replace these shuttle buses.
503 Kingston Rd tripper
Mondays to Fridays during rush hours, streetcars start and end their trips in Queen / Kingston Road Loop. Buses replace the cars between Bingham and Queen / Kingston Road loops.
From Monday, June 3 until Friday, June 21, westbound cars skip their regular stops
- in Bingham Loop,
- on Bingham Avenue at Kingston Road and
- on Kingston Road at Scarborough Road, across from Beech Avenue, at Malvern Avenue, across from Glen Manor Drive, at Walter and Main Streets, across from Lee Avenue, at Brookside Drive, across from Elmer Avenue, west of Woodbine Avenue, across from Columbine Avenue and at Dundas Street East.
Eastbound cars skip their regular stops
- on Kingston Road at Dixon Avenue, Rainsford Road, Woodbine and Elmer Avenues, Waverley Road, Lee Avenue, Southwood Drive, Glen Manor Drive, across from Malvern Avenue, at Beech Avenue, Scarborough Road and Bingham Avenue and
- in Bingham Loop.
Instead, westbound buses pick up passengers at a temporary stop
- on Queen Street East at Kingston Road.
Update — Friday, June 28, 11:04 p.m.: From Tuesday, July 2 until November, the TTC will further detour the streetcars at the west end of their route during streetcar track reconstruction on York Street.
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