The TTC plans to close the 2 Bloor - Danforth subway line between Kipling and Islington stations Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20 and Saturday, September 23 and Sunday, September 24 to allow crews to carry out a number of maintenance tasks. One of the major activities during those weekends is to replace the rails and wood ties in this open-air section of the line.
They’ll replace the ties and rails between the Bloor Street West bridge and Islington Station over the August weekend and between the bridge and Kipling Station over the September weekend.
To make sure that TTC crews can finish replacing the rails and ties while this part of the subway is closed, crews need to start early to prepare for the closure.
After regular subway service ends early Thursday, July 27, track crews start removing ballast (stones) along a section of the track.
They use two subway work-cars nightly at track level to vacuum-remove the old ballast and expose the wood ties that support the mainline tracks. This method of removing the ballast from the track area is quick and less likely to damage underground cabling and possibly disrupt subway service.
Trains operate more slowly both ways through the work area during the project. The TTC has shut off the automatic rail-lubrication system west of Islington Station. After the August line closure, crews re-activate the lubricator. While the lubricator is off, expect to hear louder than normal squeal from subway trains.
Crews have to work as long as two weeks after the first weekend closure — until about Friday, September 1 — to tamp the new ballast and stabilize the track system into place.
Crews can only work overnight when the subway is not in service from about 2 until 5:30 a.m. Mondays to Fridays, Saturdays and holidays and until 7:30 a.m. Sundays and continue nightly until the weekend closure. Regular subway service resumes each morning.
Trains operate at a lower speed than usual both ways through the work area for during the project.