The City of Toronto has finished its project to rebuild the sidewalks and install “streetscaping” on Queen Street West between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue (for now).
That’s good news for streetcar fans, who will be happy to learn that trams return to most of Queen Streets East and West Labour Day, Monday, September 4.
After a half-year of construction projects — although several of them continue into the fall and later — streetcar service resumes between two of the TTC’s carhouses — Roncesvalles and Russell. The cars operate along the 301 Queen overnight and 501 Queen routes between Sunnyside Loop and the Russell yard at Connaught Avenue, just east of Greenwood Avenue.
Shuttle buses still replace the cars along the east and west ends of the routes.
In the east end, where construction starts blocking the intersection of Queen Street East with Coxwell Avenue Tuesday, September 5, the TTC operates buses along the 301R / 501R Queen / River shuttle route. These buses serve passengers travelling between Neville Park Loop and River Street.
In the west end, where construction continues along The Queensway and Lake Shore Boulevard West and in Humber Loop, the TTC provides passengers with shuttle buses operating along two routes:
- 301L / 501L Queen / Long Branch: regular 24-hours-a-day service between Long Branch and Dufferin Gate Loops; and
- 501M Queen / Marine Parade: extra service only between The Queensway / Windermere Avenue and Marine Parade Drive in the Humber Bay Shores neighbourhood near Lake Shore Boulevard West and Park Lawn Road.
Buses operating along the 301L / 501L Queen / Long Branch route no longer serve passengers travelling east of Dufferin Street. For this next phase of the various ongoing construction projects, the TTC no longer operates extra shuttle buses between Neville Park and Park Lawn Loops along the 301P / 501P Queen / Park Lawn route.
Due to the ongoing construction at Queen East and Coxwell (and possibly due to an overall shortage of streetcars), the TTC continues to operate buses along the 502 Downtowner and 503 Kingston Rd routes.
The TTC has replaced streetcars with buses along the entire route between Neville Park and Long Branch loops since Sunday, May 7. It has operated buses, instead of streetcars, along the west end of the route since Sunday, January 8.
By operating buses, instead of cars, the TTC accommodated several construction projects, including:
- renewing the tracks and overhead wiring on Lake Shore Boulevard West between Dwight Avenue (west of Royal York Road) and Humber Loop;
- renewing TTC tracks and overhead wiring on The Queensway between Humber Loop and Parkside Drive;
- rehabilitating The Queensway bridge over the Humber River;
- improving Humber Loop;
- replacing worn rail at Queen Street West and Triller Avenue, Dunn Avenue and Dufferin Street;
- conducting preventative and corrective rail maintenance at Queen Street West and Dufferin Street;
- conducting preventative and corrective rail maintenance at Queen Street West and Shaw Street;
- rebuilding the sidewalks and installing “streetscaping” on Queen Street West between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue;
- upgrading the tracks, curves and switches at Queen Street West and McCaul Street (upcoming);
- conducting preventative and corrective rail maintenance at Queen Street East and Parliament Street;
- measuring noise and vibration at Queen Street East and Leslie Street;
- maintaining the rails at Queen Street East and Leslie Street;
- replacing the water-main, upgrading the tracks, curves and switches and repaving the roadway at Queen Street East and Coxwell Avenue.
Another project that affected TTC service on Queen this spring and summer was removing the old and installing a new pedestrian bridge linking the CF Eaton Centre with the Hudson’s Bay Queen Street store just west of Yonge Street.
502 Downtowner
503 Kingston Rd tripper
Buses continue to replace streetcars along the route during construction at Queen Sreet East and Coxwell Avenue.
Starting Tuesday, September 5, westbound buses operate along their regular route to Kingston Road and Queen Street East, then detour:
south- and westward along Eastern Avenue; and then
northward along Woodward Avenue to Queen East,
resuming their regular route westward alon Queen.Eastbound buses skip their regular stops
- on Queen Street East at Coxwell Avenue and Kent Road.
Instead, eastbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops
- on Eastern Avenue south of Queen Street East and
- on Woodward Avenue at Queen Street East.
Westbound buses reverse the eastbound detour routing.
Westbound skip their regular stops
- on Queen Street East at Coxwell and Eastern Avenues.
Instead, eastbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at a temporary stop
- on Eastern Avenue at Queen Street East.
501 Queen
301 Queen overnight
Starting Labour Day, Monday, September 4, streetcars operate between Sunnyside Loop and Russell Carhouse, just east of Greenwood Avenue.
Westbound cars start their trips in Russell Carhouse, then proceed:
westward along Queen Streets East and West and The Queensway; and then
northward into Sunnyside Loop,
ending their trips.The first westbound stop for streetcars to pick up passengers is on Queen Street East at Greenwood Avenue. The last westbound stop for the cars to drop off passengers is on Queen Street West at Roncesvalles Avenue.
Westbound cars drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- on Queen Street East at Neville Park Boulevard, Silver Birch Avenue, Spruce Hill Road, Glen Manor Drive, Wineva and Lee Avenues, Waverley Road, Elmer Avenue, Woodbine Avenue, Lockwood and Kingston Roads, Coxwell Avenue, Kent Road, across from Connaught Avenue, at Greenwood and Alton Avenues, Leslie Street, Jones, Brooklyn, Pape, Carlaw and Logan Avenues, across from Booth Avenue, at Boulton Street, at Broadview Avenue, Carroll, River, Sumach, Sackville, Parliament, Ontario, Sherbourne, Jarvis, Church, Victoria and Yonge Streets and
- on Queen Street West at Bay Street, across from York Street, at University Avenue, west of Simcoe Street, at John and Soho Streets, Spadina and Augusta Avenues, Bathurst Street, Palmerston Avenue, Claremont Street, across from Strachan Avenue, at Shaw Street, Ossington Avenue, Dovercourt Road, Beaconsfield and Gladstone Avenues, west of Dufferin Street and at Brock, O’Hara, Lansdowne, Sorauren and Roncesvalles Avenues.
Shuttle buses replace the cars east of Greenwood Avenue and west of Roncesvalles Avenue. Westbound streetcar passengers may transfer to westbound shuttle buses at stops on Queen Street West between Dufferin Street and Roncesvalles Avenue / King Street West. When transferring with a PRESTO fare card, do not tap the PRESTO device on the second vehicle when you board.
Eastbound cars start their trips in Sunnyside Loop, then proceed:
southward along Sunnyside Avenue;
eastward along The Queensway and Queen Street East; and then
southward into Russell Carhouse,
ending their trips.The first stop for eastbound streetcars to pick up passengers is on The Queensway at King Street West. The last stop to drop off passengers is on Queen Street East at Greenwood Avenue.
Eastbound cars drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- on The Queensway at Roncesvalles Avenue,
- on Queen Street West at Wilson Park Road, Dowling, Jameson and Dunn Avenues, across from Brock Avenue and at Dufferin Street, east of Gladstone Avenue, at Abell Street, Dovercourt Road, Lower Ossington Avenue, Shaw Street, Strachan Avenue, Niagara, Tecumseth and Bathurst Streets, Augusta and Spadina Avenues, Peter and John Streets, University Avenue and York, Bay and Yonge Streets,
- on Queen Street East at Victoria, Church, Jarvis, Sherbourne, Ontario, Parliament, Sackville, Sumach and River Streets, across from Carroll Street, at Broadview Avenue, east of Saulter Street, at Empire, Logan, Carlaw, Pape and Caroline Avenues, across from Jones Avenue, at Leslie and Laing Streets, across from Greenwood Avenue, at Connaught, Woodward, Coxwell, Eastern, Sarah Ashbridge, Woodbine and Kippendavie Avenues, at Waverley Road, Lee and Wineva Avenues, Scarborough Beach Boulevard, Maclean, Beech and Silver Birch Avenues and Neville Park Boulevard and
- in Neville Park Loop.
Shuttle buses replace the cars west of Roncesvalles Avenue and east of Greenwood Avenue. Eastbound streetcar passengers may transfer to eastbound buses at stops on Queen Street East between Carroll Street and Greenwood Avenue. When transferring with a PRESTO fare card, do not tap the PRESTO device on the second vehicle when you board.
301 / 501 Queen shuttle bus
The TTC operates shuttle buses along three different routes — one east of Greenwood Avenue and two west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
East of Greenwood Avenue, buses operate along:
- the 301R / 501R Queen / River shuttle-bus route.
West of Roncesvalles Avenue, buses operate along
- the 301L / 501L Queen / Long Branch shuttle-bus route; and
- the 501M Queen / Marine Parade shuttle-bus route.
301L / 501L Queen / Long Branch shuttle bus
Buses continue to replace streetcars operating along the 301 Queen overnight and 501 Queen routes west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Starting Labour Day, Monday, September 4, buses operate only between Long Branch and Dufferin Gate Loops.
Eastbound buses start their trips in Long Branch Loop, then proceed:
eastward along Lake Shore Boulevard West;
northward along Windermere Avenue;
eastward along The Queensway and Queen Street West;
southward along Dufferin Street;
westward along Springhurst Avenue;
southward along Fort Rouille Street; and then
eastward into Dufferin Gate Loop,
ending their trips.Eastbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- in Long Branch Loop,
- on Lake Shore Boulevard West at Thirty-Ninth and Thirty-Seventh Streets, Long Branch Avenue, Thirty-First, Twenty-Eighth, Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-Second Streets and Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive, across from Fifteenth Street, at Thirteenth, Tenth, Seventh, Fifth, Third and First Streets, Royal York Road, Lake Crescent, Miles Road, Norris Crescent, Summerhill Road, across from Mimico Avenue, at Superior Avenue, across from Burlington Street and Louisa Streets and Legion Road, at Park Lawn Road, beside #2155 Lake Shore West and at Brookers Lane,
- on Windermere Avenue at The Queensway,
- on The Queensway east of Windermere and Ellis Avenues and Colborne Lodge Drive, at Parkside Drive, across from Glendale Avenue and at King Street West.
- on Queen Street West at Wilson Park Road, Dowling, Jameson and Dunn Avenues, across from Brock Avenue and at Dufferin Street,
- on Dufferin Street at Melbourne Avenue, King Street West, across from Liberty Street and at Springhurst Avenue and
- in Dufferin Gate Loop.
Eastbound bus passengers can transfer to eastbound streetcars at any stop on Queen Street West between Roncesvalles Avenue and Dufferin Street. When transferring with a PRESTO fare card, do not tap the PRESTO device on the second vehicle when you board.
Westbound buses start their trips in Dufferin Gate Loop, then proceed:
northward along Dufferin Street;
westward along Queen Street West and The Queensway;
southward along Windermere Avenue;
westward along Lake Shore Boulevard West; and then
northward into Long Branch Loop,
ending their trips.Westbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- in Dufferin Gate Loop,
- on Dufferin Street at Liberty Street and King Street West and across from Melbourne Avenue,
- on Queen Street West west of Dufferin Street and at Brock, O’Hara, Lansdowne, Sorauren and Roncesvalles Avenues,
- on The Queensway at Glendale Avenue and Parkside Drive, west of Colborne Lodge Drive and Ellis Avenue,
- on Windermere Avenue south of The Queensway,
- on Lake Shore Boulevard West across from #2095 and #2155 Lake Shore West, west of Park Lawn Road, at Legion Road, Louisa and Burlington Streets, Superior, Mimico and Hillside Avenues, Symons Street, Lake Crescent, Royal York Road, west of Dwight Avenue, at Third and Fifth Streets, Islington Avenue, Tenth, Thirteenth and Fifteenth Streets, Kipling Avenue, Twenty-Second, Twenty-Sixth, Twenty-Ninth and Thirtieth Streets and across from Long Branch Avenue, Thirty-Seventh and Thirty-Ninth Streets and
- in Long Branch Loop.
Westbound 501L passengers can transfer to westbound buses operating along the 501M Queen / Marine Parade route on Windermere Avenue south of The Queensway. When transferring with a PRESTO fare card, do not tap the PRESTO device on the second vehicle when you board.
501 Queen / Marine Parade shuttle bus
Starting Labour Day, Monday, September 4, buses replace streetcars operating along the 501 Queen route between Windermere Avenue and Park Lawn Road.
Eastbound buses start their trips in Park Lawn Loop at the southwest corner of Marine Parade Drive and Lake Shore Boulevard West, then proceed:
northward along Marine Parade and Park Lawn Road; and then
eastward along The Queensway to Windermere Avenue,
ending their trips.Eastbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- in Park Lawn Loop,
- on Park Lawn Road north of Lake Shore Boulevard West, across from #88 Park Lawn and the eastbound off-ramp and the westbound on-ramp for the Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway,
- on The Queensway east of Park Lawn Road, across from Aldgate Avenue and Stephen Drive, beside #125 Queensway and east of South Kingsway and
- on Windermere Avenue south of The Queensway.
Eastbound passengers may connect with buses operating along the 301L / 501L Queen / Long Branch shuttle route on Windermere Avenue south of The Queensway. When transferring with a PRESTO fare card, do not tap the PRESTO device on the second vehicle when you board.
Westbound buses start their trips on Windermere Avenue south of The Queensway, then proceed:
southward along Windermere;
westward along Lake Shore Boulevard West to the south side of the Gardiner Expressway;
eastward along Lake Shore West;
south-, west- and northward along Marine Parade Drive; and then
westward into Park Lawn Loop,
ending their trips.Westbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- on The Queensway (eastbound) at Windermere Avenue,
- on Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound) beside #2111 Lake Shore West and at Marine Parade Drive,
- on Marine Parade Drive beside #58 Marine Parade and
- in Park Lawn Loop.
301 / 501 Queen / River shuttle bus
Starting Labour Day, Monday, September 4, buses replace streetcars operating along the 301 Queen overnight and 501 Queen routes east of Greenwood Avenue.
Westbound buses start their trips in Neville Park Loop, then proceed:
westward along Queen Street East;
south- and westward along Eastern Avenue;
northward along Woodward Avenue; and then
westward along Queen and King Streets East to River Street,
ending their trips.(Note that the TTC has not confirmed how buses loop at the west end of their route. We’ve based this part of the post on information it supplied on previous occasions that the TTC replaced streetcars with buses and the buses started and ended their trips at Queen Street East and River Street.)
Westbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- in Neville Park Loop,
- on Queen Street East at Neville Park Boulevard, Silver Birch Avenue, Sprucehill Road, Glen Manor Drive, Wineva and Lee Avenues, Waverley Road and Elmer Avenue, west of Woodbine Avenue and at Lockwood Road,
- on Eastern Avenue south of Queen Street East,
- on Woodward Avenue at Queen Street East,
- on Queen Street East at Greenwood and Alton Avenues, Leslie Street, Jones, Brooklyn, Pape, Carlaw and Logan Avenues, west of Booth Avenue, at Boulton Street, Broadview Avenue and Carroll Street and
- on King Street East at River Street.
Westbound bus passengers can transfer to westbound streetcars at any stop on Queen Street West between Greenwood Avenue and Carroll Street. When transferring with a PRESTO fare card, do not tap the PRESTO device on the second vehicle when you board.
Eastbound buses start their trips on King Street East at River Street, then proceed:
northward along River;
eastward along Queen Street East;
southward along Woodward Avenue;
east- and northward along Eastern Avenue;
eastward along Queen Street East; and then
southward into Neville Park Loop,
ending their trips.Eastbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at stops
- on King Street East at River Street,
- on Queen Street East across from Carrroll Street, at Broadview Avenue, Saulter Street, Empire, Logan, Carlaw, Pape and Caroline Avenues, across from Jones Avenue, at Leslie and Laing Streets, across from Greenwood Avenue and at Connaught and Woodward Avenues,
- on Eastern Avenue at Queen Street East and
- on Queen Street East at Sarah Ashbridge, Woodbine and Kippendavie Avenues, Waverley Road, Lee and Wineva Avenues, Scarborough Beach Boulevard, Maclean, Beech and Silver Birch Avenues and Neville Park Boulevard and
- in Neville Park Loop.