All day Saturday, January 23 and Sunday, January 24, the TTC is closing Line 1 Yonge - University subway between Finch and St Clair stations. Line 1 trains operate only between St Clair and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations those days.
Shuttle buses partly replace subway service. The buses start and end their trips in the bus terminals at Finch and St Clair stations, but also drop off or pick up passengers on the street near the other stations on this part of the line.
(Or, consider a shuttle-bus alternative)
Most stations on the closed section of Line 1 remain open so you can pay fares or connect with TTC buses, streetcars and Line 4 Sheppard trains. However, North York Centre Station is closed.
Note also that the TTC is closing exits / entrances at other stations:
- at Sheppard - Yonge Station, the automatic exits / entrances at Yonge Street and Poyntz Avenue and at Yonge Street and Anndale Drive are closed. Use other station entrances.
- at York Mills Station, the Old York Mills Road exit / entrance is closed. Use the other station entrances in the York Mills Centre and the Yonge Corporate Centre or at the corner of Yonge Street and Wilson Avenue.
- at Lawrence Station, the automatic entrances / exits at Ranleigh Avenue and Bedford Park Avenue are closed. Use the entrances at Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue.
Although all shuttle buses are accessible, Wheel-Trans service is also available from all stations. Ask TTC staff in each station for information about Wheel-Trans.
While this section of Line 1 is closed, Metrolinx contractors work on the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line. TTC crews will take advantage of the closure to install the automatic train control (ATC) signalling system in the subway corridor.
The TTC says that “The existing signals, relays, wiring and cabling equipment, much of which is over 60 years old, need replacing as their failure significantly impacts service. Once Automatic Train Control is fully installed and operational, [passengers] will see improved frequency of subway service, less crowding and greater reliability of the signal system.”
According to a TTC news release, “While the TTC does most subway maintenance at the conclusion of service each night, it continues to require weekend and early weeknight closures to complete critical infrastructure and state of good repair work as well as ATC signal upgrades.”
The TTC is closing this section of Line 1 six more times in January and February:
- Monday, January 25 until Thursday, January 28 — Finch to Sheppard - Yonge — close early — signal upgrades.
- Saturday, February 6 and Sunday, February 7 — Eglinton to Union — ATC signal installation.
- Monday, February 8 until Thursday, February 11 — Finch to Eglinton — close early — tunnel and signal upgrades.
- Tuesday, February 16 until Thursday, February 18 — Finch to Eglinton — close early — tunnel and signal upgrades.
- Monday, February 22 until Thursday, February 25 — Finch to Eglinton — close early — tunnel and signal upgrades.
- Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28 — Finch to St Clair — Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction and ATC signal installation.
Shuttle buses
(We’ve based this part of the post on information available from TransSee, a web application that provides real-time bus tracking and predicts the location of the next vehicles at a stop. TransSee supplied the information during a previous, similar closure.)
Southbound buses start their trips in Finch Station terminal, then proceed:
westward along Finch Avenue East;
southward along Yonge Street to St. Clair Avenue.Southbound passengers exit from buses on the north side of St. Clair Avenue East, just east of Yonge Street, beside the main entrance for St Clair Station. The buses then proceed:
eastward along St. Clair East;
southward along Avoca Avenue;
westward along Pleasant Boulevard; and then
northward into St Clair Station [lower] bus terminal,
ending their trips.Northbound passengers board the buses in the lower bus terminal.
The buses then proceed:
westward along Pleasant Boulevard;
northward along Yonge Street;
westward along Finch Avenue East; and then
northward into Finch Station bus terminal,
ending their trips.
Shuttle-bus alternatives
Plan your trips on the subway ahead of time this weekend to avoid stress and crowds. Leave extra time in your schedule and expect longer traveling times those days.
While shuttle buses operate frequently, they will be crowded.
Regular TTC buses and streetcars provide less frequent, less direct, but, perhaps, less stressful alternatives. Consider travelling along the University branch, instead of the Yonge branch, to and from downtown Toronto and avoid the shuttle buses entirely. Or board buses along the 97 Yonge route to travel to and from stops on Yonge north of Davisville Avenue / Chaplin Crescent.
Ride buses or streetcars along routes serving streets north or south of the closure to reach stations on the University branch.
At the closure area:
- Buses along the 36 Finch West route and board the subway at Finch West Station, instead of Finch Station.
- Buses along the 84 Sheppard West and 984 Sheppard West express routes and board the subway at Sheppard West Station, instead of Sheppard - Yonge Station.
- Buses along the 96 Wilson or 165 Weston Rd North routes and board the subway at Wilson Station, instead of York Mills Station.
- Buses along the 52 Lawrence West route and board the subway at Lawrence West Station, instead of Lawrence Station.
- Buses along the 32 Eglinton West route and board the subway at Eglinton West Station, instead of Eglinton Station.
- Streetcars along the 512 St. Clair route and board the subway at St. Clair West Station, instead of St. Clair Station.
South of the closure area
- Trains along the 2 Bloor - Danforth subway line and board the 1 Yonge - University line at St. George Station, instead of Yonge Station.
- Buses along the 506 Carlton route and board the subway at Queen’s Park Station, instead of College Station.
- Streetcars along the 505 Dundas route and board the subway at St. Patrick Station, instead of Dundas Station.
- Streetcars along the 501 Queen route and board the subway at Osgoode Station, instead of Queen Station.
- Streetcars along the 504A / 504B King route and board the subway at St. Andrew Station, instead of King Station.
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