All day Saturday, November 13 and Sunday, November 14, 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 or GO Transit and York Region Transit buses. However, North York Centre and Lawrence stations are closed. (At Lawrence Station, board buses along the 52 Lawrence West route on the north side of Lawrence Avenue West at Lorindale Avenue. Board buses along the 124 Sunnybrook and 162 Lawrence Donway routes on the south side of Lawrence West at Yonge Street.)
Note also that the TTC is closing exits / entrances at two 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.
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 work on the Automatic Train Control (ATC) signal system and Easier Access projects.
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.”
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.
- Streetcars 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.
- Buses along the 501 Queen route and board the subway at Osgoode Station, instead of Queen Station.
- Streetcars along the 501 Queen and 504 King routes and board the subway at St. Andrew Station, instead of King Station.
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