Let's GO -- and TTC -- to the "Ex": Canadian National Exhibition, August 19 to September 5

^ A shot of Exhibition loop at the east end of the Exhibition grounds, looking northeast from the Shell Oil Tower in September 1975. This photo originally comes from the Charles Houser collection and was donated by Pete Coulman.

On September 9, 1881, two horses pulling a Toronto Street Railway car full of passengers arrived at Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street, the new end of the line for the TSR’s King route. The passengers stepped off the car and into the history books as they walked down Strachan to the entrance of the local fairgrounds and introduced Torontonians and visitors alike to the idea that traveling by transit was a safe, convenient — and, often, fun — way to get to the exhibition.

Nearly 141 years later, as the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) gets ready for its next season at Exhibition Place, transit still plays an important role in the success of the annual fair. This year, the “Ex” starts Friday, August 19 and continues until Labour Day, Monday, September 5.

As usual, the TTC is revising and increasing its services to help fair-going crowds head to the “Ex”.

Since GO Transit now provides regular train service along the 01 Lakeshore West line to and from Exhibition GO Station seven days a week during the fair, it’s not operating extra service, except during the Labour Day holiday weekend. However, GO is adjusting its schedules to suit fair-goers.

At most times of the week, GO trains operate along the 01 Lakeshore West line every 30 minutes — or even more frequently during rush hours — to and from Exhibition.

Since those first passengers in 1881, Toronto’s public transit vehicles — horse cars, streetcars, buses and trains — have been carrying passengers to and from the Canadian National Exhibition — and the various fairs that preceded it. From 1883 until 1885, Toronto’s and Canada’s first electric-powered streetcar carried passengers through the exhibition grounds from the end of the horse car line at Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street — then the main entrance to the fair — to the area of the current Dufferin Gate. (The city as a whole had to wait until August 16, 1892 before an electric streetcar entered regular service along city streets.)

All four of Toronto’s public transit agencies — the Toronto Street Railway, the Toronto Railway Company, the Toronto Transportation Commission and the Toronto Transit Commission — have traditionally dedicated extra human and equipment resources in making sure that everyone gets happily, safely and efficiently to and from the great fairs. And, Canada’s railways and interurban bus companies have also played their parts in the history of the Exhibition, especially the TTC’s former interurban subsidiary company, Gray Coach Lines, the forerunner of today’s GO Transit.

Starting in the 1930s, Gray Coach operated buses directly to a terminal on the Exhibition grounds — immediately west of the Automotive Building (today’s Beanfield Centre — from various cities and towns in Southern Ontario, including Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Galt (Cambridge), Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Oshawa, Preston (Cambridge) and St. Catharines. For those who lived in other towns, GCL operated special flag buses from the downtown bus terminal on Bay Street to the CNE. (They were “flag” buses, because you could wave at, or “flag”, the driver to stop and pick you up.) Your Gray Coach ticket from elsewhere in Ontario let you ride the flag bus from the downtown terminal for free. The downtown flag buses also served major downtown hotels, including the Royal York and the King Edward.

In the 1960s and 70s, the TTC also got into the flag-bus business, operating express buses from suburban points to the same Exhibition bus terminal near the Automotive Building that you could also flag down. In 1961, buses operated from Yonge Street and Finch Avenue, Jane Street and Wilson Avenue, Royal York Road and Anglesey Boulevard, Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East and Eglinton Avenue East and Pharmacy Avenue. In 1982, the last year of this service, the buses still operated from Jane and Wilson and Eglinton and Pharmacy, but also ran from Yonge and Steeles Avenue, Bloor Street West and the East Mall, Islington Avenue and Elmhurst Drive and Ellesmere and McCowan Roads.

Meanwhile, GO trains have been stopping at Exhibition GO Station since the very first day of service, May 23, 1967.

^ During the 1968 Exhibition season, GO Transit set up a temporary ticket booth and provided service for CNE patrons. This image is courtesy the Government of Ontario.

The Transit Toronto archives contain several informative articles by James Bow describing the history of transit services to the Canadian National Exhibition.

You can read about:

the history of transit service to Exhibition Place here (with John F. Bromley).
the history of the 509 Harbourfront streetcar route here.
the history of the present 511 Bathurst and the former Fort streetcar routes here.
the history of the 514 Cherry streetcar route here.
the history of Exhibition East and Fleet loops here.
the history of the Dufferin streetcar here (with John F. Bromley).
the history of GO Transit’s Lakeshore lines here (with Daniel Garcia).

Other relevant history articles on our site:

the history of the 29 Dufferin bus route by Jeffrey Kay, here.
the history of the 93 Exhibition West express route (1988 - 2002) by Jeffrey Kay, here.
the history of the 121 Fort York - Esplanade route here.
the history of the 193 Exhibition rocket route by Jeffrey Kay, here.
the history of the 307 / 310 Bathurst night route by Jeffrey Kay with Pete Coulman, here.
the history of the 314 Dufferin - Bathurst overnight route (1987 - 1996) by James Bow, here.
the history of the 329 Dufferin overnight route by Jeffrey Kay, here.
the history of the 929 Dufferin express route by Jelo Guttierez, here.

The TTC is increasing service to handle the crowds heading to the “Ex”. It’s also revising the paths for buses and streetcars along some of its routes. GO Transit is revising train service.

TTC — 29 Dufferin, 174 Ontario Place - Exhibition, 329 Dufferin overnight, 504B King, 509 Harbourfront, 510 Spadina, 511 Bathurst, 929 Dufferin express, Exhibition express.

GO Transit — 01 Lakeshore West, 09 Lakeshore East, 21 Milton / Toronto, 31 Guelph / Georgetown / Toronto.

Toronto Transit Commission

511 Bathurst

From Friday, August 19 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC increases the frequency of service, with streetcars operating every few minutes to and from Bathurst Station.

29 Dufferin

From Friday, August 19 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC increases the frequency of service along the route, with buses operating every few minutes to and from Wilson and Dufferin stations.

The TTC also revises the path for buses operating along the route. All buses start and end their trips in Dufferin Gate Loop, instead of operating through Liberty Village.

Southbound buses temporarily skip their regular stops:

on King Street West across from Joe Shuster Way and at Atlantic Avenue and Douro and Shaw Streets,

on Strachan Avenue at Canniff and East Liberty streets,

on East Liberty Street beyond Pirandello Street and at Lynn Williams Street and

on Liberty Street at Atlantic Avenue.

Northbound buses temporarily skip their regular stops

on Liberty Street at Atlantic Avenue and

on Dufferin Street beside #249 Dufferin.

The TTC is also operating special Exhibition express buses along the Dufferin corridor.

929 Dufferin express

From Friday, August 19 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC is increasing the frequency of service along the route, with buses operating every few minutes to and from Wilson and Dufferin stations.

The TTC is also operating special Exhibition express buses along the Dufferin corridor.

329 Dufferin overnight

From Saturday, August 20 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC extends to path so that buses operate to both Dufferin Gate and Prince’s Gate loops.

Southbound buses operate along their regular route to Dufferin Street and Springhurst Avenue, then proceed:

westward along Springhurst;
southward along Fort Rouille Street;
eastward through Dufferin Gate Loop;
northward along Dufferin;
eastward along Liberty and East Liberty Streets;
southward along Strachan Avenue; and then
westward along Manitoba Drive and the Exhibition Loop access road to Exhibition Loop,
ending their trips.

Southbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops

on Dufferin Street [northbound] at Liberty Street,

on Strachan Avenue at Manitoba Drive and

in Exhibition Loop.

Northbound buses start their trips in Exhibition Loop, then proceed:

eastward along the Exhibition Loop access road and Manitoba Drive;
northward along Strachan Avenue;
westward along East Liberty and Liberty Street; and then
southward along Dufferin Street to Springhurst Avenue,
resuming their regular route westward along Springhurst.

Northbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops

in Exhibition Loop,

on Strachan Avenue north of Fleet Street,

on East Liberty Street east of Pirandello Street and at Lynn Williams Street,

on Liberty Street at Atlantic Avenue and

on Dufferin Street [southbound] at Springhurst Avenue.

Exhibition express

From Friday, August 19 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC operates frequent express buses to and from Dufferin Station. The buses operate between the station and Dufferin Gate Loop without drop off or picking up passengers at any other stops.

509 Harbourfront

From Friday, August 19 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC increases the frequency of service, with streetcars operating every few minutes to and from Union Station.

Streetcars along the 509 Harbourfront route temporarily replace service along the 510 Spadina route to and from Union Station.

504B King

From Friday, August 19 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC continues to provide frequent service to and from Broadview, King and St Andrew stations.

174 Ontario Place - Exhibition

From Friday, August 19 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC cancels all service along the route.

510 Spadina

From Friday, August 19 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, the TTC shortens the path so that all cars operate to and from Spadina / Queens Quay Loop each day. By shortening the path, the TTC intends to accommodate the larger volume of streetcars along Queens Quay West during the “Ex”.

South- and eastbound cars skip their regular stops

on Queens Quay West at Rees and York Streets and

in the Bay streetcar tunnel

at Queens Quay Station; and

Union Station.

West- and northbound cars skip their regular stops

in the Bay streetcar tunnel

at Union Station; and

at Queens Quay Station.

on Queens Quay West west of York and Rees Streets.

To travel between Spadina / Queens Quay Loop and Union Station, board cars along the 509 Harbourfront route.

GO Transit

31 / 31A / 31E / 31F / 31L Guelph / Georgetown / Toronto

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from Saturday, August 20 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, GO detours the buses to avoid traffic congestion on the Queen Elizabeth Way and the Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway. The congestion results from motorists travelling to and from the CNE and other events in downtown Toronto.

Those days, buses operate to and from Port Credit GO Station. Board trains along the 01 Lakeshore West line to travel between Port Credit and Union Station.

09 Lakeshore East

From Saturday, August 20 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, GO is adjusting schedules for trains operating along the line weekends:

After the 7:10 a.m. train, all westbound trains leave Oshawa GO Station five minutes earlier than usually. Regular westbound service resumes after the 10:05 p.m. train from Oshawa.

After the 8:05 a.m. train, all eastbound trains from Union Station leave 15 minutes later than usually. Regular eastbound service resumes after the 11:50 p.m. train from Union.

Lakeshore East passengers continuing to the CNE can stay on the train after it arrives in Union Station for service along the 01 Lakeshore West line service to Exhibition GO Station.

GO adjusts the schedules to accommodate similar changes along the Lakeshore West line. By adjusting the schedules, GO provides more time for passengers to board and exit trains at Exhibition GO Station.

01 Lakeshore West

From Saturday, August 20 until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, GO is adjusting schedules for trains operating along the line weekends:

After the 6:13 a.m. train, eastbound trains leave West Harbour GO Station, all eastbound trains ten minutes later than usually. Regular eastbound service resumes after the 10:23 p.m. train from West Harbour.

After the 6:55 a.m. train, eastbound trains leave Aldershot GO ten minutes later than usually. Regular eastbound service resumes after the 10:23 p.m. train departing from West Harbour GO.

After the 8:15 a.m. train, westbound trains leave Union Station one minute earlier than usually. Regular westbound service will resume after the 11:14 p.m. train from Union.

GO adjusts the schedules to provide more time for passengers to board and exit trains at Exhibition GO Station.

21A / 21B / 21P Milton / Toronto