Transit Toronto

The City of Toronto and the TTC, in partnership with Metrolinx, have started the transit project assessment process (or TPAP) for the Relief Line South subway. The future subway line will connect the TTC’s Line 1 Yonge - University subway and downtown Toronto to the Line 2 Bloor - Danforth subway. The new line will help to relieve crowding on Line 1 south of Bloor, at Bloor - Yonge Station and along bus and streetcars travelling to and from downtown.

Toronto City Council supports a route mostly under Pape, Carlaw and Eastern Avenues and Queen Streets East and West for the Relief Line South and has approved locations for eight stations. Council has also authorized the project team to start the TPAP and advancing planning and design.

This project is the subject of a TPAP to satisfy the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act. As part of the TPAP, staff are preparing an environmental project report, which documents the planning process and details current and future environmental conditions, the preferred alignment, station locations and bus terminals, construction methods among other items.

During these events, staff will present the plans for the Relief Line. You can learn more about the project and discuss it with a member of the project team.

Events take place:

• Monday, April 23;
• Saturday, April 28; and
• Monday, April 30.

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In 2017, Brampton City Council directed staff to undertake a study of two possible routes for the Hurontario light rail transit line between the Brampton GO Station and Brampton Gateway Terminal along either Kennedy Road or McLaughlin Road.

Back in October 2015, Brampton city council, in a 6-5 vote, rejected the original Metrolinx plan to operate the LRT along Main Street to the GO Station. Council agreed to terminate the line at Steeles Avenue, instead of extending it downtown.

The City retained HDR to conduct the study. The HDR team is evaluating LRT routes along the two corridors and will eventually recommend a route that it prefers. The team is examining a number of criteria, such as the natural, social, economic and cultural environment and transportation factors. Other outcomes of the study include:

• developing an operational plan;
• determining construction staging and costs; and
• establishing an implementation plan.

The City and HDR are also reviewing previous plans, studying the area’s current conditions and identifying an initial long list of alternative routes to analyze further.

They’ll also evaluate various alternative alignments for the line to link with Hurontario Street, underground or elevated sections, widening roadways, sharing traffic lanes with other vehciles and one- or two-way loops.

To gain your perspective on the project, the City and HDR are hosting an open house. During the event, you can learn more information about the study, have the opportunity to provide input on the preliminary alternatives and share ideas with the project team. Information about how this project relates to other ongoing City of Brampton initiatives will also be available.

The event takes place:

Wednesday, April 25
6 until 8:00 p.m.
Brampton City Hall Atrium
2 Wellington Street West

UP Express trains are operating every 30 minutes all day Saturday, April 21 until the end of service on Sunday, April 22 and again Saturday, April 28 until the end of service on Sunday, April 29, as crews upgrade signals at Union Station.

Train trips are longer than normal, because the trains travel along different tracks, including at Union Station. If you usually board trains at Union Station, start your trip as usual at the UP Express lounge and guest service representatives will direct you to where you can board the train.

The PRESTO website will be unavailable after about 10 p.m. Friday, April 20 until late Sunday, April 22 evening as the PRESTO team upgrades its system.

During this time, you can use your fare-card for travel as usual, but expect delays in receiving transaction and trip information in your account. During the upgrade you can load your card in person at:

• a customer service outlet;
• Shoppers Drug Mart stores that offer PRESTO services;
• PRESTO self-serve reload machines;
• fare-vending machines in TTC Line 1 extension stations; or
• ticket-vending machines at some GO Transit and UP Express stations.

This upgrade will add new security features to the PRESTO website, including additional security questions and email verification, so you can log into your My PRESTO Account with your e-mail address.

About 3,000 rail engineers and conductors, members of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, and about 365 signal and communications workers, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, will soon be in a legal strike position against their employer, the Canadian Pacific Railway. If the workers go on strike as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 21, the labour disruption may impact GO Transit train services.

CP owns and maintains GO’s Milton rail corridor and a section of a freight line that intersects with the Barrie line (at the Davenport Diamond). If the workers go on strike, only a few CP management staff would be available to address signal or switch issues. This could delay trains along the Milton and Barrie lines in the event of an issue on CP portions of the lines.

CP also owns a section of the Lakeshore West corridor leading into Hamilton GO Centre. GO would not provide train service to and from that station during the labour disruption. Regular GO buses would continue and GO would also operate extra buses along the 18 Lakeshore West route between Hamilton GO Centre and Aldershot GO Station so passengers can connect to regular Lakeshore West trains.

While Metrolinx hopes that CP and its workers can reach an agreement, it says that it’s doing everything it can to make sure that passengers can continue to travel safely.

In the event of a CP Rail labour dispute:

• GO train service will not be available from Hamilton GO Centre;
• Special GO buses will operate between Hamilton GO Centre and Aldershot GO Station to connect customers to Lakeshore West train service — and regular GO bus service will continue;
• Trains continue to operate to and from West Harbour GO Station trip as usual;
• Milton line passengers could experience longer than normal delays in the event of signal problems;
• Barrie line passengers could also experience longer than normal delays in the event of the signal problems south of Downsview Park GO Station; and
• Regular GO train service will continue along the Kitchener, Richmond Hill, Stouffville, and Lakeshore East lines.

(Update: 10:12 p.m.): Canadian Pacific has announced that both sides have reached a tentative agreement, avoiding a work stoppage. Further details can be found here.

The City of Toronto is closing

• the Don Valley Parkway between Highway 401 and the Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway

from 11 p.m. Friday, April 20 until 5 a.m. Monday, April 23 to conduct its annual spring maintenance. To make sure that workers completing the various maintenance tasks are safe, the City shuts down the entire roadway in both directions.

(The City had previously scheduled closing the Parkway for maintenance during the weekend of April 13 to 16. It postponed the plans due to the ice storm that overwhelmed the region last weekend.)

According to a City news release, “With no major events taking place in the city, [this weekend]… offers the best option for a full closure for several months. The work is necessary to ensure that the Don Valley Parkway is in the best state-of-good repair to mitigate flooding from spring and summer rains and to ensure the road is ready for increased traffic levels for the upcoming tourist and event season.”

The City did not close the Parkway for maintenance last fall, because staff had accomplished all necessary tasks during the spring 2017 effort.

Closing the Parkway affects bus service along GO Transit’s 61 Richmond Hill / Toronto, 63 King City / Toronto, 65 Newmarket / Toronto, 71 Stouffville / Toronto and 90 Lakeshore East routes. Although the buses serve all regular stops, passengers should expect detours and delays in service.

(GO has not confirmed how it’s detouring its buses during this closure. On previous occasions, buses have started and ended their trips in York Mills GO Bus Terminal, allowing passengers to transfer to the TTC’s Line 1 Yonge - University subway to travel to and from downtown Toronto. Regardless, GO Transit control will advise drivers how to detour the buses, depending on traffic conditions and will update passengers appropriately.)

Starting Monday, April 23, the TTC starts charging parking fees for lots at Highway 407, Pioneer Village and Finch West Stations.

You must pay a fee at those lots when you park from 5 a.m. until 2 a.m. Mondays to Fridays. The daily rate is $7. The afternoon / evening rate is $2 from 3 until 2 a.m. Park without having to pay a fee Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

You can pay with the Toronto Parking Authority’s Green P mobile application, or at the pay-and-display machines by coin, VISA, MasterCard or American Express.

The TTC has offered free parking at these lots since it opened its extension of the Line 1 Yonge - University subway between Vaughan Metropolitan and Sheppard West Station Sunday, December 17.

Metrolinx contractors continue working to build the future Eglinton - Crosstown light rail transit line.

From 9 p.m. Friday, April 20 until 5 p.m. Sunday, April 22, the City of Toronto is closing:

• Mount Pleasant Road between Roehampton Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East

to accommodate Toronto Hydro crews who are relocating hydroelectric utilities in both the south- and northbound lanes.

Crews will break out the hydro duct-bank infrastructure and place hydro cables into new infrastructure.

Eglinton Avenue East remains open, although other work on the light-rail project restricts traffic to just two lanes from east of Taunton Road to Brownlow Avenue.

The TTC is detouring buses operating along this route, while the street is closed:

• 74 Mt Pleasant.

The City previously closed this section of Mount Pleasant Road and the TTC detoured the buses to accommodate Metrolinx construction Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 15.

TTC crews continue installing the automatic train control signal system (ATC) on its Line 1 Yonge - University subway this weekend. To allow crews to complete this work, the TTC is closing the University branch of the line between St Clair West and Union stations Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22.

Line 1 trains operate only between Finch and Union stations and between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and St Clair West stations.

Express shuttle buses replace subway service — but only between St Clair West and Spadina stations. The buses operate on streets near or parallel to the subway line, stopping only on Spadina Road at Dupont Street, near Dupont Station. Buses don’t operate south of Bloor Street.

Wheel-Trans vehicles are available during the closure for passengers who use wheelchairs, scooters or other mobility devices or who require more accessible service. Ask any TTC employee for Wheel-Trans service.

As alternatives to the closed part of the line, the TTC encourages passengers to consider boarding:

• trains operating along Line 2 Bloor-Danforth;
• trains operating along the Yonge branch of Line 1 Yonge - University;
• north-south buses operating along the 6 Bay route; and
• east-west streetcars operating along the 501 Queen, 504 King, 505 Dundas, 506 Carlton,512 St Clair and 514 Cherry routes.

St Clair West, Spadina, St George and Union stations are open for passengers to buy fares or connect to buses and streetcars. Dupont, Museum, Queen’s Park, St Patrick, Osgoode and St Andrew stations are closed.

According to a TTC news release, “When ATC is fully implemented in 2020, it will provide a more modern and reliable signal system that will allow for an increase in the number of trains operating on Line 1. While the TTC does most subway maintenance at the conclusion of service each night, it continues to require weekend closures to complete ATC and state-of-good-repair work. One weekend of work during a closure is equivalent to about five weeks of nightly work.”

This is the last time this year that the TTC plans to close this section of the line. It previously closed this part of the subway system Saturday February 3 and Sunday, February 4 and Saturday, March 10 and Sunday, March 11.

From 9 a.m. Saturday, April 21 until 5 a.m. Monday, April 23, TTC crews are repairing a track switch on

• King Street West just west of Shaw Street.

The TTC is detouring streetcars operating along these routes to accommodate the work:

• 304 King overnight;
• 504 King; and
• 514 Cherry.

Shuttle buses replace the cars, operating between Sunnyside Loop and Shaw Street.

According to the TTC, “Rail work of this nature is required around-the-clock to ensure quality installation of new rail and concrete” and to make sure that regular streetcar service can resume early Monday, April 23. While the crews mostly work from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day, they may work overnight while placing concrete.

The crews establish a safe working zone about 9 a.m. Saturday, April 21. A track crew will start digging up and removing concrete to expose the track switch. They’ll then start chipping the concrete chipping to completely expose the switch to repair it and then place new concrete. The crews leave the concrete to completely cure overnight before streetcars and other traffic can again travel along the streetcar-track right of way.

The work zone will restrict traffic to just one lane in each direction. The City of Toronto will prohibit on-street parking through the area and may also restrict turns.