Transit Toronto

Metrolinx contractors continue building the Finch West light rail transit line between Humber College and Finch West subway station in the Etobicoke and North York areas of Toronto.

Crews are installing part of the guideway — the track bed — this spring to test the first set of light rail vehicles that will arrive this summer. They’re installing the first part of the track in the centre lanes

• on Finch Avenue West between Norfinch Drive / Oakdale Road and Sentinel Road and
• at the maintenance and storage facility, on the west side of York Gate Boulevard, just north of Finch West.

Starting 2 a.m. Wednesday, April 21, the work zone for the guideway-installation project blocks through north-south traffic

• on Driftwood Avenue at Finch Avenue West,

the site of the future Driftwood LRT stop. The work zone also limits vehicle access at the intersection only to “right-in and right-out” turns.

Crews mostly work from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. However, to keep the project on deadline and to reduce the timeline for disrupting the nearby communities, they may also occasionally work overnight.

The road closure near the future Driftwood LRT stop and the resulting TTC detour continue until May 7.

For transit passengers

• Starting Wednesday, April 21, the TTC is detouring buses along this route:

• 108 Driftwood.

• Passengers aboard buses along these routes can also expect delays:

• 36 / 36A Finch West; and
• 336 Finch West overnight.

The TTC may also temporarily relocate bus stops in the area.

For motorists

• The work zone blocks centre lanes on Finch West between Jane Street and east of Driftwood Avenue.
• Just one lane is available for traffic in each direction along Finch West near the work zone.
• North-south traffic on Driftwood may only turn right onto Finch. East-west traffic on Finch may only turn right onto Driftwood.
• Southbound traffic on San Romanoway may only turn right onto Finch. Eastbound traffic on Finch has no access to San Romanoway.
• Eastbound traffic on Finch West may access northbound Driftwood by detouring:

northward along Jane Street; and then
eastward along Stong Court to Driftwood.

• Westbound traffic on Finch may access southbound Driftwood by detouring:

south- and eastward along Topcliffe Avenue to Driftwood.

• Southbound traffic on Driftwood must detour

westward along Stong;
southward along Jane; and then
eastward along Yewtree Boulevard to Driftwood.

• Northbound traffic reverses the southbound detour routing.

Starting Monday, April 19, the TTC is closing Line 1 Yonge - University subway between Sheppard West and Lawrence West stations after 11 p.m. nightly, as crews repair leaks and maintain the tracks. Line 1 subway trains operate only between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Sheppard West stations and between Lawrence West and Finch Stations late nights until April 22.

Express shuttle buses partially replace subway service between the two stations. The buses start and end their trips in the bus terminals at both stations. Passengers may exit from or board the buses at or near subway stations on the closed section of the line. Most stations remain open so that you can pay fares or transfer to TTC or York Region Transit buses. However, Yorkdale Station is closed.

(Or, consider a shuttle-bus alternative.)

Although shuttle buses are accessible, Wheel-Trans service is also available. Ask TTC staff in each station for information about Wheel-Trans service.

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… signal upgrades.”

Note that the TTC continues to close the section of Line 1 between St George and St Andrew stations during a 10-day closure until April 21.

The TTC intends to close this section of Line 1 once more in April and early May:

• Monday, April 26 until Wednesday, May 7 — Sheppard West to Wilson — switch installation and replacement.

The Toronto Railway Museum continues celebrating its 10th anniversary by launching a virtual lecture series.

The series starts by commemorating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 95th birthday with stories of the Royal Train Tours of Canada. In May, the Museum hosts a viewing of the film, Ties that Bind, celebrating Asian Heritage Month. In June, the Museum says, “just for fun”, the topic is Canadian Baseball’s Love Affair with Railways.

The first virtual lecture takes place Wednesday, April 21 from 6:30 until 9 p.m. Toronto-based “Royal Historian”, Dr. Carolyn Harris, will conduct the presentation and a local train expert will also comment.

General tickets

• $10 with access to YouTube link
• Chance to win prize via social media

VIP - Limited number available

• $25 with access to Zoom link
• Live Q&A with Carolyn Harris and train expert
• Chance to win multiple prizes including a Moët gift basket and more!

Buy tickets here

In Roundhouse Park, in the heart of downtown Toronto, the Toronto Railway Museum shares the stories of Toronto’s railway history.

Established in 2001 to work with the City of Toronto to establish a railway museum at the John Street Roundhouse, the Toronto Railway Heritage Association’s primary purpose is to promote the development of the Toronto Railway Museum.

Dr. Carolyn Harris is an instructor in history at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. She received her Ph.D in European history from Queen’s University in 2012. Her writing about the history of monarchy in the UK, Europe and Canada has appeared in numerous publications, including the Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, Smithsonian Magazine and the BBC History Magazine, and she is the author of three books: Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette and Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting. She is currently co-editing a book series about royal consorts, English Consorts: Power, Influence, Dynasty. She lives in Toronto.

Starting Monday, April 12, the City of Mississauga is closing

• Webb Drive between Redmond Road and Confederation Parkway,

to accommodate City contractors who are installing a storm sewer.

MiWay is detouring buses along these routes, while the street is closed:

• 6 Credit Woodlands; and
• 91 Hillcrest - Cooksville GO.

Storm-sewer construction on Webb Drive and the resulting MiWay detours continue until April 16.

For ten days — from Monday, April 12 until Wednesday, April 21 — the TTC is closing Line 1 Yonge - University subway between St George and St Andrew stations. Line 1 trains operate only between Finch and St Andrew stations and between Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and St George stations those days.

Shuttle buses partly replace subway service. The buses drop off or pick up passengers on the street near stations on this part of the line. The TTC says that buses drop operate every minute or better Mondays to Fridays during morning rush hours “to provide safe travel and physical distancing.”

According to the TTC, passengers can expect frequent, “very consistent” bus service to continue throughout the rest of the week. It’s based service levels on current passenger volumes.

(Or, consider a shuttle-bus alternative.)

Museum, Queen’s Park, St Patrick and Osgoode stations are closed. The TTC is closing all entrances / exits at these stations, including connections to hospitals.

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.

The TTC says it’s “continuing to capitalize on reduced ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifying opportunities to carry out vital state-of-good-repair work with minimal inconvenience to [passengers].”

During the closure between St George and St Andrews, crews are:

• removing asbestos;
• repairing electrical cables; and
• rehabilitating the structure.

Crews are working “around-the-clock” — 24 hours a day, every day.

The transit agency says that this ten-day closure eliminates several years’ worth of early access, weekend and platform closures. The TTC successfully used similar closures

• between Finch and Sheppard - Yonge stations in December and
• between St George and St Andrew station in March

to complete more than the equivalent of two years of work in just ten days.

Starting 2 a.m. Saturday, April 10, City of Toronto Water crews block part of the streetcar right-of-way, while the clean sewers

• on Dundas Street West between Roncesvalles and Howard Park Avenues.

The TTC is detouring streetcars along these routes, to accommodate, while the tracks are blocked:

• 306 Carlton overnight; and
• 505 Dundas.

Sewer-cleaning on Dundas Street West and the resulting TTC detours continue until April 12 (4:30 a.m.)

Starting 6 a.m. Friday, April 12, the City of Toronto is closing

• Calvington Drive between the west and east branches of Forthbridge Crescent and
• Forthbridge Crescent between Chesham and Calvington Drives

to accommodate City contractors who are installing a new water main.

The TTC is detouring buses along this route, while the streets are closed:

• 120 Calvington.

Water-main construction on Calvington Drive and Forthbridge Crescent and the resulting TTC detour continue until May 7.

From 1 a.m. Saturday, April 10 until 1 p.m., Sunday, April 11, the City of Toronto is closing

• Wellesley Street West between Queen’s Park Crescent East and Bay Street,

to accommodate contractors who are lifting a crane at a construction site.

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

• 94A Wellesley.

Last week we posted photos by reader Stuart Mullin, which showed old streetcar tracks, curves and “setts” (cobblestones) at the intersection of Church Street with Bloor Street East. City of Toronto contractors had exposed the old streetcar infrastructure during a project to resurface Church between Park Road and Gloucester Street.

By April 5, the contractors had completely removed all the tracks, curves and setts. Stuart sent us a new photo documenting this phase of the work.

^ Image, Stuart Mullin

The TTC operated streetcars along the Church route until May 15, 1954.

The TTC operated streetcars along this part of the Bloor route until February 26, 1966, when it opened the Line 2 Bloor - Danforth subway.

You can read Transit Toronto’s history of streetcars on Church Street by James Bow, here.

You can read Transit Toronto’s history of streetcars on Bloor Street by James Bow, here.

The TTC is delaying the start of service along Line 2 Bloor - Danforth between Broadview and St George stations this Sunday, April 11. All Line 2 trains operate only between Kennedy and Broadview stations and between Kipling and St George stations before noon that day.

Shuttle buses partially replace subway service between the two stations, stopping on the street near stations on the closed section of the line.

(Or, consider a shuttle bus alternative.)

Most stations on the closed section of Line 2 remain open so you can pay for fares or connect with buses, streetcars and Line 1 Yonge - University subway trains. However, Sherbourne and Bay stations are closed before noon.

Although shuttle buses are accessible, Wheel-Trans service is also available between Broadview and St George stations. Ask staff at these stations for in information about Wheel-Trans service.

While this section of Line 2 is closed, City of Toronto contractors work under the Prince Edward Viaduct to replace beams. TTC crews also take advantage of the closure to maintain the tracks.