TTC Service Changes Effective Sunday, September 3, 2023 (Preliminary)

This is a preliminary version based on GTFS data and some Service Advisories on the TTC site. I expect to receive the full list of September service changes early in the week of August 28 and will update this article accordingly including the usual detailed comparison of service levels.

Updated August 26 at 9:15 pm: 512 St. Clair updated to reflect complete bus replacement for work at various locations on the line.

SRT Replacement Service

The Scarborough Rapid Transit line (Line 3) is now permanently closed. It will be replaced by the 903 Scarborough Express. This route will operate in reserved lanes between STC and Kennedy Station southbound via Midland and northbound via Kennedy.

This route began operations on Saturday, August 26. The route used leaving STC is via Progress, not via Ellesmere as had originally been planned.

Although there has been talk of 70 buses per hour on the replacement service, the maximum scheduled service on the 903 in the AM peak is about 45 buses/hour, with a PM peak service of about 36 buses/hour. In November when more routes are through-routed from STC to Kennedy Station this number could increase. I await further information from the TTC on this.

I await feedback from the TTC about whether the scheduled service will be supplemented with “Run as Directed” buses.

Route 903 buses will stop only at Ellesmere and Lawrence, and they will not serve the former RT stations.

Route 954 Lawrence East Express are scheduled to continue to operate to Lawrence East Station, although plans are for it and other routes to serve Kennedy Station later in 2023. It is unclear whether this will be changed on an ad hoc basis to route the 954 buses to Kennedy Station to avoid problems with on-street transfers between the 903 and the 954 which would only work inbound (westbound/southbound).

Streetcars

501 Queen: In spite of expectations that streetcar service would return west of Sunnyside Loop in September, this is not in the GTFS schedules. The following services will operate:

• 501 streetcars between Sunnyside and McCaul Loop. They will have an extended recovery time at Sunnyside because the schedule assumed they would operate to Humber Loop.
• 501B buses between Wolseley Loop and Broadview diverting around Ontario Line construction between Bay and Church (same as the August operation).
• 513 (aka 501D) buses between Queen and Victoria and Neville Loop.
• 501L buses are not in the published schedules but they will operate as in August between Dufferin and Long Branch. 507 Long Branch streetcar service will not return until the track reopens on The Queensway west of Sunnyside. This was a last-minute change, and the 501L service will be provided with “Run as Directed” (RAD) buses. It is not clear yet whether these will be tracked by transit apps.
• The 301 Night Bus will run from Neville to Long Branch.

Note that the 501 streetcar will no longer operate across Dundas from McCaul to Broadview. It is not yet clear whether this will resume when work at the Metrolinx bridge at DeGrassi completes, or if the 513 Queen East will become a streetcar operation.

The date for the 501 diversion via York-Adelaide/Richmond-Church is now set for May 2024 thanks to delays in Metrolinx doing the necessary track work on York Street. Why this was not simply included in the City’s contract now underway on Adelaide is one of those mysteries of Metrolinx-TTC-City affairs.

508 Lake Shore: This service will operate between Roncesvalles and Broadview via King peak periods only. When streetcars return to Long Branch, this route will be extended. Each 508 Tripper will make one trip from Roncesvalles to Broadview looping via Parliament, Dundas and Broadview, and returning westbound via King.

Cars will pass through Parkdale at about 7:30, 8:00, 8:20, 8:40 and 9:00 am eastbound. Westbound cars will pass Yonge at about 4:25 and every 20 minutes thereafter to 5:45 pm. These will effectively be peak extras on 504 King.

503 Kingston Road: This remains a bus operation until the next schedule period which begins on Thanksgiving weekend. Overhead installation is underway on the Church-Wellington-York loop of the 503 car.

504 King: All service that normally would terminate at Dufferin Loop will be extended to Roncesvalles for construction at the loop. Service east of Sumach Street (the Distillery branch turnoff point) will continue to be provided by the 72A Pape bus looping at Parliament-Front-Berkeley.

505 Dundas: Due to Metrolinx work at Queen and Degrassi, 505 Dundas cars will operate to Woodbine Loop via Broadview, Gerrard, Coxwell and Queen.

506 Carlton: Streetcar service to Main Station will be restored. The 506C shuttle bus from Castle Frank Station will cease operation. At the west end of the line, streetcars will continue to use Dundas West Station during construction work on Howard Park Avenue. Night service will revert to streetcars on the 306 Carlton Blue Night route.

512 St Clair (Updated): The streetcar service will be completely replaced with buses for work at St. Clair West Station and on overhead at various locations. Buses will run through to Gunn’s Loop.

Buses

22 Coxwell: The 22 Coxwell bus will continue to operate between Coxwell Station and Queen at all hours. Service on Kingston Road will be provided by the 503 Kingston Road bus.

47 Lansdowne: The 47A Lansdowne service will resume looping at Earlscourt Loop rather than being extended west to Gunn’s Loop.

Main Station Loop: With the end of construction at Main Station, normal operation will resume on 20 Cliffside, 23 Dawes, 62 Mortimer, 64 Main, 87 Cosburn, 113 Danforth and 135 Gerrard.

Routes 87 Cosburn and 64 Main will continue to interline except evenings all days and on weekend mornings.

134/913 Progress: With construction at STC Station complete, the normal Progress bus service will return and the 985 Sheppard East Express will no longer extend to Centennial College.