The ride along the 501 Queen, one of Toronto’s busiest surface transit routes, is set to get a little easier in the coming days now that the TTC has finally completed some key infrastructure work that heralds a return to near-regular service.
Streetcars have for many months been forced to take a rather inconvenient detour around the ongoing construction at Queen and Yonge, which, paired with hiccups caused by other projects along the thoroughfare, has led to complaints of longer wait times and other headaches in recent months.
Though work around the critical intersection will continue for approximately three more years as a new station for the forthcoming Ontario Line takes shape, new streetcar tracks and overhead wiring installed on Adelaide, Richmond, and York Streets will mean less disruption to the 501/301 journey.
Ontario Line construction will be such a mess that Toronto will need new streetcar tracks https://t.co/8b8TN6ejSn #OntarioLine #Toronto
— blogTO (@blogTO) March 29, 2022
After Queen was shuttered between Bay and Victoria back in May 2023, streetcars were redirected both ways via McCaul Street, Dundas and Broadview Avenue, and were more recently moved all the way down to King via Spadina Avenue and Church.
The new square they will be travelling along York, Richmond (westbound), Adelaide (eastbound) and Church starting on Sunday, November 10 will keep riders closer to Queen Street and bring more regular stops back into service.
Having the roads newly primed for streetcar service also provides “more long-term options for streetcar diversions” more generally, the TTC says.
Working with our pals at @cityoftoronto and @Metrolinx, #TTC crews have completed the streetcar tracks and overhead on Richmond, York, and Adelaide streets. This allows us to run 501/301 Queen streetcar service from Neville Park Loop all the way to South Etobicoke, starting this… pic.twitter.com/Sx8SK1PzJ2
— TTC Media Relations 📰🚌🚋🚈 (@TTCNewsroom) November 6, 2024
“The tracks represent a significant upgrade to our streetcar infrastructure in the downtown core that benefit us both during the Ontario Line construction closure at Yonge, and in longer, term,” TTC spokesperson Stuart Green says.
He adds that the new option will be especially useful not just for getting vehicles around roadwork, but during events like TIFF, which shuts down a portion of King Street and necessitates the adjustment of multiple transit routes in the process.
Along with the 501/301 routing change, which comes into effect at 4 a.m. Sunday, the line will return to streetcar-only service, with 501B/301B replacement buses no longer necessary in light of the improvements. This follows the return of the streetcar further west on Queen between Roncesvalles and the Humber Loop last fall for the first time since January 2021.
