A long-term TTC project that has caused nightmare traffic conditions on a major Toronto artery finally draws to a close on Sunday with the long-awaited return of the 510 Spadina and 310 Spadina Night streetcar routes.
The TTC announced on Friday that the streetcar right-of-way, which has been obstructed since last June for critical track renewal and modernization of the overhead power network, is finally back in action as of Sunday, March 30, 2025.
According to the TTC, “The completed infrastructure work included upgrades to the overhead electrical system along the Spadina streetcar right-of-way between King St. and Queens Quay, and from College St. to Spadina Station. “
The transit agency also says it carried out “track renewal work at Spadina Station, along with enabling works for a future platform extension.”
The restoration of service comes after months of traffic headaches and complaints from transit users.
The TTC announced last spring that streetcar service would be replaced by buses along Spadina for modernization and repair work, which was initially planned to last from late June until the end of December 2024.
However, like many long-term construction projects in Toronto, work stretched far beyond initial estimates, adding up to nine months of disruption for both transit and road users.
The resumption of 510 (and 310) will have an immediate impact on traffic along the thoroughfare, which has been clogged up by shared bus and private traffic since the beginning of the project last year.
Replacement buses were just one of many factors contributing to unprecedented congestion along the already-packed north-south artery as they travel and stop in mixed traffic. Things got particularly nasty during rush hour in the summer months, compounded by the also under-construction Gardiner Expressway.
Only a few weeks into the project, the TTC rushed changes to replacement vehicles’ routes “to improve service and get around the gridlock” before the City decided to reserve sections of one lane in each direction for buses only.
Still, traffic persisted along the corridor, as buses’ inability to use the streetcars’ dedicated right-of-way led to continued headaches for motorists and TTC bus drivers.
Sunday’s resumption of streetcar service will finally bring this long-term inconvenience to a close.
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