78-426: 510 Spadina ( 310 Spadina during overnight periods) is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario , Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . The line started operating in 1990 and was extended in 1997; overnight service was reinstated in 2015. Streetcar service on Spadina Avenue began in 1878 as a horsecar line operated by the Toronto Street Railway . In 1891, the Toronto Railway Company created
156-465: A 505 Dundas streetcar heading eastbound collided with a Greyhound bus at Dundas and River Streets. Based on 2013 statistics, the TTC operated 304.6 kilometres (189.3 mi) of routes on 82 kilometres (51 mi) streetcar network (double or single track) throughout Toronto. As of July 28, 2024 , there are eleven active daytime streetcar routes plus seven overnight streetcar routes (part of
234-610: A 15-minute walk of the existing 24-hour transit routes. In fact, hardly any of the 14 overnight routes then in existence were strictly justified by demand any more, particularly on weekdays. But since "one of the TTC's primary goals is to maximize mobility and accessibility to transit service", the report's recommendation was to redesign the system, not eliminate it. Most of Toronto has a squarish grid of main streets that originated as early 19th-century concession roads , and are spaced at 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 -mile intervals (about 2 km). By running overnight buses along every second road in
312-594: A 15-minute walk. In the fall of 2015, the TTC expanded the Blue Night Network program, with 16 new or revised routes incorporated into the network as part of a $ 95 million investment made by Toronto City Council . This included the restoration of streetcar service on King Street as the 304 King and on Spadina Avenue as the 310 Spadina. Since January 2020, all night streetcar routes have been operated using accessible Flexity streetcars. In June 2024, overnight bus service between Gunns Loop and St. Clair station
390-414: A backup plan in the event there were not enough Flexity streetcars. On June 19, 2016, the TTC launched the 514 Cherry streetcar route to supplement 504 King service along King Street between Dufferin and Sumach streets. The new route operated every 15 minutes or better and initially used some and later only the commission's then-new accessible Flexity streetcars. The eastern end of the 514 route ran on
468-437: A marketing decision was made to treat the overnight service as a new, distinct set of routes, even in those cases where the day route was identical. The name Blue Night Network was adopted, and with it the 300-series route numbers described above, and a new colour-coding for bus and streetcar stops. The existing standard TTC-stop sign had a red square or stripe at the top and bottom; later, for all stops with 24-hour service, this
546-402: A mode conversion from streetcar to bus. In February 2003, two Blue Night routes were extended to reach Toronto Pearson International Airport . Then in 2005, several routes were added so that east–west service would run on every grid street instead of alternate ones in much of the city. This has brought the Blue Night Network up to a total of 24 routes, serving 97% of the city's population within
624-455: A moon symbol. The Blue Night Network debuted in February 1987. In the 1990s, the TTC suffered major funding cuts and service on many low-traffic routes was reduced; the Blue Night Network lost three routes in February 1992, selected from those proposed for elimination in 1986. But other routes have been extended or added over the years, including one case (312 St. Clair in 2000) that required
702-497: A new dedicated right-of-way was opened in 1997. The right-of-way extended the track north along Spadina Avenue from Queens Quay to Spadina station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth . The term " light-rail transit" (LRT), which had been adopted to project an image of modernity, was dropped when it led to residents and newspaper reporters imagining elevated guideways like those of the Scarborough RT running through their streets. It
780-615: A newly constructed branch, originally named the Cherry Street streetcar line , which is located in a reserved side-of-street right-of-way. On September 12, 2017, 509 Harbourfront became the first streetcar route in Toronto to operate Flexity streetcars with electrical pickup by pantograph instead of trolley pole . That November, the King Street Transit Priority Corridor , a transit mall ,
858-409: A partial right-of-way, and six operate on street trackage shared with vehicular traffic with streetcars stopping on demand at frequent stops like buses. Since 2019, the network has used low-floor streetcars , making it fully accessible. Toronto's streetcars provide most of the downtown core's surface transit service. Four of the TTC's five most heavily used surface routes are streetcar routes. In 2023,
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#1732787207188936-587: A route called the Belt Line that ran as a loop along Spadina Avenue , Bloor Street , Sherbourne Street , and King Street . In 1923, the Toronto Transportation Commission reconfigured the streetcar network, discontinuing the Belt Line and creating Spadina as a separate streetcar route. The Spadina route operated until 1948, when it was replaced by buses. The tracks on Spadina between Dundas Street and Harbord Street were used by
1014-588: A route identifier (route name until the 1980s and later route number) and destination on two separate front rollsigns. The dot-matrix display destination signs on the Flexity streetcars show route number, route name and destination. Before 2018, streetcar-replacement bus services indicated route number and destination but not route name, like the CLRVs. The streetcar-operated Blue Night Network routes have been assigned 300-series route numbers. The other exception to
1092-408: A separated right-of-way similar to that of the 510 on Spadina Avenue, to increase service reliability and was completed on June 30, 2010. On December 19, 2010, 504 King streetcar service returned to Roncesvalles Avenue after the street was rebuilt to a new design, which provided a widened sidewalk " bumpout " at each stop to allow riders to board a streetcar directly from the curb. When no streetcar
1170-586: A streetcar operation, with the bulk of the routes acquired from the private TRC and merged with the publicly operated Toronto Civic Railways. In 1923, the TTC took over the Lambton, Davenport and Weston routes of the Toronto Suburban Railway (TSR) and integrated them into the streetcar system. In 1925, routes were operated on behalf of the Township of York (as Township of York Railway), but
1248-594: A surface rail connection there. In the early 1980s, a streetcar line was planned to connect Kennedy station to Scarborough Town Centre . However, as that line was being built, the Province of Ontario persuaded the TTC to switch to using a new technology called the Intermediate Capacity Transit System (now Bombardier Innovia Metro) by promising to pay for any cost overruns (which eventually amounted to over $ 100 million). Thus,
1326-420: A total of 16 routes. This is what the report proposed. In changing from the old network of 14 routes to the new set of 16, only 2 routes would be entirely unchanged. There would be 11 entirely new overnight routes (all bus-operated), with 7 existing ones eliminated (3 streetcar, 3 trolleybus, and only 1 bus route, as the night network would be shifted away from the streetcar tracks and trolleybus wires). Despite
1404-409: A tunnel under Bay Street. Most stops along the routes are surface stops, with islands separating the regular traffic from the streetcar tracks, and have streetcar traffic signals, partial shelters, and railings to protect patrons from the traffic. Streetcars serve Union and Spadina subway stations from underground streetcar stations, and an additional underground streetcar station exists at Queens Quay on
1482-622: A validated TTC senior, youth or student ticket; a single-ride ticket; a paper transfer; or a tapped-in Presto card while riding. At the same time, the TTC also activated the option for customers to purchase single-ride tickets using debit or credit cards on the fare vending machines on Flexity streetcars. With the January 3, 2016, service changes, 510 Spadina became the first wheelchair-accessible streetcar route using mainly Flexity streetcars. However, CLRV and ALRV streetcars were used in some cases as
1560-702: Is a network of eleven streetcar routes in Toronto , Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is the third busiest light-rail system in North America . The network is concentrated primarily in Downtown Toronto and in proximity to the city's waterfront . Much of the streetcar route network dates from the second half of the 19th century. Three streetcar routes operate in their own right-of-way, one in
1638-458: Is completed and full streetcar service over the entire route was finally restored on June 30, 2010. Blue Night Network The Blue Night Network is the overnight public transit service operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Toronto , Ontario, Canada. The network consists of a basic grid of 27 bus and 7 streetcar routes, distributed so that almost all of the city is within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of at least one route. It
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#17327872071881716-424: Is held during the summer. By 2003, two-thirds of the city's streetcar tracks were in poor condition as the older track was poorly built using unwelded rail attached to untreated wooden ties lying on loose gravel. The result was street trackage falling apart quickly requiring digging up everything after 10 to 15 years. Thus, the TTC started to rebuild tracks using a different technique. With the new technique, concrete
1794-444: Is north of downtown. Short sections of the track also operate in a tunnel (to connect with Spadina, Union, and St. Clair West subway stations). The most significant section of underground streetcar trackage is a tunnel underneath Bay Street connecting Queens Quay with Union station; this section, which is approximately 700 m (2,300 ft) long, includes one intermediate underground station at Bay Street and Queens Quay. During
1872-416: Is poured over compacted gravel, and the ties are placed in another bed of concrete, which is topped by more concrete to embed rail clips and rubber-encased rails. The resulting rail is more stable and quieter with less vibration. The new tracks are expected to last 25 years after which only the top concrete layer needs to be removed in order to replace worn rails. Route 512 St. Clair was rebuilt to restore
1950-699: Is present, cyclists may ride over the bumpout as it doubles as part of a bike lane. On October 12, 2014, streetcar service resumed on 509 Harbourfront route after the street was rebuilt to a new design that replaced the eastbound auto lanes with parkland from Spadina Avenue to York Street. Thus, streetcars since then run on a roadside right-of-way immediately adjacent to a park on its southern edge. The Toronto Transit Commission eliminated all Sunday-only stops on June 7, 2015, as these stops slowed down streetcars making it more difficult to meet scheduled stops. Sunday stops, which served Christian churches, were deemed unfair to non-Christian places of worship, which never had
2028-425: Is required (e.g., for construction, special events, emergencies), replacement buses bear the same route number and name as the corresponding streetcar route. Until 1980, streetcar routes had names but not numbers. When the CLRVs were introduced, the TTC assigned route numbers in the 500 series. CLRVs have a single front rollsign showing various combinations of route number and destination, while PCC streetcars showed
2106-408: Is the largest and most frequent overnight network in North America. The times of Blue Night service vary according to individual scheduling situations on each route. Most regular service bus and streetcar routes cease operations at approximately 1:30 a.m. If there is a Blue Night route on the same street, its first trip will then follow at a suitable interval after the last regular run. On
2184-608: The 301 Queen , the 303 Kingston Rd , the 304 King , the 305 Dundas , the 306 Carlton , the 310 Spadina , and the 312 St. Clair . As of January 2020, all of these routes are operated with accessible Flexity Outlook streetcars. Toronto has had overnight streetcar service since the days of the Toronto Railway Company in the 1890s, and the TTC continued it when they took over in 1921. The routes selected for 24-hour service were those serving 24-hour employers such as factories, stockyards, and railway yards. Over
2262-645: The Blue Night Network ) on the TTC network. The following table does not reflect temporary diversions and bus substitutions. Part of the Blue Night Network service, operating as 301 Queen between Neville Park and Long Branch Loops. Part of the Blue Night Network service, operating as 303 Kingston Rd between Bingham Loop and Roncesvalles Avenue. Part of the Blue Night Network service, operating as 304 King between Dundas West station and Broadview stations, bypassing Dufferin Gate and Distillery Loops. Part of
2340-562: The amalgamated city of Toronto). Only one overnight route (the Queen streetcar, later 501 Queen, to Long Branch loop) extended a significant distance into the suburbs. In 1974, after the subway had been extended beyond the Toronto city limits in three directions, the same was done for overnight bus service. But large areas of Metro still remained without 24-hour transit – Etobicoke , North York , and Scarborough each had only one or two routes – as late as 1986, when
2418-445: The subway system, the last trains on each line make a complete trip; the last trains running east, west, and north from Bloor–Yonge and St. George stations each leave at 1:50 a.m. or just after. Each station then closes as the last train departs. In the morning, regular bus and streetcar service mostly takes over from the corresponding Blue Night routes around 5:30 a.m, or 8:00 a.m. on Sundays. The first trains on
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2496-424: The 1950s, the TTC continued to invest in streetcars and the TTC took advantage of other cities' streetcar removals by purchasing extra PCC cars from Cleveland , Birmingham , Kansas City , and Cincinnati . In 1966, the TTC announced plans to eliminate all streetcar routes by 1980. Streetcars were considered out of date, and their elimination in almost all other cities made it hard to buy new vehicles and maintain
2574-570: The 500 series numbering was the Harbourfront LRT streetcar. When introduced in 1990, this route was numbered 604, which was intended to group it with the old (albeit unposted) numbering scheme for Toronto subway routes. In 1996, the TTC overhauled its rapid transit route numbers and stopped trying to market the Harbourfront route as "rapid transit". The number was changed to 510. The tracks were later extended in two directions to form
2652-465: The 510 Spadina and 509 Harbourfront routes. There are underground connections between streetcars and the subway at St. Clair West , Spadina, and Union stations, and streetcars enter St. Clair , Dundas West , Bathurst , Broadview , and Main Street stations at street level. At the eight downtown stations, excepting Union, from Queen's Park to College on Line 1 Yonge–University, streetcars stop on
2730-430: The 510 Spadina line), and was part of the expanded Blue Night Network streetcar services resulting from a $ 95 million investment from Toronto City Council . During overnight periods, streetcars operate approximately every 30 minutes. The TTC had operated an overnight service using buses on Spadina from 1987 until 1992 when it was discontinued due to a series of cutbacks in TTC service. On May 14, 2018, 510 Spadina became
2808-456: The Blue Night Network service, operating as 305 Dundas. Part of the Blue Night Network, operating as 306 Carlton. Replaced by 501 Queen after 10 p.m. Weekday rush-hour service in peak direction only. Part of the Blue Night Network service, operating as 310 Spadina. Part of the Blue Night Network, operating as 312 St. Clair. All streetcar routes are served by low-floor, accessible Flexity Outlook vehicles. When replacement bus service
2886-420: The Flexity cars was introduced on November 30, 2014. On November 22, 2015, the TTC started to operate its new fleet of Flexity Outlook streetcars from its new Leslie Barns maintenance and storage facility. On December 14, 2015, the TTC expanded Presto , POP and all-door loading to include all streetcars on all routes. All streetcar passengers are required to carry proof that they have paid their fares such as
2964-409: The Flexity streetcars due to reliability issues with the fare vending machines. On September 2, 2019, the TTC retired the last of its ALRV streetcars. The next day, due to the construction work at the Queen, Kingston Road, Eastern Avenue intersection, the TTC eliminated the 502 Downtowner service indefinitely. Concordantly, the 503 Kingston Rd service, which used to operate during rush hours only,
3042-475: The Harbord streetcar route until its discontinuation in 1966, after which, only the tracks between King and College streets were retained for diversions along Spadina Avenue. The modern 510 Spadina route began as the 604 Harbourfront LRT route along Queens Quay in 1990, using CLRV and ALRV streetcars. The route was later renamed the 510 Harbourfront. It became the 510 Spadina and replaced the 77 Spadina bus when
3120-483: The Scarborough RT (later renamed Line 3 Scarborough ) was born, and streetcar service did not return to Scarborough, instead stopping at the limits. The TTC returned to building new streetcar routes in 1989. The first new line was route 604 Harbourfront, starting from Union station , travelling underneath Bay Street and rising to a dedicated centre median on Queen's Quay (along the edge of Lake Ontario ) to
3198-456: The Spadina portion run every 2 to 3 minutes every day. On December 15, 2008, the next vehicle arrival notification system was installed for the 510 streetcar in Spadina and Union stations. The next vehicle arrival notification system includes a display screen that shows the location of the streetcars in "real" time with a delay of one minute. On June 18, 2012, all streetcar service on the line
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3276-616: The TRC to serve these areas, the City created its own street railway operation, the Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) to do so, and built several routes. Repeated court battles forced the TRC to build new cars, but they were of old design. When the TRC franchise ended in 1921, the Toronto Transportation Commission was created, combining the city-operated Toronto Civic Railways lines into its new network. The TTC began in 1921 as solely
3354-428: The TTC retired the last of its high-floor streetcars, the CLRVs. The final day for the CLRVs included a ceremonial farewell voyage along Queen Street, although the TTC plans to retain two CLRVs in Toronto for special events and charters. Since the retirement of the CLRVs, all TTC surface routes have been served by accessible low-floor vehicles. On August 15, 2023, the credit and debit card single-ride fare payment option
3432-472: The TTC was contracted to operate them. One of these routes was the former TSR Weston route and the others were the TTC Oakwood and Rogers Road streetcar routes. The Weston streetcar route was replaced by electric trolley buses in 1948, while Rogers Road route was replaced by the 63 Ossington trolley bus route in 1974; ultimately diesel bus routes replaced the trolley buses in 1992. In 1927, the TTC became
3510-710: The TTC's Presto day ticket is valid until 2:59 a.m. on the day following the ticket's first use, rather than expiring at midnight. Blue Night routes operate with frequencies of every 30 minutes or better. Blue Night routes are distinguished from regular routes by numbers in the 300 series. Numbering on these routes can correspond to a day route, such as 301 Queen being Blue Night for 501 Queen. Routings are often combinations of multiple-day routes or slight alterations to their corresponding day route. Most routes are operated by TTC's fleet of low-floor buses , where applicable, making them fully accessible for handicapped and wheelchair users. Seven routes operate with streetcars:
3588-441: The TTC's planning department issued a report on Metro All-Night Transit Service calling for major changes. The report pointed out that the importance of the original "demand generators" for overnight public transit had declined. Nightly demand was now twice as heavy on weekends as on weekdays, showing that not many people were using transit to get to night work. And as Metro had grown, only 45% of its population still lived within
3666-400: The approach to Union station. As of November 21, 2021, the 510 Spadina route operates as three branches: Route 310 Spadina runs overnight between Spadina and Union stations, replacing the 510 Spadina service. It is part of the TTC's Blue Night Network , operating from approximately 1 am to 5 am. Toronto streetcar system [REDACTED] The Toronto streetcar system
3744-668: The city and construction resumed in mid-2006. One-third of the St. Clair right-of-way was completed by the end of 2006 and streetcars began using it on February 18, 2007. The portion finished was from St. Clair station (Yonge Street) to Vaughan Road . The second phase started construction in mid-2007 from Dufferin Street to Caledonia Road. Service resumed using the second and third phases on December 20, 2009, extending streetcar service from St. Clair to Earlscourt Loop located just south and west of Lansdowne Avenue. The fourth and final phase from Earlscourt Loop to Gunns Loop (just west of Keele Street)
3822-408: The cost, creating a 23-route night system. Until this time, with the exception of buses that replaced subway lines, it had been understood that overnight transit was provided by regular routes that happened to have 24-hour service. Night services retained the same route names and numbers as their daytime counterparts, perhaps with a suffixed letter if there was a variation in the exact routing. But now
3900-442: The cost-to-revenue ratio of the route has fallen with the switch from buses to streetcars. Mitch Stambler, the TTC's manager of service planning, responded by pointing out that streetcars offer a smoother and quieter ride, zero emissions, and economic development. Ridership increased from 26,000 per day on the 77 bus route to 35,000 per day on the Spadina streetcar in 2004 and to over 45,000 per day between 2005 and 2006. Streetcars on
3978-598: The decision of the TTC board. The busiest north–south and east–west routes were replaced respectively by the Yonge–University and the Bloor–Danforth subway lines, and the northernmost streetcar lines, including the North Yonge and Oakwood routes, were replaced by trolley buses (and later by diesel buses). Two lines that operated north of St. Clair Avenue were abandoned for other reasons. The Rogers Road route
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#17327872071884056-424: The equivalent of a Sunday stop. Toronto originally created Sunday stops in the 1920s along its streetcar routes to help worshippers get to church on Sunday for religious services. The first two Flexity Outlook streetcars entered service on route 510 Spadina, on August 31, 2014; at the same time, all-door boarding and proof-of-payment (POP) was introduced on all 510 Spadina streetcars. Fare payments by Presto on
4134-407: The existing ones. Metro Toronto chair William Allen claimed in 1966 that "streetcars are as obsolete as the horse and buggy". Many streetcars were removed from service when Line 2 Bloor–Danforth opened in February 1966. The plan to abolish the streetcar system was strongly opposed by many people in the city, and a group named "Streetcars for Toronto" was formed to work against the plan. The group
4212-418: The first CLRV entering service in 1979. It also continued to rebuild and maintain the existing fleet of PCC (Presidents' Conference Committee) streetcars until they were no longer roadworthy. When Kipling station opened in 1980 as the new western terminus of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth, it had provision for a future streetcar or LRT platform opposite the bus platforms. However, there was no further development for
4290-654: The first street railway line in Canada on September 11, 1861, operating from Yorkville Town Hall to the St. Lawrence Market . At the end of the TSR franchise, the City government ran the railway for eight months but ended up granting a new thirty-year franchise to the Toronto Railway Company (TRC) in 1891. The TRC was the first operator of horseless streetcars in Toronto. The first electric car ran on August 15, 1892, and
4368-429: The first two accessible low-floor Flexity vehicles officially entered revenue service. On September 6, 2015, after a 13-year absence, the TTC reinstated its overnight service on this route. The night service was designated first as 317 Spadina (based on the overnight equivalent from the 77 Spadina bus era) before being renumbered 310 Spadina on September 3, 2017 (to better align with the current overnight equivalent of
4446-445: The foot of Spadina Avenue . This route was lengthened northward along Spadina Avenue in 1997, continuing to travel in a dedicated right-of-way in the centre of the street, and ending in an underground terminal at Spadina station . At this time, the route was renamed 510 Spadina to fit with the numbering scheme of the other streetcar routes. This new streetcar service replaced the former route 77 Spadina bus and, since 1997, has provided
4524-416: The grid, all parts of Metro would be reached and 86% of the population would be within a 15-minute walk (taken as 1.25 km or 3 ⁄ 4 mile). To avoid excessively long trips, some grid streets such as Eglinton Avenue would require two bus routes meeting end-to-end, but still just 15 routes would be needed to form the grid. The 506 Carlton route had sufficient ridership to be retained in addition, for
4602-419: The last horse car ran on August 31, 1894, to meet franchise requirements. There came to be problems with interpretation of the franchise terms for the City. By 1912, the city limits had extended significantly, with the annexation of communities to the north (1912: North Toronto ) and the east (1908: Town of East Toronto ) and the west (1909: the City of West Toronto— The Junction ). After many attempts to force
4680-528: The late 2000s, the TTC reinstated a separated right-of-way, which had been removed between 1928 and 1935, on St. Clair Avenue for the entire 512 St. Clair route. A court decision obtained by local merchants in October 2005 had brought construction to a halt and put the project in doubt; the judicial panel then recused themselves, and the delay for a new decision adversely affected the construction schedule. A new judicial panel decided in February 2006 in favour of
4758-484: The main north–south transit service through Toronto's Chinatown and the western boundary of University of Toronto 's main campus. The tracks along Queen's Quay were extended to Bathurst Street in 2000 to connect to the existing Bathurst route , providing for a new 509 Harbourfront route from Union station to the refurbished Exhibition Loop at the Exhibition grounds , where the annual Canadian National Exhibition
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#17327872071884836-571: The operator of three radial lines of the former Toronto and York Radial Railway . The TTC connected these lines to the streetcar system in order to share equipment and facilities, such as carhouses, but the radials had their own separate management within the TTC's Radial Department. The last TTC-operated radial ( North Yonge Railways ) closed in 1948. After the Second World War , many cities across North America and Europe began to eliminate their streetcar systems in favour of buses. During
4914-401: The route eliminations and probable increased ridership, the changes could not be expected to finance themselves. The report recommended reducing service frequencies after 10 p.m. on certain routes in order to offset the increased costs. The Commission agreed to the expanded service, but could not stomach the elimination of so many routes. Instead, they chose to retain all existing routes despite
4992-623: The second streetcar route in Toronto (after 509 Harbourfront) to use a pantograph instead of the trolley pole for electrical pickup. On May 10, 2021, service was shortened to operate along Spadina Avenue from Spadina station to Queens Quay and Spadina only, to allow for an increase of service along the line. However, the 310 Spadina Blue Night service remains unchanged and continues to operate from Spadina station to Union station. On September 5, 2021, service to Union station resumed. 510 streetcars operate entirely within dedicated streetcar rights-of-way, along Spadina Avenue, Queens Quay Boulevard and in
5070-590: The street outside the station entrances. Union station serves as the hub for both the TTC and the GO Transit systems. The majority of streetcar routes in Toronto operate in mixed traffic, generally reflecting the original track configurations of the streetcar system, a system that dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, newer trackage has largely been established within dedicated rights-of-way to allow streetcars to operate with fewer disruptions due to delays caused by automobile traffic. Most of
5148-499: The subway then start from various positions along the routes, allowing all stations to open more or less simultaneously just before 6:00 a.m., or 8:00 a.m. on Sundays. The Blue Night routes that parallel the subway lines keep running until that time, and their last buses terminate service at a subway station to facilitate transfers to the trains. Normal TTC fares apply on the Blue Night Network. Passengers can transfer to or from regular-service routes as usual. Additionally,
5226-530: The system had a ridership of 69,106,000, or about 223,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. The main predecessors of the TTC were: In 1861, the City of Toronto issued a thirty-year transit franchise (Resolution 14, By-law 353) for a horse-drawn street railway , after the Williams Omnibus Bus Line had become heavily loaded. Alexander Easton's Toronto Street Railway (TSR) opened
5304-542: The system's dedicated rights-of-way operate within the median of existing streets, separated from general traffic by raised curbs and controlled by specialized traffic signals at intersections. Queen streetcars have operated on such a right-of-way along the Queensway between Humber and Sunnyside loops since 1957. Since the 1990s, dedicated rights-of-way have been opened downtown along Queens Quay , Spadina Avenue , and Fleet Street, as well as St. Clair Avenue West, which
5382-416: The trackage that had been used by the 604. In 2005, The Globe and Mail newspaper published an article that criticized the switch to a dedicated right-of-way streetcar as being less beneficial than promised. Based on TTC documents, the author argued that service is about one minute slower (from Queens Quay to Bloor) during afternoon rush hour than in 1990. The author also cited TTC documents which show that
5460-406: The years various streetcar routes were replaced by other modes, and where new subway lines replaced streetcars during regular hours, buses were put on overnight. But the overnight routings remained largely unchanged for decades, even after the TTC's service area expanded in 1954 from the Toronto city limits as they then were, to include the whole of Metropolitan Toronto ("Metro", which in 1998 became
5538-485: Was abandoned to free up streetcars for expanded service on other routes. The Mount Pleasant route was removed because of complaints that streetcars slowed automobile traffic. Earlier, the TTC had contemplated abandonment because replacement by trolley buses was cheaper than replacing the aging tracks. However, the TTC maintained most of its existing network, purchasing new custom-designed Canadian Light Rail Vehicles (CLRV) and Articulated Light Rail Vehicles (ALRV), with
5616-401: Was changed to red and blue, with the legend "24 hr" added. Those stops used only for the Blue Night Network, mostly for night routes paralleling the subway, received the standard sign with red changed to blue (and a notice of the limited hours). Since 2013, bus stop signs list the route numbers serving each stop, colour-coding each type of route. Blue Night route numbers are shown in blue next to
5694-521: Was established along King Street between Bathurst and Jarvis streets. On October 7, 2018, the 514 Cherry route was permanently cancelled. The service it provided was replaced by the 504 King, which was divided into two overlapping branches, each to one of the termini ( Dufferin Gate Loop and Distillery Loop ) of the former 514 route. That December, the TTC eliminated the option for passengers to purchase single-ride tickets by credit and debit cards on
5772-480: Was found that the project was much easier to sell to the public and politicians when it was described as an improvement to the speed and reliability of traditional streetcar service. In 2000, when the Queens Quay streetcar tracks were extended west to Bathurst and Fleet Streets, the name Harbourfront reappeared for a 509 Harbourfront route between Union station and Exhibition Loop . The 509 and 510 routes share
5850-426: Was led by Professor Andrew Biemiller and transit advocate Steve Munro . It had the support of city councillors William Kilbourn and Paul Pickett, and urban advocate Jane Jacobs . Streetcars for Toronto presented the TTC board with a report that found retaining the streetcar fleet would, in the long run, be cheaper than converting to buses. This combined with a strong public preference for streetcars over buses changed
5928-543: Was reintroduced as part of a system-wide TTC rollout. Customers can tap a credit or debit card (including those loaded in a digital wallet ) on a TTC Presto fare reader to pay their fares or validate transfers. The customer's tapped-in credit or debit card acts as POP while riding. On December 16, 2010, the TTC suffered its worst accident since the Russell Hill subway crash in 1995 . Up to 17 people were sent to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after
6006-417: Was suspended and replaced by buses . This was to allow major track work to be completed in preparation for the TTC's new low-floor Bombardier Transportation custom-made Flexity Outlook streetcars which were scheduled to enter service on the Spadina line in 2014. The upgrades were completed and full streetcar service was restored two years later on August 31, 2014, including a ceremony at 10:00 am when
6084-447: Was upgraded to operate during all daytime hours Monday through Friday. This change also affected the 501 Queen service, with buses replacing streetcars east of Queen Street and Greenwood Avenue. The construction projects ended that November. While the 501 Queen resumed full streetcar service, the 502 remained eliminated and the consolidation of Kingston Road service into the 503 Kingston Rd route remained in effect. On December 29, 2019,
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