TTC Alert: Closure of University Portion of Subway on Four Weekends in March 2013 and Other News

This video presents “University subway closures – March 2013”:

  • The TTC is closing the University subway line from Union to St. George stations on March 2-3, 10, 17 and 23-24 to upgrade its aging signal system
  • During the closures, there are several transit alternatives available to customers to help them get around the city

TTC's image: subway on platform
TTC’s image: subway on platform

March is the Toronto Transit Commission‘s (TTC’s) month to conduct major re-signalling work on the University portion (St George to Union stations) of the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line over all four weekends in Toronto, Ontario, Canada:

  • As a major state-of-good-repair project, the re-signalling modernizes the TTC signals, relays, wiring and cabling equipment
    • to ensure it can continue to deliver safe, reliable service to its 1.7 million daily customers

The work is scheduled to take place on the following weekend dates:

  • Saturday, March 2, and Sunday, March 3
  • Starting Saturday, March 9, at midnight to Sunday, March 10
  • Starting Saturday, March 16, at midnight to Sunday, March 17
  • Saturday, March 23, and Sunday, March 24

Please note the following changes for the above scheduled work during the four weekends in March 2013:

  • Subway trains will terminate at St George and Union stations
    • A frequent, accessible bus service will operate every three to five minutes

  • Due to construction on Front St. W. the shuttle bus will not service Union Station
    • Instead, it will run between St George Station and St Andrew Station on the University line and King Station on the Yonge line

    • The shuttle bus routing during these closures is:

      1. Southbound from St George Station (south side platform, normally reserved for 26 Dupont buses)
      2. south on Bedford Rd.
      3. east on Bloor St.
      4. south on Queen’s Park
      5. south on University Ave.
      6. east on King St.
      7. north on Church St.
      8. west on Richmond St.
      9. south on Victoria St.
      10. east on Adelaide St. to northbound routing:
        1. Northbound from Adelaide St.
        2. south on Church St.
        3. west on King St.
        4. north on University Ave.
        5. north on Queen’s Park
        6. west on Bloor St.
        7. north on St. George St.
        8. offloading customers at the St George Station entrance
        9. continuing north on St. George St.
        10. east on Prince Arthur Ave. to enter St George Station
  • To accommodate surface travel between the University and Yonge subway lines, service frequency on the 505 Dundas route will be improved by adding four more streetcars between 8 p.m. and 1:45 a.m.
    • The additional streetcars will run via the following routing:

      1. Eastbound from McCaul St.
      2. east on Dundas St.
      3. south on Church St.
      4. west on Queen St.
      5. north on Victoria St. to westbound routing:
        1. Westbound from Victoria St.
        2. west on Dundas St.
        3. north on Spadina Ave.
        4. east on College St.
        5. south on McCaul St. to eastbound routing
  • Regular subway service will resume each Monday at 6 a.m.
TTC's image : New shelter maps and bus stop poles
TTC’s image : New shelter maps and bus stop poles

Other TTC News

  • The Toronto Transit Commission today, February 28, 2013, launched its first-ever Customer Charter:
    • Committing the TTC to specific improvements in 2013, focusing on five themes:

      1. cleanliness
      2. better information
      3. improved responsiveness
      4. more accessible and modern
      5. renewal of vehicles
    • The TTC’s Charter goes beyond general, albeit important statements about improved customer service

      • It commits to completing and implementing improvements on the TTC by specific dates within a calendar year

    • The Charter itself, and the progress the TTC makes on it, is posted online at ttc.ca and updated as commitments are completed
      • The Charter will change each year with new, time-bound commitments

  • TTC Conducting Bus Stop and Shelter Map Pilot on 94 Wellesley Route
    • Commissioners received a presentation from Acting Chief Service Officer Chris Upfold on a pilot being rolled out at all stops and shelters on the 94 Wellesley route

    • The TTC is undertaking an extensive analysis of the type of information being displayed so that customers can make more informed decisions about where they want to go and the transit links they need to make to reach their destination

    • TTC staff will be seeking feedback from customers online and on the street starting the first week of March

The following video presents “TTC wins sustainability award for Victoria Park Station”:

  • Every day, more than 25,000 people use Victoria Park Station to make their bus or subway connections
  • The Toronto Transit Commission upgraded the station to make it environmentally friendly, accessible to all , and in tune with the local community’s unique character:
    • The new terminal replaced a rooftop bus bay

      • It has space for six buses at street level and includes public art, new wall finishes, refurbished floors, better signs and more lighting
    • Other features of this award-winning project include

      • new bicycle lanes on Victoria Park Avenue

      • traffic lights to help pedestrians cross the busy street

      • bike storage spaces in the terminal

    • Now, people who live in nearby high-rise apartments can look down to see the terminal’s green roof — one of the city’s largest

  • National Award for Victoria Park Station Modernization
    • TTC Chair Karen Stintz congratulated the TTC, and the City of Toronto, for an award received for the modernization of Victoria Park Station

    • The Sustainable Communities Award, from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, recognizes the subway station’s renovation and renewal, which improves the customer experience, increases accessibility and addresses structural deterioration

  • New Second Exit Planning and Consultation Process
    • Commissioners endorsed the TTC’s Second Exit Planning and Consultation Program and directed TTC staff to report back on the Evaluation Framework to be developed by a third-party expert panel

    • TTC staff is also to report back on the results of public consultation and planning at the eight remaining stations in the second exit program (Chester, College, Donlands, Dundas, Dundas West, Greenwood, Museum, Summerhill)

  • 2012 Report On TTC Accessibility
    • Commissioners approved the 2012 Year-End Status Report on TTC Accessible Transit Services

    • The report notes that:

      • all subway trains are accessible

      • all buses are accessible

      • accessible streetcars are scheduled to begin operation in 2014

      • Wheel-Trans completed the renewal of its entire bus fleet

      • and 45 per cent of subway stations are currently accessible:

        • Funding pressure on the TTC’s long-term capital budget has resulted in the completion of the station retrofit program to be pushed back by five years to 2025

    • The report will be forwarded to the City of Toronto, Metrolinx, the Ontario Ministries of Community and Social Services, Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission
  • City Presents Its Workforce Development Strategy
    • Commissioners received a presentation from Councillor Michael Thompson, Chair of the Economic Development and Culture Committee, and Heather MacVicar and Karen Wilson of the City of Toronto, entitled, Working as One: A City of Toronto Workforce Development Strategy

    • The presentation was about the Council-endorsed plan to foster connections between unemployed and under-employed residents of the city with employers, in the public sector in particular, for good-paying job opportunities

    • An example cited for promoting local hiring, which received TTC Board approval last November, is the community outreach and training initiative for The Leslie Barns construction project

The official documentation (Commission Meetings, Agendas, Minutes, etc.) of Commission decisions and related reports are available on the TTC website, www.ttc.ca (look under “Public Meetings”)

  • If you have any questions about TTC Board Meeting Highlights, please contact mike.detoma@ttc.ca or call 416-393-3793

TTC Contact Info

  • Information on fares, routes, schedules and service
    • 416-393-4636 (INFO)

    • Recorded information available 24 hours daily

    • Operator-assisted service is available from 8:00am to 6:00pm daily, except statutory holidays

    • TTY Hearing Impaired Service, 416-481-2523, Daily, 8:00am-6:00pm; except statutory holidays

  • Main Switchboard
    • 416-393-4000

    • Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm

NEWS RELEASE

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

TTC signal upgrade work to close University portion of subway on multiple weekends in March

February 25, 2013

The Toronto Transit Commission will conduct major re-signalling work on the University portion (St George to Union stations) of the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line over four weekends this March. The re-signalling modernizes the TTC signals, relays, wiring and cabling equipment, much of which was originally installed when the University line opened 50 years ago on February 28, 1963 (see attached fact sheet).

The renewal of the subway signalling system is a major state-of-good-repair project. The TTC is upgrading its infrastructure across the system to ensure it can continue to deliver safe, reliable service to its 1.7 million daily customers.

The work is scheduled to take place on the following weekend dates:
– Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3.
– Sunday, March 10 (starting Saturday, March 9 at midnight).
– Sunday, March 17 (starting Saturday, March 16 at midnight).
– Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24.

Regular subway service will resume each Monday at 6 a.m.

On these weekend dates, subway trains will terminate at St George and Union stations. A frequent, accessible bus service will operate every three to five minutes.

Due to construction on Front St. W. the shuttle bus will not service Union Station. Instead, it will run between St George Station and St Andrew Station on the University line and King Station on the Yonge line.

The shuttle bus routing during these closures is:
– Southbound from St George Station (south side platform, normally reserved for 26 Dupont buses) – south on Bedford Rd., east on Bloor St., south on Queen’s Park, south on University Ave., east on King St., north on Church St., west on Richmond St., south on Victoria St., east on Adelaide St. to northbound routing.
– Northbound from Adelaide St. – south on Church St., west on King St., north on University Ave., north on Queen’s Park, west on Bloor St., north on St. George St., offloading customers at the St George Station entrance, continuing north on St. George St., east on Prince Arthur Ave. to enter St George Station.

To accommodate surface travel between the University and Yonge subway lines, service frequency on the 505 Dundas route will be improved by adding four more streetcars between 8 p.m. and 1:45 a.m. The additional streetcars will run via the following routing:
– Eastbound from McCaul St. – east on Dundas St., south on Church St., west on Queen St., north on Victoria St. to westbound routing.
– Westbound from Victoria St. – west on Dundas St., north on Spadina Ave., east on College St., south on McCaul St. to eastbound routing.

With elevators at St George Station undergoing a major overhaul, the TTC will have Wheel-Trans buses stationed at Bathurst, Eglinton West and Union subway stations to accommodate seniors and persons with disabilities who use wheelchairs, scooters and other mobility aids.

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