The Toronto streetcar system is a network of nine
streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
routes in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Ontario, Canada, operated by the
Toronto Transit Commission
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...
(TTC). It is the
busiest light-rail system in North America. The network is concentrated primarily in
Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Stre ...
and in proximity to the city's
waterfront. Much of the streetcar route network dates from the 19th century. Most of Toronto's streetcar routes operate on street trackage shared with vehicular traffic, and streetcars stop on demand at frequent stops like buses.
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 , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .
History
Pre-TTC history (1861–1921)
![Toronto Street Railway Co](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Toronto_Street_Railway_Co._horse-car_145_on_King_street._View_from_Church_street.jpg)
The main predecessors of the TTC were:
*
Toronto Street Railway
The Toronto Street Railway (TSR) was the operator of a horse-drawn streetcar system from 1861 to 1891 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its successor, the Toronto Railway Company, inherited the horsecar system and electrified it between 1892 and 1894 ...
(1861–1891)
*
Toronto Railway Company
The Toronto Railway Company (TRC) was the operator of the streetcar system in Toronto between 1891 and 1921. It electrified the horsecar system it inherited from the Toronto Street Railway, the previous operator of streetcar service in Toronto. ...
(1891–1921)
*
Toronto Civic Railways
Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) was a streetcar operator created and owned by the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to serve newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve. When the Toronto Railway ...
(1911–1921)
In 1861, the
City of Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
issued a thirty-year transit franchise (Resolution 14, By-law 353) for a
horse-drawn
A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have m ...
street railway
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
, after the
Williams Omnibus Bus Line
Williams Omnibus Bus Lines was the first mass transportation system in the old City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada with four six-passenger buses. Established in 1849 by local cabinetmaker Burt Williams, it consisted of horse-drawn stagecoaches oper ...
had become heavily loaded. Alexander Easton's Toronto Street Railway (TSR) opened the first street railway line in Canada on September 11, 1861, operating from
Yorkville Town Hall
Yorkville Town Hall was the municipal building for the Village of Yorkville before its annexation by the City of Toronto. Built in 1859-1860 by architect William Hay and his apprentice Henry Langley, the three-storey building also served as an ...
to the
St. Lawrence Market
St. Lawrence Market is a major public market in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located along Front Street East and Jarvis Street in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. The public market is made up of two sites adjacent to one a ...
. 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 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
North Toronto is a former town and informal district located in the northern part of the Old Toronto district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Currently occupying a geographically central location within the city of Toronto, the Town of North Toronto ...
) and the east (1908:
Town of East Toronto) and the west (1909: the City of West Toronto—
The Junction
The Junction is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is near the West Toronto Diamond, a junction of four railway lines in the area. The neighbourhood was previously an independent city called West Toronto, that was also its own fe ...
). After many attempts to force 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
Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954.
H ...
was created, combining the city-operated
Toronto Civic Railways
Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) was a streetcar operator created and owned by the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to serve newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve. When the Toronto Railway ...
lines into its new network.
Early TTC history (1921–1945)
The TTC began in 1921 as solely 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
The Toronto Suburban Railway was a Canadian electric railway operator with local routes in west Toronto, and a radial (interurban) route to Guelph.
History
Corporate Timeline
The Weston, High Park and Toronto Street Railway Company was incor ...
(TSR) and integrated them into the streetcar system.
![Township of York, opening ceremony](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Township_of_York%2C_opening_ceremony.jpg)
In 1925, routes were operated on behalf of the
Township of York (as Township of York Railway), but the TTC was contracted to operate them. One of these routes was the former TSR Weston route.
In 1927, the TTC became the operator of three
radial
Radial is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
Mathematics and Direction
* Vector (geometric), a line
* Radius, adjective form of
* Radial distance, a directional coordinate in a polar coordinate system
* Radial set
* A bearing f ...
lines of the former
Toronto and York Radial Railway
The Toronto and York Radial Railway was a transit operator providing services to the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a subsidiary of the Toronto Railway Company. The company was created by merging four Toronto-area interurban operatio ...
. 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
The North Yonge Railways was a radial railway line operated by the Toronto Transportation Commission from 1930 to 1948 between Glen Echo (Toronto) and Richmond Hill. The line was created by reopening the southern portion of the TTC's Lake Simcoe ...
) closed in 1948.
Plans for abandonment (1945–1989)
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, many cities across North America and Europe began to eliminate their streetcar systems in favour of buses. During 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
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, Kansas City, and Cincinnati.
![Trolley bus 1965 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Trolley_bus_1965_1.jpg)
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 the existing ones. Metro Toronto chair
William Allen William Allen may refer to:
Politicians
United States
*William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio
*William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio
*William ...
claimed in 1966 that "streetcars are as obsolete as the horse and buggy". Many streetcars were removed from service when
Line 2 Bloor–Danforth
Line 2 Bloor–Danforth is a subway line in the Toronto subway system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It has 31 stations and is in length. It opened on February 26, 1966, and extensions at both ends were completed in 1968 an ...
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 was led by Professor Andrew Biemiller and transit advocate
Steve Munro
Steve Munro (born 7 September 1948) is a Canadian blogger and transit advocate from Toronto, Ontario. Munro has been credited in playing a lead role in the grass-roots efforts to convince the Toronto City Council to reverse plans to abandon ...
. It had the support of city councillors
William Kilbourn
William Morley Kilbourn, Order of Canada, CM, Royal Society of Canada, FRSC (1926–1995) was a Canadian author and historian in Toronto, Ontario. Kilbourn's topics cover history, biography, religion and the arts, with a focus on Toronto; he ...
and Paul Pickett, and urban advocate
Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs (''née'' Butzner; 4 May 1916 – 25 April 2006) was an American-Canadian journalist, author, theorist, and activist who influenced urban studies, sociology, and economics. Her book '' The Death and Life of Great American Cities ...
. 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 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 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 trolleybuses was cheaper than replacing the aging tracks.
![CLRV 4152 and PCC 4500](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/CLRV_4152_and_PCC_4500.jpg)
However, the TTC maintained most of its existing network, purchasing new custom-designed
Canadian Light Rail Vehicle
The Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) and Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV) were types of streetcars used by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) from the late 1970s until the late 2010s. They were built following the TTC's decision to r ...
s (CLRV) and
Articulated Light Rail Vehicle
The Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) and Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV) were types of streetcars used by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) from the late 1970s until the late 2010s. They were built following the TTC's decision to r ...
s (ALRV), with the first CLRV entering service in 1979. It also continued to rebuild and maintain the existing fleet of
PCC
PCC may refer to:
Science and technology
* Pearson correlation coefficient (''r''), in statistics
* Periodic counter-current chromatography, a type of affinity chromatography
* Portable C Compiler, an early compiler for the C programming language
...
(Presidents' Conference Committee) streetcars until they were no longer roadworthy.
When
Kipling station
Kipling is the western terminus station of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway system. The station is served by buses and subway trains operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and is adjacent to the Kipling GO Station on the Milton ...
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 a surface rail connection there.
In the early 1980s, a streetcar line was planned to connect
Kennedy station
Kennedy is both a terminal and interchange station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth and Line 3 Scarborough of the Toronto subway system. Opened in 1980, it is located east of the Kennedy Road and Eglinton Avenue intersection. With the adjacent Ken ...
to
Scarborough Town Centre
Scarborough Town Centre (STC) is a shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Central to the Scarborough City Centre in the former city of Scarborough, it is adjacent to Scarborough Centre station, the Scarborough Centre Bus Terminal and the C ...
. 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
Innovia Metro is an automated rapid transit system manufactured by Alstom. Innovia Metro systems run on conventional metal rails and pull power from a third rail, but are powered by a linear induction motor that provides traction by pulling on ...
(now Bombardier Innovia Metro) by promising to pay for any cost overruns (which eventually amounted to over $100million). Thus, the Scarborough RT (now
Line 3 Scarborough
Line 3 Scarborough (originally known as the Scarborough RT or SRT) is a light rapid transit line that is part of the Toronto subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The line runs entirely within the suburban district of Scarborough, encompas ...
) was born, and streetcar service did not return to Scarborough, instead stopping at the boundary.
Late 20th-century expansion (1989–2000)
![CLRVs on Spadina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/CLRVs_on_Spadina.jpg)
The TTC returned to building new streetcar routes in 1989. The first new line was route 604 Harbourfront, starting from
Union station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
, travelling underneath Bay Street and rising to a dedicated centre median on
Queen's Quay (along the edge of
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
) to the foot of
Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.
Spadina Avenue runs south ...
. 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
Spadina is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University and Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Spadina Road, north of Bloor Street West. It is one of only two stations open overnight, along with Union 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 the main north–south transit service through
Toronto's Chinatown and the western boundary of
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
'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
509 Harbourfront is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and connecting Union Station with Exhibition Loop.
History 1990–2012
The 509 Harbourfront began service in 1990 as the "604 Harbourf ...
route from Union station to the refurbished
Exhibition Loop
Exhibition Loop is the terminus for the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst streetcar routes, the 174 Ontario Place-Exhibition, and the 307 Blue Night Bathurst bus routes. Exhibition Loop serves Exhibition Place, Coca-Cola Coliseum, BMO Field and ...
at the
Exhibition grounds, where the annual
Canadian National Exhibition
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day, ...
is held.
21st century (2001–present)
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 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.
![Streetcar arrives at Keele from Gunns Loop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Streetcar_arrives_at_Keele_from_Gunns_Loop.JPG)
Route
512 St. Clair
The 512 St. Clair is an east–west streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It operates on St. Clair Avenue between St. Clair station on the Line 1 Yonge–University subway and Gunns Road ...
was rebuilt to restore 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 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
509 Harbourfront is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and connecting Union Station with Exhibition Loop.
History 1990–2012
The 509 Harbourfront began service in 1990 as the "604 Harbourf ...
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 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
The Bombardier Flexity Outlook is a series of low-floored, articulated light-rail trams manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. Part of the larger Bombardier Flexity product line (many of which are not low-floor), Flexity Outlook vehicles are ...
streetcars entered service on route 510 Spadina, on August 31, 2014; at the same time, all-door boarding and
proof-of-payment
Proof-of-payment (POP) or proof-of-fare (POF) is an honor-based fare collection system used on many public transportation systems. Instead of checking each passenger as they enter a fare control zone, passengers are required to carry a ticket, p ...
(POP) was introduced on all 510 Spadina streetcars. Fare payments by
Presto on 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
Leslie Barns is a streetcar maintenance and storage facility at the southeast corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has been built to house and service the majority of Toronto Transit Commission's fle ...
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 a validated TTC senior, youth or student ticket; an adult single-ride ticket; a paper transfer; or a Presto card or ticket 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 Outlook 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 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 new accessible Flexity streetcars.
The eastern end of the 514 route ran on a newly constructed branch, originally named the
Cherry Street streetcar line
Distillery Loop is a streetcar loop in the Toronto streetcar system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that lies at the south end of the Cherry Street branchoriginally dubbed the Cherry Street streetcar linethat runs from a streetcar junction on King S ...
, which is located in a reserved side-of-street right-of-way.
On September 12, 2017,
509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and connecting Union Station with Exhibition Loop.
History 1990–2012
The 509 Harbourfront began service in 1990 as the "604 Harbourf ...
became the first streetcar route in Toronto to operate Flexity streetcars with electrical pickup by
pantograph
A pantograph (, from their original use for copying writing) is a mechanical linkage connected in a manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen. If a line dr ...
instead of
trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" (electrified) overhead wire to the control and the electric traction motors of a tram or trolley bus. It is a type of current collector. Th ...
.
That November, the
King Street Transit Priority Corridor
The King Street Transit Priority Corridor is a transit mall located along King Street between Jarvis and Bathurst Streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It passes by two subway stations (King and St. Andrew) on Line 1 Yonge–University. The cor ...
, a
transit mall
A transit mall is a street, or set of streets, in a city or town along which automobile traffic is prohibited or greatly restricted and only public transit vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians are permitted.
Transit malls are instituted by communi ...
, 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
Dufferin Gate Loop, also known as Dufferin Loop, is a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus station and turning loop for streetcars near the southern end of Dufferin Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) ...
and
Distillery Loop
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...
) 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 the Flexity streetcars due to reliability issues with the fare vending machines.
![RIP ALRV (48684828601)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/RIP_ALRV_%2848684828601%29.jpg)
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, 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, 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 are served by accessible low-floor vehicles.
Incidents
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 a
505 Dundas streetcar heading eastbound collided with a
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
bus at Dundas and River Streets.
Routes
Based on 2013 statistics, the TTC operated
of routes on streetcar network (double or single track) throughout Toronto.
As of February 2022, there are 9 regular streetcar routes on the TTC network.
Typically, all streetcar routes are serviced by low-floor and accessible
Flexity Outlook
The Bombardier Flexity Outlook is a series of low-floored, articulated light-rail trams manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. Part of the larger Bombardier Flexity product line (many of which are not low-floor), Flexity Outlook vehicles are ...
vehicles.
When replacement bus service is required (e.g., for track reconstruction, special events, emergencies, streetcar shortages), replacement buses bear the same route number and name as the corresponding streetcar route.
Route numbers
![Streetcar on King, 2015 04 03 (12)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Streetcar_on_King%2C_2015_04_03_%2812%29.JPG_-_panoramio.jpg)
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 a route identifier (route name until the 1980s and later route number) and destination on two separate front rollsigns.
The digital
destination sign
A destination sign (North American English) or destination indicator/destination blind (British English) is a sign mounted on the front, side or rear of a public transport vehicle, such as a bus, tram/streetcar or light rail vehicle, that dis ...
s on the Flexity Outlook streetcars show route number, route name and destination.
[photo]
/ref> Before 2018, streetcar-replacement bus services indicated route number and destination but not route name, like the CLRVs.
The four streetcar-operated 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 4 streetcar routes, distributed so that almost all o ...
routes have been assigned 300-series route numbers. The other exception to 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
The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is a multimodal transport, multimodal rail network consisting of three Pa ...
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 the 510 Spadina and 509 Harbourfront routes.
Subway connections
There are underground connections between streetcars and the subway at , Spadina, and Union stations, and streetcars enter , , , , and stations at street level. At the eight downtown stations, excepting Union, from to on Line 1 Yonge–University, streetcars stop on the street outside the station entrances. Union station serves as the hub for both the TTC and the GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...
system.
Dedicated rights-of-way and transit malls
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
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
, in order to allow streetcars to operate with fewer disruptions due to delays caused by automobile traffic. Most of 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
The Queensway (or Queensway) is a major street in the municipalities of Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is a western continuation of Queen Street, after it crosses Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in Toronto. The Queensway is ...
between Humber and Sunnyside loops since 1957. Since the 1990s, dedicated rights-of-way have been opened downtown along Queens Quay, Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.
Spadina Avenue runs south ...
, St. Clair Avenue West, and Fleet Street.
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 long, includes one intermediate underground station at Bay Street and Queens Quay.
During 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
The 512 St. Clair is an east–west streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It operates on St. Clair Avenue between St. Clair station on the Line 1 Yonge–University subway and Gunns Road ...
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 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
St. Clair is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada ...
(Yonge Street) to Vaughan Road
Vaughan Road is a road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a contour collector road that is parallel to a Subterranean river, buried Urban stream, creek to the north called Castle Frank Brook. Vaughan Road begins on Bathurst Street (Toronto), Bathu ...
. The second phase started construction in mid-2007 from Dufferin Street
Dufferin Street is a major north–south street in Toronto, Vaughan and King, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions (4 km) west of Yonge Street. The street starts at Exhibition Place, continues north to Toronto's northe ...
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) is completed and full streetcar service over the entire route was finally restored on June 30, 2010.
Between September 2007 and March 2008, the tracks on Fleet Street between Bathurst Street and the Exhibition Loop
Exhibition Loop is the terminus for the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst streetcar routes, the 174 Ontario Place-Exhibition, and the 307 Blue Night Bathurst bus routes. Exhibition Loop serves Exhibition Place, Coca-Cola Coliseum, BMO Field and ...
were converted to a dedicated right-of-way and opened for the 511 Bathurst and the 509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and connecting Union Station with Exhibition Loop.
History 1990–2012
The 509 Harbourfront began service in 1990 as the "604 Harbourf ...
streetcars. Streetcar track and overhead power line were also installed at the Fleet loop, which is located at the Queen's Wharf Lighthouse
The Queen's Wharf Lighthouse (also known as the Fleet Street Lighthouse, after its current location) is a lighthouse in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at Fleet Street just east of the Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place. The octagonal building ...
.
The eastern portion of the 504A King route runs on a side-of-street right-of-way. It was constructed starting in 2012 to support redevelopment in the West Don Lands
The West Don Lands are the site of a neighbourhood under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area is bordered by the Don River (Toronto), Don River, King Street, Toronto, Ontario, King Street, Parliament Street and the rail line adjac ...
and the Distillery District
The Distillery District is a commercial and residential district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, east of downtown, which contains numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops housed within heritage buildings of the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery. ...
, former industrial areas.
As part of the King Street Pilot Project, a temporary transit mall
A transit mall is a street, or set of streets, in a city or town along which automobile traffic is prohibited or greatly restricted and only public transit vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians are permitted.
Transit malls are instituted by communi ...
was set up along King Street for a one-year trial period starting in mid-November 2017. Although not a dedicated right-of-way, the transit mall achieves the goal of preventing road traffic from impeding streetcar service. Road traffic is discouraged from using the mall by being forced to leave the mall via a right turn at most signalized intersections. This project has since been extended and made permanent under the name King Street Transit Priority Corridor.
Future expansion
As of 2022, the City of Toronto and the TTC were planning the East Bayfront LRT
East Bayfront LRT is a proposed Toronto streetcar line that would serve the East Bayfront and Port Lands areas in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It would run from Union station under Bay Street and along Queens Quay and Cherry Street to a new Polson ...
to run along Queens Quay East from Union station to the Port Lands
The Port Lands (also known as Portlands) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada are an industrial and recreational neighbourhood located about 5 kilometres south-east of downtown, located on the former Don River delta and most of Ashbridge's Bay.
Approxi ...
, to complement the 509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and connecting Union Station with Exhibition Loop.
History 1990–2012
The 509 Harbourfront began service in 1990 as the "604 Harbourf ...
line.
In 2019, the TTC was considering changes to several streetcar routes. , these ideas had not been implemented. The changes considered were:
* Splitting 501 Queen into two overlapping branches: 501A from Neville Park Loop to Sunnyside Loop, and 501B from Long Branch Loop to a new Riverside Loop, to be constructed along Broadview Avenue just north of Queen Street East
* Extending 504B west to Humber Loop and later to a proposed Park Lawn Loop
* Extending 503 Kingston Road west to Dufferin Gate Loop
The City of Toronto proposed the Waterfront West LRT
The Waterfront West LRT (WWLRT) is a proposed streetcar line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The WWLRT is currently part of a City project called the Waterfront Transit Reset which also includes the East Bayfront LRT. The WWLRT was initially propose ...
, a streetcar route that would run from Long Branch Loop
Long Branch Loop is the westernmost stop on the longest Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar route, the 501 Queen line. It is located in the Long Branch neighbourhood in southwestern Toronto, close to the boundary with Mississauga.
Westb ...
along Lake Shore Boulevard
Lake Shore Boulevard (often incorrectly compounded as Lakeshore Boulevard) is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore ...
and the Queensway
The Queensway (or Queensway) is a major street in the municipalities of Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is a western continuation of Queen Street, after it crosses Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in Toronto. The Queensway is ...
to Colbourne Lodge Drive and then adjacent to the Lake Shore Boulevard
Lake Shore Boulevard (often incorrectly compounded as Lakeshore Boulevard) is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore ...
via Dufferin Gate Loop
Dufferin Gate Loop, also known as Dufferin Loop, is a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus station and turning loop for streetcars near the southern end of Dufferin Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) ...
to Exhibition Loop
Exhibition Loop is the terminus for the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst streetcar routes, the 174 Ontario Place-Exhibition, and the 307 Blue Night Bathurst bus routes. Exhibition Loop serves Exhibition Place, Coca-Cola Coliseum, BMO Field and ...
and into Union Station via Queens Quay. New track on a private right-of-way would be required between Colbourne Lodge Drive and Exhibition Loop.
In 2019, the City of Toronto approved new track linking Dufferin Gate and Exhibition Loops; however, , no construction has started.
, two light-rail linesLine 5 Eglinton
Line 5 Eglinton (also known as the Eglinton Crosstown or the Crosstown) is a light rail line that is under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Metrolinx and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the line will be part of ...
and Line 6 Finch West
Line 6 Finch West, also known as the Finch West LRT, is a light rail line under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. The , 18-stop line is to extend from Finch West station on Line 1 Yonge†...
are under construction. These two lines are not part of the Toronto streetcar system and use incompatible vehicles. (They use standard-gauge track rather than the streetcar system's broad gauge.) Both lines are considered part of the Toronto subway system
The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is a multimodal transport, multimodal rail network consisting of three Pa ...
.
Discontinued streetcar routes
Between late 1921 and 1923, the TTC connected and merged many of the routes it inherited from the Toronto Railway Company
The Toronto Railway Company (TRC) was the operator of the streetcar system in Toronto between 1891 and 1921. It electrified the horsecar system it inherited from the Toronto Street Railway, the previous operator of streetcar service in Toronto. ...
and the Toronto Civic Railways
Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) was a streetcar operator created and owned by the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to serve newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve. When the Toronto Railway ...
. On July 1, 1923, the TTC did a major reorganization of routes whereby 9 new routes were created, 6 routes were discontinued, 13 were modified and 8 routes remained unmodified. The following list shows only those routes discontinued after this reorganization.
Rolling stock
Streetcars acquired by the TTC
When the TTC was created in 1921, it acquired hundreds of cars from its two predecessor companies: the Toronto Railway Company
The Toronto Railway Company (TRC) was the operator of the streetcar system in Toronto between 1891 and 1921. It electrified the horsecar system it inherited from the Toronto Street Railway, the previous operator of streetcar service in Toronto. ...
and the Toronto Civic Railways
Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) was a streetcar operator created and owned by the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to serve newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve. When the Toronto Railway ...
. In 1927, the TTC acquired the radial
Radial is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
Mathematics and Direction
* Vector (geometric), a line
* Radius, adjective form of
* Radial distance, a directional coordinate in a polar coordinate system
* Radial set
* A bearing f ...
cars of the former Toronto & York Radial Railway when it took over operation of that system from the Hydro-Electric Railways
Hydro-Electric Railways, a subsidiary of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario (HEPC or HEPCO), was an operator of radial railways in the province of Ontario, Canada. Its parent agency, the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, would ...
.
In the 1920s, the TTC purchased new Peter Witt streetcars, and they remained in use into the 1960s. In 1938, the TTC started to operate its first Presidents' Conference Cars (PCC), eventually operating more than any other city in North America. In 1979, the Canadian Light Rail Vehicle
The Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) and Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV) were types of streetcars used by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) from the late 1970s until the late 2010s. They were built following the TTC's decision to r ...
s entered revenue service, followed by their longer, articulated variants, the ALRVs, in 1988. The last of the PCC vehicles were retired from full-time revenue service in 1995.
On August 31, 2014, the TTC started operating its first Bombardier Flexity Outlook
The Bombardier Flexity Outlook is a series of low-floored, articulated light-rail trams manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. Part of the larger Bombardier Flexity product line (many of which are not low-floor), Flexity Outlook vehicles are ...
vehicles. The last of the older CLRV and ALRV vehicles were retired from regular service in December 2019.
The following table summarizes streetcars purchased by the TTC since 1921. The main article has more details on rosters, including streetcars inherited from the Toronto Railway Company
The Toronto Railway Company (TRC) was the operator of the streetcar system in Toronto between 1891 and 1921. It electrified the horsecar system it inherited from the Toronto Street Railway, the previous operator of streetcar service in Toronto. ...
and the Toronto Civic Railways
Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) was a streetcar operator created and owned by the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to serve newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve. When the Toronto Railway ...
, which are not summarized here.
Streetcar shortage (2016–2020)
From 2016 to 2020, the TTC faced a streetcar shortage because of:
* Delays in the delivery of the new Flexity streetcars
* The declining reliability and retirement of the aging CLRV/ALRV fleet
* A 20 percent increase in streetcar ridership since 2008
* Warranty repairs on 67 Flexity streetcars requiring the shipment of several streetcars at a time to a Bombardier plant
In January 2017, the TTC claimed that delays in delivery of the new Flexity Outlook streetcars had resulted in both streetcar and bus shortages. Because the CLRV/ALRV streetcars required extra maintenance, only 170 of the 200 CLRVs and ALRVs could be put into service. This shortage led to the replacement of streetcars by buses on some routes, which in turn led to a reduction of service on some bus routes.
To address the streetcar shortage, as well as construction projects, the TTC used bus substitution at various times on several streetcar routes. The first bus substitution due to the streetcar shortage occurred on the 502 Downtowner route on October 11, 2016.
Ridership on the 504 King increased by 25 percent after the implementation of the King Street Transit Priority Corridor
The King Street Transit Priority Corridor is a transit mall located along King Street between Jarvis and Bathurst Streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It passes by two subway stations (King and St. Andrew) on Line 1 Yonge–University. The cor ...
through downtown King Street. Thus, in February 2018, the TTC replaced the CLRV streetcars on routes 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton with buses and reassigned those streetcars to other routes, such as 504 King and 511 Bathurst, to handle crowding from increased ridership.
The streetcar fleet capacity had not grown for almost three decades after the CLRVs and ALRVs were introduced. After delivery of the last of the initial 204 Flexity cars ordered, the TTC planned to purchase another 60 cars; however, the TTC estimated that would only satisfy demand until 2023 instead of 2027 as originally planned. Bombardier was the expected supplier for additional streetcars because, if the TTC chose another supplier, a prototype modified for Toronto's track characteristics would not be ready until 2023, with first delivery in 2024 or 2025.
By June 2020, the streetcar shortage had been alleviated by the reduction in ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic in conjunction with temporary bus replacements on routes 511 Bathurst and 506 Carlton to accommodate construction projects. With more streetcars available, the TTC could ship up 19 extra streetcars to a Bombardier plant for warranty repairs, as well as introduce Flexity streetcars for the first time on route 503 Kingston Rd.
On October 22, 2020, the TTC board approved the immediate purchase of 13 additional streetcars from Bombardier for delivery in 2023, with an option for 47 more cars, if funding from senior levels of government became available. If the option were taken, the fleet size would increase to 264 streetcars by 2025. Since the existing carhouses can only hold 239 streetcars, the TTC recommended setting up a carhouse at the Hillcrest Complex
Hillcrest Complex is the Toronto Transit Commission's largest facility and is responsible for most of the maintenance work on the system's surface vehicles, including heavy overhauls, repairs and repainting. It is located adjacent to the intersec ...
to hold 25 streetcars.
Infrastructure
Track characteristics
The track on the Toronto streetcar system has characteristics of non-standard gauge, tight curve radii and single-point switches that previous generations of high-floor streetcars were adept at handling. Some of these characteristics were problematic for Bombardier when it adapted its low-floor Flexity Outlook for Toronto's streetcar system.
Track gauge
All streetcar lines use the unique Toronto gauge of which is wider than the used by most other rail lines in Canada. This broad gauge was adopted in 1861 for the city's horse-drawn streetcar lines to allow horse-drawn wagons and carriages to use the inside of the rail for a smoother ride through muddy, unpaved streets. The gauge also had the effect of precluding the movement of standard-gauge freight cars along streetcar lines. The unique gauge has remained to this day because it is easier to adapt new rail vehicles to this gauge than to convert
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series
* "The Conversion" ...
the entire system to standard gauge. The three heavy-rail lines of the Toronto subway
The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is a multimodal transport, multimodal rail network consisting of three Pa ...
also use the unique gauge; however, the light-metro Line 3 Scarborough
Line 3 Scarborough (originally known as the Scarborough RT or SRT) is a light rapid transit line that is part of the Toronto subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The line runs entirely within the suburban district of Scarborough, encompas ...
and two light rail lines under-construction (Line 5 Eglinton
Line 5 Eglinton (also known as the Eglinton Crosstown or the Crosstown) is a light rail line that is under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Metrolinx and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the line will be part of ...
and Line 6 Finch West
Line 6 Finch West, also known as the Finch West LRT, is a light rail line under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. The , 18-stop line is to extend from Finch West station on Line 1 Yonge†...
) use standard gauge.
Track curvature
Curved track on the streetcar system has a very short minimum radius of curvature, with streetcars designed for a minimum radius of . The tightest curves are at Roncesvalles Carhouse
The Roncesvalles Carhouse is a storage and maintenance facility for the streetcar network of the Toronto Transit Commission. Located at the northwest corner of The Queensway and Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, west of its downtown core, ...
and Russell Carhouse
The Russell Carhouse, located at Queen Street East and Connaught Avenue just east of Greenwood Avenue in Toronto, is the Toronto Transit Commission's second oldest carhouse.
Russell Carhouse used to store and maintain high-floor streetcars whic ...
. Almost all turning loops on the system have curves of less than .
Toronto's Flexity Outlook vehicles are designed for a minimum radius of . In contrast, the standard Flexity Outlook, as well as the Flexity Freedom
The Alstom Flexity Freedom is a low-floor, articulated light rail vehicle developed by Bombardier Transportation (and later Alstom) for the North American market. It is marketed as part of the Bombardier Flexity family which includes other ...
(used on Line 5 Eglinton
Line 5 Eglinton (also known as the Eglinton Crosstown or the Crosstown) is a light rail line that is under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Metrolinx and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the line will be part of ...
), both require a minimum radius of .
Track switches
As with most legacy streetcar systems in North America, the TTC uses single-point switches in special work throughout the system. In contrast, most light-rail systems use double-point switches, with a movable blade on each track. With single-point switches, the blade is only on the inner rail of the curve, and streetcars must have a rigid, continuous axle to pull the wheel on the outer rail through the curve without the blade. Thus, low-floor streetcars with split axles cannot operate through single-point switches. In the early days of the CLRV, Bochum wheels with rubber rings holding the axle caused derailments due to a lack of rigidity, and had to be replaced with SAB wheels.
Streetcar switches are either manual or automatic. For automatic switches, there are loop antennae buried in the road and two transmitters onboard the vehicles. One transmitter is located at the front of the car to set and lock the switch; the second is at the rear to unlock the switch. Because of failing electronics, defective antennae, or the failure of the system to unlock after passage of a car, there is the risk of a streetcar taking the wrong path at a switch.
In 2002, the TTC instituted a "stop, check, go" rule for all facing point switches. Streetcar operators, when approaching such switches, must stop and check the switch-blade setting before proceeding. In 2008, an operator forgot to make this check, which resulted in two streetcars colliding. About 2015, the TTC modified the "stop, check, go" process to include pointing a finger. Each streetcar operator, upon arriving at a facing switch-point, is to stop short of the switch, point with their finger toward the switch's position to confirm that the switch is aligned properly for the streetcar's intended movement, and then proceed.
Loops
Since all of Toronto's current streetcars are single-ended, turning loops are provided at the normal endpoints of each route and at likely intermediate turnback locations. A routing on-street around one or more city block
A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design.
A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...
s may serve as a loop, but most loops on the system are wholly or partly off-street. Many of these are also interchange points with subway or bus services.
Grand unions
The Toronto streetcar system has three grand union
A grand union is a rail track junction where two double-track railway or tramway lines cross at grade, often in a street intersection or crossroads. A total of sixteen railroad switches (sets of points) allow streetcars (or in rarer instal ...
s where a streetcar approaching from any direction at a double-track streetcar junction can turn left or right or pass straight through. , Toronto was the only city in North America to still have full grand unions; other North American cities may have partial unions. The three full grand unions in Toronto are at:
* Spadina Avenue and Queen Street West
* Spadina Avenue and King Street West
* Bathurst Street and King Street West
There is also one union at King Street West and Dufferin Street missing only the south-to-west curve. There are seven unions that are two curves short of a grand union. They are from east to west:
* Parliament Street and Dundas Street East
* Parliament Street and Queen Street East
* Church Street and Dundas Street East
* Queen Street West and Victoria Street
* Spadina Avenue and College Street
* Bathurst Street and Dundas Street West
* King Street West, Queen Street West, The Queensway and Roncesvalles Avenue
Grand unions need to be replaced as their tracks wear out. The TTC requires two years of planning and preparation to replace a grand union. Once replaced, the tracks at the grand union are expected to last 20 to 25 years before needing replacement again.
Non-revenue streetcar lines
The streetcar system has non-revenue lines that inter-connect revenue routes and provide alternate routes for planned and emergency diversions. Some non-revenue lines are necessary for streetcars going in and out of service. Most non-revenue lines are located in downtown Toronto; they include, roughly from east to west:
* Leslie Street between Queen Street East and the Leslie Barns
Leslie Barns is a streetcar maintenance and storage facility at the southeast corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has been built to house and service the majority of Toronto Transit Commission's fle ...
: This connects a carhouse to the rest of the streetcar system.
* Coxwell Avenue between lower Gerrard Street East and Queen Street East
* Parliament Street between Gerrard Street East and King Street East
* Church Street between Carlton Street and King Street East
* Church Street southbound to Wellington Street westbound to York Street northbound: The 503 Kingston Rd streetcar used this single-track line as a turning loop until 2017.
* Victoria Street between Dundas Street East and Adelaide Street East
* Richmond Street East from Church Street to York Street (westbound only)
* Adelaide Street East from Victoria Street to Church Street (eastbound only)
* York Street from King Street West to Queen Street West (northbound only)
* Bay Street between College Street and Dundas Street West
* McCaul Street between Queen Street East and College Street
* Bathurst Street between Bathurst station and St. Clair Avenue West (segment between Vaughan Road and St. Clair Avenue West is northbound only): This connects the otherwise isolated 512 St. Clair streetcar line and the Hillcrest Complex to the rest of the streetcar system.
** Vaughan Road south of St. Clair Avenue West (southbound only) is part of the above non-revenue streetcar line
* Shaw Street between King Street West and Queen Street West
* Ossington Avenue between Dundas Street West and College Street
* Dufferin Street between King Street West and Queen Street West
Richmond, Adelaide, Wellington and York Streets used to be two-way streets with double streetcar tracks. After these streets were converted to one-way streets, the TTC had to abandon the use of the wrong-way track.
To accommodate construction of the Ontario Line
The Ontario Line is an under-construction rapid transit line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its northern terminus will be at Eglinton Avenue and Don Mills Road, at Science Centre station, where it will connect with Line 5 Eglinton. Its southern ...
near Queen station
Queen is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located under Yonge Street north from Queen Street to Shuter Street. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.
History
Queen Station opened in 1954 ...
, Metrolinx, the line's sponsor, requires the suspension of streetcar traffic between Church and York Streets for 4.5 years. Metrolinx agreed to construct a new southbound streetcar track on York Street at least to Adelaide Street West, and a new eastbound streetcar track on Adelaide Street between York and Victoria Streets. During the diversion, westbound 501 Queen streetcars would divert via Church, Richmond and York Streets while eastbound streetcars would divert via York, Adelaide and Church Streets. After Queen Street reopens to through traffic, the new streetcar tracks would be retained as non-revenue tracks to provide the TTC with flexibility for future diversions. The City of Toronto also intends to restore non-revenue streetcar tracks on Adelaide Street between Charlotte and York Streets in addition to the restoration of tracks between York and Victoria Streets to provide further flexibility for diversions.
Electrical pickup
The older CLRV and ALRV streetcars have only a trolley pole. Flexity Outlook streetcars have both a pantograph and a trolley pole. All streetcars in service had been using the trolley pole until September 12, 2017, when 509 Harbourfront became the first route to use the pantograph.
With the introduction of the new Flexity streetcars, the TTC plans to convert the entire system to be pantograph-compatible. The new streetcars need 50 percent more electrical current than the older streetcars, and use of the trolley pole limits the amount of electricity the new cars can draw from the overhead wire, resulting in reduced performance. One consequence of trolley pole use on the Flexity streetcars is that air conditioning does not function in summer.
Since 2008, the TTC has been converting the streetcar overhead wire to be compatible for pantograph electrical pickup as well as for trolley poles. The overhead over the Fleet Street tracks was the first to be converted. The new overhead uses different hangers so that pantographs do not strike supporting crosswires. It also uses a different gauge of wire to handle the higher electrical demands of Flexity Outlook streetcars.
During a rainy period in February 2018, the TTC received an incentive to expedite the conversion of the electrical overhead for pantograph use by the Flexity streetcars. On February 20, 2018, Flexity streetcars using trolley poles were pulling down some of the overhead. In Toronto, the tip of the trolley pole has a shoe with a carbon insert to collect current. The carbon insert also lowers the trolley shoe so that it does not strike hangers that are not yet pantograph-compatible. During wet weather, these carbon inserts wear out faster, needing replacement after a day or two for older streetcars. However, because the Flexity streetcars draw more current than older streetcars, their carbon inserts wore out faster in less than eight hours in the wet weather. (There was also an issue with the quality of carbon the TTC purchased.) With pantographs, this would be less of a problem as the pantograph blades have a larger contact area than a trolley shoe to absorb wear. Because of this incident, the TTC decided it should accelerate the conversion of overhead for pantograph use.
The first three routes to operate with pantographs were 509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and connecting Union Station with Exhibition Loop.
History 1990–2012
The 509 Harbourfront began service in 1990 as the "604 Harbourf ...
on September 12, 2017, 510 Spadina on May 14, 2018, and 512 St. Clair
The 512 St. Clair is an east–west streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It operates on St. Clair Avenue between St. Clair station on the Line 1 Yonge–University subway and Gunns Road ...
on October 1, 2018. The streetcar system has almost of streetcar overhead along streets and in yards. , 80 percent of the overhead has been converted for pantograph use and half of all streetcar routes use pantographs. The TTC expects full conversion by the first quarter of 2025, when trolley poles will no longer be supported.
Dedicated station
is the one standalone underground station that does not connect to the subway. It is located in the tunnel, shared by the 509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and connecting Union Station with Exhibition Loop.
History 1990–2012
The 509 Harbourfront began service in 1990 as the "604 Harbourf ...
and 510 Spadina routes, between Queens Quay West and Union subway station.
Carhouses
Toronto's streetcars are housed and maintained at various carhouses or "streetcar barns":
Several carhouses were once part of the TTC's streetcar operations, many inherited from the TTC's predecessors Toronto Railway Company and Toronto Civic Railways:
Source
The TTC's Active Carhouses
Winter operational issues
Extreme cold weather
The fleet of CLRV and ALRV streetcars experienced several operational issues during extreme cold temperatures during late 2013 and early 2014, late 2014 and early 2015, late 2017 and early 2018, and late 2018 and early 2019, as doors and brakes
A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction.
Background ...
failed as moisture in the pneumatic lines froze. Moisture also caused track sanders to fail. Buses were used to replace streetcars unfit for service, some of which had failed while in service. The new Flexity Outlook streetcars were unaffected by the weather, as they use electronic braking and door operations. During an extreme cold snap between January 20 and 22, 2019, none of the CLRV/ALRV streetcars were in service due to the high risk of breakdowns in the cold weather. Instead, Flexity streetcars, along with buses, were used to provide service. The remaining ALRVs stayed out of service for the rest of that winter season.
By 2020, the CLRV/ALRV vehicles had been entirely replaced by new Flexity Outlook streetcars, mitigating these operational issues from occurring in the foreseeable future.
Snow and freezing rain
The streetcar overhead is vulnerable during freezing rain storms. During such storms, the TTC applies anti-freeze to the overhead wire to prevent ice from interrupting electrical contact. In addition, the TTC attaches "sliders" to trolley poles on every fifth streetcar to knock ice off the overhead wire. The TTC places overhead crews on standby at various locations around the streetcar network to address problems of power loss or overhead wires coming down.
The anti-freeze used on the overheard wire is also applied to streetcar switches on the network. In addition, the TTC runs "storm cars" overnight on all routes to prevent any ice build-up on switches that the anti-freeze could not prevent.
In severe storms, the TTC replaces streetcars with buses on some routes, or portions of routes, in order to concentrate streetcars downtown. By creating a smaller service area, it is easier for TTC crews to keep track and overhead wires free of snow and ice. In the event of a severe storm, the TTC replaces streetcars with buses on routes 506 Carlton, 511 Bathurst, and 512 St. Clair, plus the outer portions of 501 Queen and 504 King.
Another problem that the TTC must cope with following a heavy snowfall is that motorists park cars too close to streetcar tracks because snow banks narrow streets. Motorists are warned that such vehicles will be towed to prevent streetcar service delays and diversions.
Advertising
Pattison Outdoor Advertising is responsible for posters outside and inside the streetcars, as well as outside and inside the buses and the subway system.
See also
*Toronto Transit Commission bus system
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) uses buses and other vehicles for public transportation. In 2018, the TTC bus system had 159 bus routes carrying over 264million riders over of routes with buses travelling in the year. , the TTC has 192 b ...
*Urban rail transit in Canada
Urban rail transit in Canada encompasses a broad range of rail mass transit systems, including commuter rail, rapid transit, light rail, and streetcar systems.
Terminology
* "Commuter rail" refers to urban passenger train service between a ...
* Metrolinx light rail projects under construction in Toronto:
**Line 5 Eglinton
Line 5 Eglinton (also known as the Eglinton Crosstown or the Crosstown) is a light rail line that is under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Metrolinx and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the line will be part of ...
**Line 6 Finch West
Line 6 Finch West, also known as the Finch West LRT, is a light rail line under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to be operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. The , 18-stop line is to extend from Finch West station on Line 1 Yonge†...
*Queen subway line
The Queen Street subway line was a proposed subway line for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was one of many subway lines planned for, but has yet to be built by the Toronto Transit Commission.
History
1911 proposal
It began with a str ...
(a streetcar tunnel)
* used by 501 Queen and 508 Lake Shore
* along 504 King route
*Birney (Toronto streetcar)
In 1920, the Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) acquired 25 single-truck, double-ended Birney streetcars from the J. G. Brill Company. In 1921, the Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) acquired all assets of the TCR including the 25 Birney cars. In ...
(a model of streetcar operated by the TTC)
*Streetcars in North America
Streetcars or trolley(car)s (North American English for the European word ''tram'') were once the chief mode of public transit in hundreds of North American cities and towns. Most of the original urban streetcar systems were either dismantled in ...
(for other streetcar lines in North America)
*List of street railways in Canada
This is a list of street railways in Canada by province. Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Nunavut are the only places in Canada to not have had any tram (streetcar) system. The list includes all streetcar systems, past and present.
...
– a full list of operating and defunct street railways in the country
Notes
References
Inline citations
Other references
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* – includes a timeline of the history of the Toronto streetcar system
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External links
Toronto Transit Commission
Subway and streetcar map
Transit Toronto Streetcar Pages
The Toronto LRT Information Page
Geographically accurate map on Google Maps
gallery of Toronto's streetcars
on public-transport.net
{{TTC rolling stock
Streetcars in Canada
1861 introductions
1861 in rail transport
4 ft 10â…ž in gauge railways
600 V DC railway electrification
Town tramway systems by city
Light rail in Canada
Electric railways in Canada
Street railways in Ontario