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504 King (304 King during overnight periods) is an east–west Toronto streetcar route in
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. It serves King Street 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 ...
as well as
Broadview Avenue Broadview can refer to: Places Australia *Broadview, South Australia Canada *Broadview (electoral district), in Ontario * Broadview (TTC), a Toronto subway station * Broadview Avenue, a street in Toronto * Broadview, Saskatchewan United States *B ...
on the east end and
Roncesvalles Avenue Roncesvalles Avenue is a north–south minor arterial street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It begins at the intersection of Queen Street West, King Street West and the Queensway running north to Dundas Street West. At its southern starting point ...
on the west end of the line. The route consists of two overlapping branches: 504A between
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 a ...
's
Dundas West station Dundas West is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located just north of Bloor Street West at the corner of Dundas Street and Edna Avenue. The station is about 200 metres west of B ...
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 ...
, and 504B between
Broadview station Broadview is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The entrance to the building is from Broadview Avenue just north of Danforth Avenue. The station, which is the north-eastern terminus of the 504B King and 5 ...
also on Line 2and
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) ...
. The two branches overlap on King Street between Dufferin and Sumach streets, both passing St. Andrew station and
King station King station may refer to: Transportation *King station (Toronto), a subway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada *King Albert Park MRT station, a rapid transit station in Bukit Timah, Singapore *King Baudouin metro station, a rapid transit station i ...
on subway
Line 1 Yonge–University Line 1 Yonge–University is a rapid transit line on the Toronto subway. It serves Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by the Toronto Transit Commission, has 38 stations and is in length, making it th ...
. The 504 King is the busiest line in the Toronto streetcar system. , the combined daily ridership of routes 504 King and 514 Cherry was 72,000 trips, which was significantly higher than two of the TTC's rapid transit lines,
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 ...
(38,570) and
Line 4 Sheppard Line 4 Sheppard is the newest and shortest subway line of the Toronto subway system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It opened on November 22, 2002, and has five stations along of track, which is built without any open sectio ...
(49,070). The 514 route was merged into the 504 route on October 7, 2018.


Route

The 504 King route operates as two overlapping branches: * 504A King streetcars operate from
Dundas West station Dundas West is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located just north of Bloor Street West at the corner of Dundas Street and Edna Avenue. The station is about 200 metres west of B ...
to
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 ...
, travelling south on Dundas Street West and Roncesvalles Avenue, east on King Street West and East, and south on Cherry Street to Distillery Loop. * 504B King streetcars operate from
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
Broadview station Broadview is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The entrance to the building is from Broadview Avenue just north of Danforth Avenue. The station, which is the north-eastern terminus of the 504B King and 5 ...
, travelling north on Dufferin Street, east on King Street West and East, east on Queen Street East, and north on Broadview Avenue to Broadview station. In the west, route 504A King starts at Dundas West station on
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 a ...
. From there, the route goes a short distance south of
Bloor Street Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...
along
Dundas Street West Dundas Street is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long sections ...
to Roncesvalles Avenue, where it continues farther south on
Roncesvalles Avenue Roncesvalles Avenue is a north–south minor arterial street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It begins at the intersection of Queen Street West, King Street West and the Queensway running north to Dundas Street West. At its southern starting point ...
, crossing Howard Park Avenue and route 506 Carlton. 504A King passes the
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, ...
as it approaches
Queen Street West Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original east-w ...
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 ...
. South of Queen Street West and the Queensway, the route turns east along King Street. At
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 ...
, 504B streetcars from
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) ...
merge with 504A streetcars to provide a combined service along King Street to Sumach Street. Continuing further east to Bathurst Street, the 504 enters 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 ...
where automobiles have restrictions so as not to impede streetcar service. Continuing eastward past
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 ...
, the 504 route passes St. Andrew station at
University Avenue A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
and
King station King station may refer to: Transportation *King station (Toronto), a subway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada *King Albert Park MRT station, a rapid transit station in Bukit Timah, Singapore *King Baudouin metro station, a rapid transit station i ...
at
Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost leg of provincial Hi ...
, both on
Line 1 Yonge–University Line 1 Yonge–University is a rapid transit line on the Toronto subway. It serves Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by the Toronto Transit Commission, has 38 stations and is in length, making it th ...
. At
Jarvis Street Jarvis Street is a north-south thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through some of the oldest developed areas in the city. Its alignment extends from Queens Quay East in the south to Bloor Street in the north. The segment s ...
, the transit mall ends and routes 504A and 504B continue to Sumach Street, where route 504A turns south on Cherry Street to proceed to Distillery Loop. Route 504B continues on King Street, as the street bends northeast to merge with
Queen Street East Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street (Toronto), King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline f ...
, then crosses the
Queen Street Viaduct The Queen Street Viaduct (usually known as the Queen Street Bridge) in Toronto, Canada carries vehicles and Toronto Transit Commission streetcars along Queen Street East and across the Don River. It is an example of a Pratt truss. History The ...
and the
Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...
to arrive at
Broadview Avenue Broadview can refer to: Places Australia *Broadview, South Australia Canada *Broadview (electoral district), in Ontario * Broadview (TTC), a Toronto subway station * Broadview Avenue, a street in Toronto * Broadview, Saskatchewan United States *B ...
. Route 504B turns north on Broadview Avenue. Continuing on Broadview Avenue, route 504B eventually crosses
Danforth Avenue Danforth Avenue (informally also known as the Danforth) and Danforth Road are two historically-related arterial streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Danforth ''Avenue'' is an east-west street that begins in Old Toronto at the Prince Edward ...
arriving at
Broadview station Broadview is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The entrance to the building is from Broadview Avenue just north of Danforth Avenue. The station, which is the north-eastern terminus of the 504B King and 5 ...
on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth.


King Street Transit Priority Corridor

Route 504 King passes through the King Street Transit Priority Corridor, 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 ...
located between Bathurst Street and
Jarvis Street Jarvis Street is a north-south thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through some of the oldest developed areas in the city. Its alignment extends from Queens Quay East in the south to Bloor Street in the north. The segment s ...
. Within the mall, there are restrictions on road traffic to prevent the obstruction of transit vehicles. Trucks and cars may enter the traffic mall, but must leave after a few blocks by turning right; left turns within the transit mall are not allowed.


Roncesvalles Avenue

Between 2009 and 2011, Roncesvalles Avenue was rebuilt to a new design, which included the addition of
bike lane Bike lanes (US) or cycle lanes (UK) are types of bikeways (cycleways) with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles (marked with a solid white line, entry by motor v ...
s and a widened sidewalk " bumpout" at
stops Stop may refer to: Places *Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck dri ...
to allow riders to board streetcars directly from the curb. In these sections, the bike lane gently rises from the main road to run on top of the ; when a streetcar is stopped at a bumpout, cyclists are required to stop and allow riders to board or alight from the vehicle. However, the platform height at the bumpouts was incompatible with wheelchair ramp on the new low-floor Flexity Outlook streetcars, which were introduced in 2018 on the 504 King route. Thus, , no stops along Roncesvalles Avenue between Queen Street and Dundas Street West are accessible. The TTC expects to have adjusted the bumpout height to correct the accessibility problem by 2022.


History

On July 1, 1923, as part of a reorganization of streetcar routes, the King streetcar route acquired its current U-shape. The west end of the line was at the Vincent Loop, located near the northeast corner of Dundas Street West and Bloor Street West, across the street from today's
Dundas West station Dundas West is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located just north of Bloor Street West at the corner of Dundas Street and Edna Avenue. The station is about 200 metres west of B ...
. The east end of the line was at the Erindale Loop, located at the northeast corner of Broadview Avenue and Erindale Avenue, on the north side of today's
Broadview station Broadview is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The entrance to the building is from Broadview Avenue just north of Danforth Avenue. The station, which is the north-eastern terminus of the 504B King and 5 ...
. From July 1, 1923, to July 13, 1951, some King streetcars provided rush-hour service along Bloor Street West between Dundas Street West and
Jane Loop Jane Loop was an important Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar turning loop and bus station, prior to the completion of the Bloor Danforth Subway line. The Jane Loop opened on December 31, 1923; it was the western end of Bloor Streetcar li ...
. The TTC ended this service due to declining ridership. Starting July 16, 1951, all King service turned back at Vincent Loop. On January 8, 1939, PCC streetcars were introduced on the King route on Sundays, displacing Peter Witt streetcars. On September 24, 1940, PCCs replaced Peter Witt cars in base service. On February 25, 1966, the Bloor–Danforth subway (today
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 a ...
) opened, and Dundas West station replaced the Vincent Loop, and Broadview station replaced the Erindale Loop. Both new subway stations had, and still have, a streetcar loop within the fare-paid zone. Otherwise, the King streetcar route had changed little since 1923. In 2006, the TTC briefly considered adding
couplers Coupler may refer to: Engineering Mechanical * Railway coupler, a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train device ** Janney coupler ** SA3 coupler ** Scharfenberg coupler for multiple unit passenger cars * Quick coupler, used in constru ...
to streetcars to enable operation of streetcars in two or three units, a common practice until the opening of the Bloor–Danforth subway; the expectation was that this would keep them from bunching and becoming stuck in traffic. This plan was rejected in favour of ordering brand-new, longer
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. Starting June 19, 2016, a new route – 514 Cherry – was created to supplement 504 King service on King Street between Dufferin and Sumach streets. The 514 route increased capacity along the King Street corridor to address the growing downtown ridership. It also addressed accessibility concerns through its use of the
low-floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
Flexity Outlook streetcars. From December 2, 2017, the TTC assigned a minimum of two low-floor accessible Flexity Outlook streetcars on 504 King to handle weekday overcrowding, as the King Street Pilot Project improved service performance and made the service more popular. On January 2, 2018, Flexity Outlook streetcars were introduced on the 504 King route. On October 7, 2018, 504 King was divided into two overlapping branches with two new termini (Dufferin Gate Loop and Distillery Loop) replacing the 514 Cherry route, which was permanently cancelled on the same date. The 304 King Blue Night service remained unchanged. By January 6, 2019, the 504 King route was fully served by Flexity Outlook streetcars. Thus, the TTC designated the route as
accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
except along Roncesvalles Avenue where the platform height still needed to be adjusted to allow deployment of the Flexity ramp. On May 9, 2021, the intersection of King Street, Queen Street, The Queensway and Roncesvalles Avenue (KQQR) closed due to various construction projects in the area such as track replacement, reconfiguration of the KQQR intersection, adjusting the height of streetcar loading platforms along Roncesvalles Avenue and upgrades to water, sewer and electrical infrastructure. Initially, 504A King service was diverted to Dufferin Gate Loop instead of Dundas West station. On October 1, 2022, both branches of the 504 streetcar were diverted 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 ...
to accommodate the replacement of the streetcar junction at King and Shaw Streets. With the completion of work at King and Shaw, 504A streetcars diverted again to Dufferin Gate Loop on December 9, 2022, but with 504B streetcars diverting to Wolseley Loop.


Blue Night service

From 1987 to 1992, the Blue Night Network included the 304 King route, which provided overnight service along the length of the 504 King daytime route. The 304 route was eliminated in February 1992, with the Broadview and Roncesvalles segments replaced by portions of other Blue Night bus routes; however, King Street remained unserviced directly until September 6, 2015, when the 304 King was restored as part of a $95-million investment from
Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022. Structure The cur ...
. Currently, overnight service operate every 30 minutes between Broadview and Dundas West stations via Broadview Avenue, King Street, and Roncesvalles Avenue.


Sites along the line (from east to west)

* East Chinatown *
George Brown College George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and ...
*
St. Lawrence Hall St. Lawrence Hall is a meeting hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located at the corner of King Street East and Jarvis Street. It was created to be Toronto's public meeting hall home to public gatherings, concerts, and exhibitions. Its main featur ...
*
Commerce Court Commerce Court is an office building complex on King and Bay Streets in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The four-building complex is a mix of Art Deco, International, and early Modernism architectural styles. The office co ...
*
Scotia Plaza Scotia Plaza is a commercial skyscraper in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the financial district of the downtown core bordered by Yonge Street on the east, King Street West on the south, Bay Street on the west, and Adelaide Stre ...
*
Toronto-Dominion Centre The Toronto-Dominion Centre, or TD Centre, is an office complex in the Financial District, Toronto, Financial District of downtown Toronto owned by Cadillac Fairview. It serves as the global headquarters for its anchor tenant, the Toronto-Dominio ...
*
First Canadian Place First Canadian Place (originally First Bank Building) is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario, at the northwest corner of King and Bay streets, and serves as the global operational headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. At ...
*
Royal Alexandra Theatre The Royal Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as the Royal Alex, is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located near King and Simcoe Street. Built in 1907, the 1,244-seat Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in Nort ...
*
Roy Thomson Hall Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located downtown in the city's entertainment district, it is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Toronto Defiant. Opened in 1982, its circ ...
*
Princess of Wales Theatre The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2,000-seat live theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on King Street West, in Toronto's downtown Entertainment District. The theatre's name has a triple meaning: it honours Diana, Princess of Wales, ...
*
Metro Hall Metro Hall is a 27-storey Postmodern-style office tower at the corner of Wellington and John Street in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It looks out onto Pecaut Square. Part of the three-tower Metro Centre complex, the building ...


References


External links


Toronto Transit Commission official siteTTC route page for 504 KingTTC route page for 304 King504 King
(Transit Toronto) {{TTC Streetcar routes in Toronto 4 ft 10⅞ in gauge railways