Queen Streetcar Begins Split Service
Posted October 19, 2009 7:44 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The longest streetcar line in the city is no more.
As of Monday, the 501 Queen was split into two for a five-week trial period.
Passengers have long complained about delays and poor service, and ridership on the line has fallen by about 20,000 daily riders between 1981 and 2006.
It’s hoped that the proposed changes will improve the 24-kilometre long route.
Currently, it runs from the Neville Park loop near Queen St. East and Victoria Park Ave. to the Long Branch loop on Lake Shore Blvd. at the Mississauga border.
Now, the west portion of the TTC route will run from Long Branch Loop/Humber Loop to Parliament Street.
The east portion of the route will run from Neville Park Loop to Shaw Street.
However, downtown commuters will see a doubling-up of service for the busy four-kilometre stretch that runs between Shaw and Parliament.
The changes will be in effect on weekdays from October 19 to November 20.
One of the major issues is that if a problem occurs at one end or the other the ripple effect is substantial, as riders on the other end find themselves waiting longer than usual for a streetcar.
It’s not the first time the TTC has experimented with a split route. A separate 507 Long Branch route ran until 1995. But it was scrapped in favour of a single line so riders wouldn’t have to transfer.
Results of the five-week trial period will be announced in January.
