The TTC is gearing up to shut down several portions of its subway system ahead of a busy festival weekend, and shuttle buses won’t be running for a downtown section of Line 1.
TTC passengers heading downtown should expect a full weekend closure on the Yonge-University line between St. George Station and St. Andrew Station beginning Friday at 11:00 p.m.
Shuttle buses, which typically operate during subway closures, also won’t be running during this stretch of the system.
The TTC says the portion of the line will be shut due to planned station work.
The transit agency has outlined several surface route options to get people moving during the closure; for those hoping to get to St. Andrew from St. George, passengers can take Line 2 eastbound to Bloor-Yonge then transfer to Line 1 southbound.
The upcoming closure comes one week after a large section of Line 1 was shut down all weekend between St. George and Wilson stations.
It also comes as the highly anticipated OssFest prepares to take over Ossington Ave. between Dundas St. W. and Queen St. W.
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Also coming to the downtown area this weekend is the annual Taste of Vietnam Festival which will take over Nathan Phillips Square all weekend between Friday and Sunday.
Several festivals will also take place outside of downtown, including in the Beaches and North York.
While commuters gear up to take transit to several of these events, they’ll have to plan around a Line 2 closure too.
The TTC says service on Line 2 between Kipling and Keele stations will be closed on Saturday for planned work, shuttle buses will be running as a result.
During this shutdown, Runnymeade and High Park stations will be closed, however all other stations will remain open for customers to purchase or load PRESTO cards or transfer between surface routes.
Shuttle buses will be running along Line 2 until 11:00 a.m. on Sunday when subway service resumes.
The weekend closures have left some locals taking to social media to voice their concerns and frustrations, with many feeling like the closures happen far too frequently.
“I’ve never seen such an unreliable transit system with absolutely zero accountability,” a Reddit user said.
“What is it going to take for our government to recognize that people want and need to travel on the weekends too?,” another user said.
However, some people are more understanding of the TTC closures, including the decision not to use shuttle buses along Line 1.
“Of course there aren’t shuttle buses, there are already buses and streetcars providing east-west service,” a Reddit user said.
“You don’t need a shuffle bus running on University given that the streetcars and Yonge Line is still fully running,” another user said.
“Bloor to front is a solid walk, buses would have been a horrible decision,” another user said.
In a statement to Now Toronto, the TTC says it increases service on service routes connecting with the Yonge side of Line 1 in lieu of shuttle buses.
“This is the same as we have done for past weekend closures on this portion of Line 1, and is due to construction and traffic congestion along the route which make effective bus replacements unviable,” the transit agency said.
