TTC to close portion of Line 1 for 10 days to accelerate state-of-good-repair work

Beginning at 6 a.m. on Mon., Mar. 15, the TTC will close the portion of Line 1 between St George and St Andrew stations to allow crews to continue important tunnel improvements. The closure will last 10 days, with regular service resuming at 6 a.m. on Thurs., Mar. 25.

"These closures when ridership is reduced make sense and will mean that the TTC can save years of work while making real progress on necessary repair work," said Mayor John Tory. "I want to thank our TTC workers for continuing work on important transit system upgrades and providing safe and reliable service throughout the pandemic."

The TTC is continuing to capitalize on reduced ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifying opportunities to carry out vital state-of-good-repair work with minimal inconvenience to customers. The work, including tunnel lining repairs, asbestos removal, station cleaning and electrical work, is part of a larger project to eliminate several years' worth of early access, weekend and platform closures. A similar closure was already completed successfully in December 2020, allowing the TTC to accomplish more than two years' worth of work in 10 days.

"While ridership is low, the TTC is accelerating critical state-of-good-repair and asbestos abatement work on our subway tunnels. This innovative approach will limit the need for disruptive station platform closures and by-pass operations at St. Patrick, significantly reducing the overall impact on our riders," said TTC Chair Jaye Robinson. "Thank you to the TTC team for acting quickly and embracing this unique opportunity to improve our transit infrastructure for the long-term, even as we continue to face the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you also to our riders for their patience during this short-term closure that will allow us to avoid major service disruptions in the future."

Customers can expect bus service every 60 seconds during peak periods and very consistent service to continue throughout the day. Service levels have been designed based on current customer volumes. Shuttle buses will run very frequently throughout the closure, stopping at designated pick up and drop off locations outside each station, at street level.

Customers travelling into the city are encouraged to start their journey at Finch Station, or at any other station on the Yonge side of Line 1, to avoid the closure area. Subway service will run as usual, every three-four minutes.

"We are taking every opportunity to speed up infrastructure improvements while keeping inconvenience to customers to a minimum," said TTC CEO Rick Leary. "Service reliability is a key priority for me and this 10-day closure is another step to improving the reliability of the system and reducing future closures."

East-west service will be available, as usual, on College (506 Carlton), Dundas (505), Queen (501) and King (504) streets, for customers to connect from Yonge St.

Museum, Queen's Park, St Patrick and Osgoode stations will be closed for the duration of the 10 days. Customers should note that all subway entrances/exits will also be closed, including TTC connections to hospitals. The other two stations will remain open for fare sales and connection to surface routes and Line 2.

Customers who require Wheel-Trans service can speak with any TTC customer service staff for assistance.

Customers should remember that face coverings are mandatory while travelling on the TTC. More information on how to wear a mask properly is available at http://www.ttc.ca/COVID-19/Masks/index.jsp. Some exceptions apply.

The TTC is using a variety of tactics to ensure customers are aware of this extended closure and to minimize the inconvenience as much as possible. Customers looking for more information or assistance planning their trips are advised to visit ttc.ca or call Customer Service at 416-393-4636.

The TTC thanks its Board, local City Councillors, and the essential workers based along University Ave., for their assistance and patience with this closure.

The TTC is committed to keeping customers informed about work and events that impact service and about alternate routes. For the most up-to-date information, follow @TTCNotices on Twitter or sign up for eAlerts.