TTC board approves extra bus service, subway train to deal with overcrowding

Service improvements were recommended to manage strain on the Yonge line subway and some bus routes.

Thestar.com
May 8, 2018
Jennifer Pagliaro

The TTC board has approved interim measures to manage crowding on the Yonge line subway and dozens of bus routes.

The improvements will cost $5 million this year. They include adding a train this fall on Line 1, which has been operating over capacity south of Bloor-Yonge station for years. A series of delays this January saw the station almost closed for the first time over safety concerns.

The extra train will help bridge the gap until updated signalling allows more frequent service. Construction of a relief line for the subway, at an estimated cost of $6.8 billion, is still in early planning stages and does not have a funding plan.

“I know transit delays and crowding can be frustrating. I’m dedicated to making sure the TTC is doing everything possible to minimize delays and ease crowding,” Mayor John Tory said in a news release after Tuesday’s board meeting. “These improvements to Line 1 will improve predictability and consistency of service, reduce wait times and crowding for customers.”

Tory, who is facing re-election in October, faced criticism after the near-disastrous winter delays, and for his focus on other transit projects, including the controversial $3.35-billion Scarborough subway extension. In February, he announced a 10-point action plan he said would help alleviate overcrowding.

The board also approved adding bus service on some overcrowded routes this fall.

“More frequent bus service across Toronto is a big win for transit riders,” Shelagh Pizey-Allen, executive director of the transit advocacy group TTCriders, said in a news release.