Connecting Toronto

TTC annual accessibility forum this Tuesday

Next Tuesday (Sept. 19), the TTC will host its 10th Accessibility Forum in association with our colleagues from ACAT, the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit. In what is always an interesting and informative session, the evening will begin with a “market place” at which TTC staff will be available to discuss current accessibility projects and initiatives with attendees on a one-to-one basis. Following that, there will be a plenary session in the main hall at the Beanfield Centre at Exhibition Place where my team and I will present what we have achieved over the past 12 months and describe what remains to be done to make the TTC fully accessible by 2025.

There will then be a question-and-answer session at which everyone is invited to participate. The last 12 months have seen continued rollout of fully accessible streetcars as well as good progress on making more subway stations accessible. The forum will be held between 6-9 p.m. Please come along, or watch us live online, and give us your feedback and views to help us achieve a fully accessible transit system for Toronto.

2017 TTC Public Forum on Accessible Transit
Date and Location
Tuesday, September 19 Beanfield Centre (formerly the Allstream Centre) Exhibition Place – 105 Princes’ Boulevard
One-on-One Discussions: 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Open Public Forum: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
For more information, visit ttc.ca.

Last weekend, Line 1 Yonge-University was closed between Sheppard West and Lawrence West stations for track and maintenance work. The closure allowed TTC crews to complete the following crucial work:

• Replace 468’ of rail n Perform major maintenance on special track work south of Wilson Station
• Extend power rail in Wilson Yard n Rehabilitate six track circuits
• Replace three nonstandard trip arms

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience as we complete work that will make the TTC more modern, efficient and safer.
For more information on subway closures and surface diversions, visit the Service Advisories page at ttc.ca

Line 1 This weekend, Line 1 Yonge-University will be closed between St George and Lawrence West stations for testing and emergency response training for the TTC’s new Automatic Train Control (ATC) system. Shuttle buses will run between Sheppard West and Lawrence West stations only due to on-street construction around Eglinton West, St Clair West and Dupont stations. To supplement shuttle service and move customers more efficiently to the Yonge St. side of Line 1, the TTC is doubling service on nine east-west bus and streetcar routes in the closure area. Wheel-Trans service is available on request.

Dundas Station fare gate construction

Installation of new fare gates continues this weekend at Dundas Station, resulting in the station closing and trains bypassing in both directions from 11 p.m. on Fri., Sept. 15 until the start of service on Mon., Sept. 18. Earlier this week, the station began closing at 11 p.m. each night; early closures will continue until construction is finished in mid-October. Because Dundas Station is one of the TTC’s busiest, with tighter fare lines, early and weekend closures are necessary to complete the construction.

Weekend events impact surface routes

This weekend, a number of events around Toronto will impact our surface service, including the Bloor West Ukrainian Festival and Parade, Roncesvalles Polish Festival, RBC Race for Kids, Scarborough Seventh Day Adventist Church Parade, St. Francis of Assisi Church Parade, Gursikh Sabha Canada Parade, UCC/ Forest Hill Terry Fox Run and Open Streets Toronto Festival.

As a vibrant, global city, Toronto is alive with numerous events, celebrations and festivals that impact some service for TTC customers. Upto-date route changes and information is available at ttc.ca or by following @ TTCnotices on Twitter.

This month the TTC kicked off a nine-month pilot along two of its five Community Bus routes – 400 Lawrence West and 404 East York, with buses along these routes now providing hourly weekday service and stopping in front of added destinations. Not familiar with Community Bus? It is a neighbourhood bus service that uses WheelTrans vehicles and stops at the front doors of local stores, community centres and health care facilities. This bus can be flagged down at any point between stops where safe to do so, and anyone can ride with a TTC fare. Community Bus also operates in Etobicoke, Parkdale and Don Mills South.
Find out more at ttc.ca.

Name: Jason Banfield 
Position: Operator
Years of service: 16

What I love most about my job is that I get to meet people every day from completely different backgrounds, and everyone has a story. I always say that Hollywood couldn’t write some of the things I see and hear day to day. Being an operator also allows me to be a gateway to showcase Toronto and really take pride in the city that I love. It’s these small unwritten rewards that make the difference for me here. This is really the perfect job at a great organization with great people and plus, streetcars are cool!