Jump to content

Toronto streetcar system

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Eja2k (talk | contribs) at 14:42, 8 November 2012 (→Routes: cleanup). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Toronto streetcar system
An Articulated Light Rail Vehicle on Queen Street West in downtown Toronto and a Canadian Light Rail Vehicle on St. Clair Avenue West
An Articulated Light Rail Vehicle on Queen Street West in downtown Toronto and a Canadian Light Rail Vehicle on St. Clair Avenue West
Overview
LocaleToronto, Ontario
Transit typeStreetcar
Number of lines11
Number of stations>100, including 8 shared with the subway (all others but one are on-street stops)
Daily ridership285,600[1]
Operation
Began operation1861 (electric lines since 1891)
Operator(s)Toronto Transit Commission
Technical
System length75 kilometres (47 mi)[2]
Track gauge1495
Minimum radius of curvature36 ft 0 in (10,973 mm)[3]
ElectrificationOverhead lines, 600 V DC
The standard sign demarcating streetcar stops (left) is a vertical strip with a white section containing a streetcar graphic, framed by two red bars. A stop indicator sign may also have route-specific information added (right) like Proof-of-Payment boarding and two blue bars and "24hr" for 24-hour service.

The Toronto streetcar system comprises eleven streetcar routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), and is the largest such system in the Americas in terms of ridership, number of cars, and track length. The network is concentrated primarily in downtown and in proximity to the city's waterfront. Much of the streetcar route network dates back to the 19th century. Unlike newer light rail systems, most of Toronto's streetcar routes operate in the classic style on street trackage shared with car traffic, and streetcars stop on demand at frequent stops like buses. Some routes do operate wholly or partly within their own rights-of-way, but they still stop on demand at frequent stops.

There are underground connections between streetcars and the subway at Union, Spadina, and St. Clair West stations, and streetcars enter St. Clair, Bathurst, Broadview, Dundas West, and Main Street stations at street level. At these stations, no proof of payment is required to transfer to or from the subway, as the streetcars stop within the stations' fare-paid areas. At the eight downtown stations, excepting Union, from Queen's Park to College on the Yonge–University–Spadina line subway line, streetcars stop on the street outside the station entrances, and proof of payment is required to transfer to or from the subway.

Despite the use of techniques long absent from the streetcar networks of other North American cities, Toronto’s streetcars are not heritage streetcars run for tourism or nostalgic purposes; they provide most of the downtown core’s surface transit service, and four of the TTC's five most heavily used surface routes are streetcar routes. In 2006, ridership on the streetcar system totalled more than 52 million.[4]

History

See also: History of the Toronto Transit Commission

Early history (1861–1945)

Streetcars at Bay and Queen in 1923
This Peter Witt streetcar, preserved at the Halton County Radial Railway, has been restored into the TTC’s original 1921 livery.

In 1861, the city of Toronto issued a thirty-year transit franchise (Resolution 14, By-law 353) for a horse-drawn street railway, after the Williams Omnibus Bus Line had become heavily loaded. Alexander Easton's Toronto Street Railway (TSR) opened the first street railway line in Canada on September 11, 1861, operating from Yorkville Town Hall to the St. Lawrence Market. At the end of the TSR franchise, the city ran the railway for eight months, but ended up granting a new thirty-year franchise to the Toronto Railway Company (TRC) in 1891. The TRC was the first operator of horseless streetcars in Toronto. The first electric car ran on August 15, 1892, and the last horse car ran on August 31, 1894, to meet franchise requirements.

There came to be problems with interpretation of the franchise terms, for the city. By 1912, the city limits had extended significantly, with the annexation of communities to the North (1912: North Toronto) and the East (1908: Town of East Toronto) and the West (1909: The City of West Toronto - The Junction). After many attempts to force the TRC to serve these areas, the city created its own street railway operation, the Toronto Civic Railways to do so, and built several routes. Repeated court battles did force the TRC to build new cars, but they were of old design. When the TRC franchise ended in 1921, the Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was created, combining the city-operated Toronto Civic Railways lines into its new network.

The TTC began in 1921 as solely a streetcar operation, with the bulk of the routes acquired from the private TRC and merged with the publicly operated Toronto Civic Railways. In 1925, routes were operated on behalf of the Township of York (as Township of York Railway), but the TTC was contracted to operate them.

Thoughts of abandonment (1945–1989)

After the Second World War, cities across North America began to eliminate their streetcar systems in favour of buses (see also General Motors streetcar conspiracy). During the 1950s, the TTC continued to invest in streetcars and the TTC took advantage of other cities' streetcar removals by purchasing extra PCC cars from Cleveland, Birmingham, Kansas City, and Cincinnati.

PCC #4500 operating on the 509 Harbourfront Line.

In 1966, the TTC announced plans to eliminate all streetcar routes by 1980. Streetcars were considered out of date, and their elimination in almost all other towns made it hard to buy new vehicles and maintain the existing ones. Metro Toronto chair William Allen claimed in 1966 that "streetcars are as obsolete as the horse and buggy."[5] A large number of streetcars were eliminated with the creation of the Bloor–Danforth subway that opened in February 1966.

The plan to abolish the streetcar system was strongly opposed by many in the city, and a group named "Streetcars for Toronto" was formed to work against the plan. The group was led by professor Andrew Biemiller and transit advocate Steve Munro, and had the support of city councillors William Kilbourn and Paul Pickett, and urban advocate Jane Jacobs. Streetcars for Toronto presented the TTC board with a report that found retaining the streetcar fleet would in the long run be cheaper than converting to buses. This combined with a strong public preference for streetcars over buses changed the decision of the TTC board.[6]

Track and trolley coach overhead plan of Toronto in October, 1965. The map features detailed plans of Danforth, St.Clair, Lansdowne, Russell and Roncesvalles carhouses, Eglinton Garage and Hillcrest Complex.

The TTC then maintained most of their existing network, purchasing new custom-designed Canadian light rail vehicle (CLRV) and articulated light rail vehicle (ALRV) streetcars. They also continued to rebuild and maintain the existing fleet of PCC (Presidents' Conference Committee) streetcars until they were no longer roadworthy.

The previous policy of eliminating streetcars and using buses for new routes (added as the city developed northward) accounts for the concentration of streetcar lines within five kilometres of the waterfront. The busiest north-south and east-west routes were replaced respectively by the Yonge–University–Spadina and Bloor–Danforth subway lines, and the northernmost streetcar lines, including the North Yonge and Oakwood routes, were replaced by trolley buses (and later by diesel buses). Two other lines that operated north of St. Clair Avenue were abandoned for other reasons: the Rogers Road route was abandoned to free up streetcars for expanded service on other routes, and the Mount Pleasant route was removed because of complaints from drivers that streetcars slowed their cars down and because the track was aging and would have needed to be replaced anyway.[citation needed]

Scarborough RT (1985–present)

Main article: Scarborough RT

The Scarborough rapid-transit (RT) line was originally proposed to operate with streetcars on a private right-of-way, but the plans were changed when the Ontario government persuaded the TTC and the borough of Scarborough to buy its then-new Intermediate Capacity Transit System (ICTS) rapid transit trains instead. Another proposed streetcar/rapid transit line from Kipling station was abandoned, but the ghost platform at the bus level is a hint of a streetcar line.

Expansion period (1989–2000)

The TTC returned to building new streetcar routes in 1989. The first new line was route 604 Harbourfront, starting from Union Station, travelling underneath Bay Street and rising to a dedicated centre median on Queen's Quay (along the edge of Lake Ontario) to the foot of Spadina Avenue. This route was later lengthened northward along Spadina Avenue in 1997, continuing to travel in a dedicated right-of-way in the centre of the street, and ending in an underground terminal at Spadina Station. At this time, the route was renamed 510 Spadina to fit with the numbering scheme of the other streetcar routes. This new streetcar service replaced the former route 77 Spadina bus, and since 1997 has provided the main north-south transit service through Toronto's Chinatown and the western boundary of University of Toronto's main campus. The tracks along Queen's Quay were extended to Bathurst Street in 2000 to connect to the existing Bathurst route, providing for a new 509 Harbourfront route from Union Station to the then-newly refurbished Exhibition Loop at the Exhibition grounds, where the Canadian National Exhibition is held.

Recent proposals and developments (2007–present)

Route 512 St. Clair was rebuilt to have a separated right-of-way similar to that of the route 510 on Spadina Avenue, to increase service reliability and was completed on June 30, 2010.

On March 14, 2007, Toronto Mayor David Miller and the TTC announced Transit City, a major proposal for a 120-kilometre, $6.1-billion network of new European-style light rail transit (LRT) lines that would provide rail transit to underserved suburban areas of the city. Since 2008, environmental assessments were made for trams along Eglinton Avenue, Sheppard Avenue East, Finch Avenue West, Jane Street, Morningside Avenue, Don Mills Road, and the extension of the 509 Harbourfront route from Exhibition Place to Queen Street West at Roncesvalles Avenue. Eventually, construction of an LRT line along Sheppard Avenue began in December 2009.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who was elected as Miller's successor in 2010, announced the cancellation of Transit City on the day that he took office.[7][8] The redesigned Eglinton–Scarborough Crosstown line along with a Sheppard line extension was announced four months later, with the support of Metrolinx and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. The redesigned line would put the 19km Eglinton portion completely underground, integrate the Scarborough RT portion, and run contiguously from Black Creek Drive to McCowan Road.[9]

On December 16, 2010, the TTC suffered its worst accident since the Russell Hill subway crash in 1995. Up to 17 people, including four schoolchildren, were sent to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries after a 505 Dundas streetcar heading eastbound collided with a Greyhound Canada bus at River Street.[10]

Routes

The current TTC streetcar network, in relation to the subway; all eleven regular routes appear red.

The TTC operates 304.3 kilometres (189.1 mi) of routes on 75 kilometres (47 mi) streetcar network (double or single track) throughout Toronto.[2][11] There are 11 streetcar routes:

Nº Name Length Notes
501 Queen 24.4324.43 km (15.18 mi) Part of Blue Night Network as 301 Queen
502 Downtowner 09.389.38 km (5.83 mi)
503 Kingston Road 08.978.97 km (5.57 mi) Rush hour service only
504 King 13.9713.97 km (8.68 mi)
505 Dundas 10.7410.74 km (6.67 mi)
506 Carlton 14.8214.82 km (9.21 mi) Part of Blue Night Network as 306 Carlton
508 Lake Shore 09.409.40 km (5.84 mi) Rush hour service only
509 Harbourfront 04.654.65 km (2.89 mi)
510 Spadina 06.176.17 km (3.83 mi)
511 Bathurst 06.476.47 km (4.02 mi)
512 St. Clair 07.017.01 km (4.36 mi) Route reconstructed to a dedicated right-of-way (completed on June 30, 2010)

Route numbers

The TTC has used route numbers in the 500 series for streetcar routes since 1980; before then, streetcar routes were not numbered, but the destination signs on the new CLRVs were not large enough to display both the route name and destination, according to the TTC.[citation needed] The only exceptions to this numbering scheme are the two streetcar-operated 300-series Blue Night Network routes.

The one other exception to the 500 series numbering was the Harbourfront LRT streetcar. When introduced in 1990, this route was numbered 604, which was intended to group it with the old numbering scheme for subway/RT routes. In 1996, the TTC overhauled its rapid transit route numbers and stopped trying to market the Harbourfront route as 'rapid transit' changing the number to 510; the tracks were later extended in two directions to form the 510 Spadina and 509 Harbourfront routes.[12]

During times when streetcar service on all or a portion of a route has been replaced temporarily by buses (e.g., for track reconstruction, major fire, special event), the replacement bus service is typically identified by the same route number as the corresponding streetcar line.

Dedicated rights-of-way

Queens Quay streetcar station

The majority of streetcar routes operate in mixed traffic, generally reflecting the original track configurations dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, newer trackage has largely been established within dedicated rights-of-way, in order to allow streetcars to operate with fewer disruptions due to delays caused by automobile traffic. Most of the system's dedicated rights-of-way operate within the median of existing streets, separated from general traffic by raised curbs and controlled by specialized traffic signals at intersections. Queen streetcars have operated on such a right-of-way along the Queensway between Humber and Sunnyside loops since 1957. More recently, dedicated rights-of-way have been opened downtown along Queen's Quay, Spadina Avenue, St. Clair Avenue West, and Fleet Street.

Short sections of track also operate in tunnel (to connect with Spadina, Union, and St. Clair West subway stations). The most significant section of underground streetcar trackage is a tunnel underneath Bay Street connecting Queens Quay with Union Station; this section, which is approximately 0.7 km (0.43 mi) long, includes one intermediate underground station at Bay Street and Queens Quay.

During the late 2000s, the TTC reinstated a separated right-of-way — removed between 1928 and 1935[13] — on St. Clair Avenue, for the entire 512 St. Clair route. A court decision obtained by local merchants in October 2005 had brought construction to a halt and put the project in doubt; the judicial panel then recused themselves, and the delay for a new decision adversely affected the construction schedule. A new judicial panel decided in February 2006 in favour of the city, and construction resumed in summer 2006. One-third of the St. Clair right-of-way was completed by the end of 2006 and streetcars began using it on February 18, 2007. The portion finished was from St. Clair Station (Yonge Street) to Vaughan Road. The second phase started construction in the summer of 2007 from Dufferin Street to Caledonia Road. Service resumed utilizing the second and third phases on December 20, 2009 extending streetcar service from St. Clair to Earlscourt Loop located just south and west of Lansdowne Avenue. The fourth and final phase from Caledonia to Gunns Loop (just west of Keele St.) is completed and full streetcar service over the entire route was finally restored on June 30, 2010.[14][15]

In 2008, the tracks on Fleet Street between Bathurst Street and the Exhibition loop were converted to a dedicated right-of-way and opened for the 511 Bathurst and the 509 Harbourfront streetcars. Streetcar track and overhead power line were also installed at the Fleet loop, which is located at the Queen's Wharf Lighthouse.[16]

Future expansion

Main article: Transit City

The City of Toronto's and the TTC’s Transit City report[17] released on March 16, 2007, proposes creating new light rail lines including:

  • Don Mills LRT (along Don Mills Road from Steeles Avenue to Overlea Boulevard, and continuing to Pape Station along a possible alignment of Overlea Boulevard from Don Mills Road to Millwood Road, continuing adjacent to the Leaside Bridge from Overlea Boulevard to Pape Avenue and along Pape Avenue from Millwood Road to Danforth Avenue)
  • Eglinton–Scarborough Crosstown line (from Black Creek Drive to McCowan Road, with underground operation to Kennedy)
  • Etobicoke-Finch West LRT (along Finch Avenue West from Yonge Street to Highway 27)
  • Jane LRT (along Jane Street from Bloor Street to Steeles Avenue and continuing along Steeles Avenue from Jane Street to Black Creek Pioneer Village on the Spadina extension. This line also includes a stub extension of the St. Clair ROW from Gunns Loop to Jane Street)
  • Scarborough Malvern LRT (along Eglinton Avenue from Kennedy Station to Kingston Road, continuing along Kingston Road from Eglinton Avenue to Morningside Avenue and along Morningside Avenue from Kingston Road to Finch Avenue)
  • Sheppard East LRT (along Sheppard Avenue from Don Mills station to Morningside Avenue, with a connection to an extended Scarborough RT near Markham Road)
  • Waterfront West LRT (along Lakeshore Boulevard from Long Branch Loop to near the South Kingsway, continuing along the Queensway to King Street, and adjacent to the Gardiner Expressway to Exhibition Loop; from Exhibition it will continue to Union station in either its own as yet to be determined alignment, or in the Harbourfront West LRT alignment)

The Ontario government has in its MoveOntario 2020 plan, proposed funding approximately two thirds of the $5.5 billion of the seven Transit City lines, with the expectation that the federal government would fund the remaining third.

In April 2012 construction began on the short (700 metres (2,300 ft)) Cherry Street streetcar line, which will run in a dedicated right-of-way on Sumach and Cherry Streets from King Street to the railway corridor south of Mill Street, serving West Don Lands and the Distillery [18][19][20]

Additional proposals include:

  • Extending 512 St. Clair to Jane subway station
  • A route westward from the Bay Street streetcar tunnel along Bremner Boulevard and Fort York Boulevard to Bathurst Street
  • A route running east along Finch Avenue from Yonge Street to Don Mills Road, then turning south along Don Mills Road and continuing to Sheppard Avenue at Don Mills subway station, linking the Etobicoke-Finch West LRT and the Sheppard East LRT.
  • Queens Quay East light rail line to complement the Waterfront West LRT and the 509 Harbourfront line.

Discontinued streetcar routes

Toronto Street Railway

Routes marked to City were operating on May 20, 1891, when the Toronto Street Railway Company's franchise expired and operations were taken over by the City of Toronto.[21]

Route Started Ended Notes
Bathurst 00 Sep 1889 7 Dec 1889 to SEATON VILLAGE
Bloor 29 May 1891 to City
Brockton 4 Sep 1883 00 May 1884 from QUEEN & BROCKTON; to QUEEN & BROCKTON
Carlton & College 2 Aug 1886 to City
Church 18 Aug 1881 to City
Danforth 8 Jul 1889 to City
Davenport 18 Aug 1890 to City from SEATON VILLAGE
Dovercourt via McCaul 24 Sep 1888 to City from McCAUL & COLLEGE
Front & McCaul 22 Oct 1883 28 Jun 1884 to McCAUL & COLLEGE
Front & Parliament 25 Nov 1878 25 Jul 1881 to PARLIAMENT and WINCHESTER
High Park via Queen 00 Apr 1887 to City by this date; from QUEEN & PARKDALE
King 21 Sep 1874 to City longest continuously operated route in Toronto
King via Strachan 2 Sep 1879 19 Sep 1890 during Toronto Industrial Exhibition only; to KING
Kingston Rd. 9 Jun 1875 00 Apr 1887 Kingston Road Tramway Co.; by this date; part to WOODBINE
Lee 15 Jul 1889 to City
McCaul & College 30 Jun 1884 22 Sep 1888 from FRONT & McCAUL; to DOVERCOURT VIA McCAUL
McCaul & College 15 Jul 1889 to City from DOVERCOURT VIA McCAUL
Metropolitan 26 Jan 1885 to City Metropolitan Street Railway
Parliament 26 Jul 1881 to City from FRONT & PARLIAMENT
Queen 2 Feb 1861 7 Dec 1881 to QUEEN & BROCKTON
Queen 4 Sep 1883 00 May 1884 from QUEEN & BROCKTON; to QUEEN & BROCKTON
Queen & Brockton 8 Dec 1881 3 Sep 1883 from QUEEN; to QUEEN and BROCKTON
Queen & Brockton 00 May 1884 to City from BROCKTON and QUEEN
Queen & Parkdale 2 Sep 1879 00 Apr 1887 ended by spring 1887; to HIGH PARK VIA QUEEN
Queen East 11 May 1885 to City from SHERBOURNE
Seaton Village 27 Jul 1885 to City from SPADINA & BATHURST
Sherbourne 1 Dec 1874 to City may have begun a day or two earlier
Spadina 00 Jun 1879 to City
Spadina & Bathurst 30 Jun 1884 25 Jul 1885 from SPADINA; to SEATON VILLAGE
Toronto Industrial Exhibition 13 Sep 1883 19 Sep 1890 first electric route; operated by steam during the 1891 season
Winchester 26 Jul 1881 to City from FRONT & PARLIAMENT
Woodbine 21 May 1887 to City from KINGSTON RD.
Yonge 9 Nov 1861 to City first rail transit route in Toronto

Toronto Railway Company

Routes marked to TTC were operating on September 21, 1921, when the Toronto Railway Company's operations were taken over by the Toronto Transportation Commission.[22]

Route Started Ended Notes
Arthur 1902-02-12 12 Feb 1902 1909-00-00 1909 merged with DUNDAS
Ashbridge 1917-11-05 5 Nov 1917 to TTC replaced by bus service in the 1920s.[23]
Avenue Road 1895-19-02 2 Sep 1895 to TTC
Bathurst 1885-07-27 27 Jul 1885 to TTC
Belt Line 1891-11-16 16 Nov 1891 to TTC
Bloor 1889-00-00 1889 to TTC
Broadview 1892-10-00 Oct 1892 to TTC
Brockton 1882-00-00 1882 1893-10-09 9 Oct 1893 renamed DUNDAS
Carlton 1886-08-00 Aug 1886 to TTC
Church 1881-00-00 1881 to TTC
College 1893-11-00 Nov 1893 to TTC
Danforth 1889-05-00 May 1889 1892-10-00 Oct 1892 renamed BROADVIEW
Davenport 1892-12-00 Dec 1892 1891-11-00 Nov 1891 replaced by BATHURST, PARLIAMENT and WINCHESTER
Dovercourt 1888-11-00 Nov 1888 to TTC
Dufferin 1889-00-00 1889 1891-09-30 30 Sep 1891 merged with DANFORTH
Dundas 1893-10-09 9 Oct 1893 to TTC
Dupont 1906-08-29 29 Aug 1906 to TTC
Harbord 1911-08-29 29 Aug 1911 to TTC
High Park 1886-00-00 1886 1905-00-00 1905
King 1874-00-00 1874 to TTC
Lee Avenue 1889-0--00 1889 1893-05-15 15 May 1893 merged into KING
McCaul 1883-10-00 Oct 1883 1896-01-01 1 Jan 1896 replaced by BLOOR
Parkdale 1880-00-00 1880 1886-00-00 1886 renamed HIGH PARK
Parliament 1881-00-00 1881 1918-03-04 4 Mar 1918 merged into QUEEN
Queen 1861-12-02 2 Dec 1861 to TTC
Queen East 1882-00-00 1882 1891-10-16 16 Oct 1891 merged with DANFORTH
Roncesvalles 1909-00-00 1909 1911-12-20 20 Dec 1911 replaced by QUEEN
Seaton Village 1885-07-27 27 Jul 1885 1891-10-23 23 Oct 1891 replaced by DAVENPORT, PARLIAMENT and WINCHESTER
Sherbourne 1874-11-00 Nov 1874 1891-11-16 16 Nov 1891 merged into BELT LINE
Spadina 1878-00-00 1878 1891-11-16 16 Nov 1891 merged into BELT LINE
Winchester 1874-11-00 Nov 1874 to TTC
Woodbine 1887-05-00 May 1887 1893-04-04 4 Apr 1893 replaced by KING
Yonge 1861-09-11 11 Sep 1861 to TTC
York 1891-10-00 1891-12-31 in operation in October 1891 and discontinued prior to 31 December 1891

Toronto Civic Railways

All routes transferred to the Toronto Transportation Commission.[24]

Route Started Ended Notes
Bloor 1914-11-04 4 Nov 1914 to TTC
Danforth 1913-10-30 30 Oct 1913 to TTC
Gerrard 1912-12-18 18 Dec 1912 to TTC
Lansdowne 1917-01-16 16 Jan 1917 to TTC
St. Clair 1913-08-25 25 Aug 1913 to TTC

Toronto Transportation Commission / Toronto Transit Commission

Route Began Ended Number Notes
Belt Line 1891 1923
Bloor 1890 1966 replaced by Bloor–Danforth subway
Coxwell 1921 1966 replaced by 22 COXWELL bus
Dundas Exhibition 1980 1986 522 also operated for the 1995 season
Dupont/Bay 1926 1963 replaced by 6 BAY bus
Earlscourt 1954 1976 merged into ST. CLAIR; assigned number 512L
Fort 1931 1966 merged into BATHURST
Harbord 1911 1966 replaced by 72 PAPE and 94 WELLESLEY buses
Harbourfront 1990 2000 604 renumbered 509 Harbourfront
King Exhibition 1980 2000 521
Long Branch 1928 1995 507 merged in 501 Queen
Oakwood 1922 1960 replaced by 63 OSSINGTON trolleycoach
Parliament 1910 1966 replaced by 65 PARLIAMENT bus
Winchester 1910 1924 replaced by YONGE and PARLIAMENT streetcars
Mount Pleasant 1975 1976 split from ST. CLAIR; replaced by 74 MT. PLEASANT trolleycoach
Rogers Road 1922 1974 replaced by 63F OSSINGTON VIA ROGERS trolleycoach
Yonge 1873 1954 replaced by Yonge subway, DOWNTOWN bus, and YONGE trolleycoach

Rolling stock

Main article: Toronto streetcar system rolling stock

Hundreds of cars were acquired from the TTCs predecessor companies, including the Toronto Railway Company, Toronto Civic Railways, Toronto & York Radial Railway and Toronto Suburban Railway. The current fleet is composed of 248 vehicles.

Streetcars purchased by the TTC

Note that not all numbers within a series were used.

Fleet numbers Type In service Notes
2300–2678
2900–3018		 Peter Witt 1921–1954 "large" Witts; even numbers only
2700–2898 Peter Witt 1922–1965 "small" Witts; even numbers only
2301–2419 2-door trailer 1921–1938 odd numbers only
2701-3029 3-door trailer 1923–1954 "Harvey" trailers; odd numbers only
4000–4299
4575–4601		 PCC 1938–1971 air-electric
4300–4574
4625–4779		 PCC 1947–1995 all-electric
4000–4199 CLRV 1977–2013
4200–4251 ALRV 1987–2013 articulated
4900 ALRV 1982–1983 prototype; never owned by TTC

Track gauge

Grand union at Spadina Avenue and Queen Street West
Streetcar track reconstruction at Bathurst Street and Queen Street.

The tracks of Toronto's streetcars and subways are built to the unique track gauge of 58.875, 2+3⁄8 in (60 mm) wider than the usual standard gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), which the Scarborough RT uses. In 1861, 'standard gauge' in North America was non-existent, so there was little advantage selecting it over any other gauge. Faced with this decision, when the agreement between the City of Toronto and the Toronto Street Railway was signed on 26 March 1861, the gauge was selected to allow carts and wagons to ride within the rails:

That the gauge of the said railways shall be such that the ordinary vehicles now in use may travel on the said tracks, and that it shall and may be lawful to and for all and every person and persons whatsoever to travel upon and use the said tracks with their vehicles loaded or empty, when and so often as they may please, provided they do not impede or interfere with the cars of the party of the second part (Toronto Street Railway), running thereon, and subject at all times to the right of the said party of the second part, his executors, and administrators and assigns to keep the said tracks with his and their cars, when meeting or overtaking any other vehicle thereon.[25]

As wagons were normally built at standard gauge, the streetcar rails were selected to be slightly wider, allowing the wagons to ride on the inside sections of the rail, and the streetcars on the outside. The Williams Omnibus Bus Line changed the gauge of their buses in 1861 to fit this gauge. At the time, track for horsecars was not our modern 'T' rail, but wide and flat, with a raised section on the outside of the rail.

As the decision was made well over a century ago, and the companies involved no longer exist, a number of apocryphal stories have evolved over the years to explain the odd gauge. One belief, sometimes quoted by the TTC themselves, is that the City of Toronto feared that the street railway franchise operator, first in 1861, the Toronto Street Railway, then in 1891, the Toronto Railway, and in 1921, the TTC, would allow the operation of steam locomotives and freight trains through city streets, as was common practice in Hamilton, Ontario (until the 1950s) and in many US cities, such as New York City and Syracuse, New York.

Standard gauge rails in the streets would have allowed this, but steam railway equipment could not follow the abrupt curves in the streetcar network. Opposition to freight operation in city streets precluded interchange even with adjacent radial lines even after the lines changed to TTC gauge. Electric railway freight cars could negotiate street curves, but freight operations to downtown were still not allowed until the final few years of radial operation by the TTC.

The unique gauge has remained to this day since converting all tracks and vehicles would be expensive and would lack any real benefit anyway. Some proposals for the city's subway system involved using streetcars in the tunnels, possibly having some routes run partially in tunnels and partially on city streets, so the same gauge was used, but the idea was ultimately dropped in the case of dedicated rapid-transit trains. The use of standard-gauge tracks on the Scarborough RT makes it impossible for there to be any track connection between it and the other lines, and so when RT vehicles need anything more than basic service (which is carried out in the RT's own McCowan Yard), they are carried by truck to the Greenwood subway yards.[26]

The proposed Eglinton Crosstown LRT line will be constructed to standard gauge. As the project is receiving a large part of its funding from Metrolinx, the Ontario provincial transit authority, it wants to ensure a degree of commonality with any other proposed tram/LRT projects within Ontario to ensure a better price for purchasing vehicles.[26]

Properties

Track map of TTC network containing loops, stops, subway and GO Transit stations

Dedicated station

There is one standalone underground station in the network that exclusively serves streetcars, located in the tunnel shared by the 509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina routes:

Loops

A Peter Witt car on tour service, decorated for Dominion Day, at McCaul Loop in 1975

Since all of Toronto's current streetcars are unidirectional, they require on- or off-street track loops in order to change direction.

Main article: Toronto streetcar loops

Carhouses

Streetcars inside Roncesvalles Carhouse

Toronto's streetcars are housed and maintained at various carhouses or "streetcar barns":

Facility details
 Yard   Location   Year Open   Notes 
Hillcrest Complex Davenport Road and Bathurst Street 1924 former site of farm and later Toronto Driving Club track; services streetcars and buses, repair facilities
Roncesvalles Carhouse Queen Street West and Roncesvalles Avenue 1895; rebuilt 1921 built for the Toronto Railway; indoor and outdoor streetcar storage
Russell (Connaught) Carhouse Connaught Avenue and Queen Street East 1913 built for the Toronto Railway; indoor and outdoor streetcar storage

Inactive carhouses once part of the TTC's streetcar operations:

Facility details
 Yard   Location   Year Open   Year Closed   Notes 
Danforth Carhouse Danforth Avenue and Coxwell Avenue 1915 2002 built for the Toronto Civic Railways
Dundas Carhouse [2] Dundas Street West and Howard Park Avenue 1907 1936 storage for 60 cars; wye and runaround loop since disappeared and area re-developed
Eglinton Carhouse Eglinton Avenue West and Yonge Street 1922 2002; demolished
Lansdowne Carhouse Lansdowne Avenue and Paton Avenue 1911 1996; demolished 2003 Built for the Toronto Railway
St. Clair (Wychwood) Carhouse Wychwood south of St. Clair Avenue West 1913 1978 built for the Toronto Civic Railways

Source: The TTC's Active Carhouses

A new carhouse is to be constructed for housing and maintaining the new Bombardier Flexity Outlook vehicles; the existing facilities will not accommodate the differences in length and configuration of the different generations of vehicle. A preliminary report recommends a vacant lot at the southeast corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard.[27]

Facility details
 Yard   Location   Year To Open   Notes 
Ashbridge's Bay LRV Maintenance and Storage Facility Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East - southeast corner TBD proposed carhouse for Flexity fleet (100 of the 204 cars)[28]

Operator training

The TTC's LRV training simulator, located at the Hillcrest Complex.

A mockup of a CLRV used to train new streetcar operators is located at Hillcrest. The training simulator consists of an operator cab, front steps and part of the front of a streetcar.

Operators also train with a real streetcar. Front and rear rollsigns on the vehicle identify it as a training car.

See also

References

  1. ^ "APTA transit ridership report, First Quarter, 2010" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  2. ^ a b Toronto at urbanrail.net
  3. ^ The Canadian Light Rail Vehicles - Transit Toronto
  4. ^ Toronto Star. 15 July 2007. The great Toronto streetcar debate. Retrieved on 2009-04-29
  5. ^ William Bragg. "Our Streetcars are Near the End of the Line." Toronto Star. November 13, 1967 pg. 7
  6. ^ Craig Cal. "'Streetcars for Toronto' – 35th Anniversary" Spacing December 1, 2007.
  7. ^ Mayor Rob Ford: “Transit City is over” Toronto Life December 1, 2010
  8. ^ Tess Kalinowski; David Rider (2 December 2010). "'War on the car is over': Ford moves transit underground". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  9. ^ "Funding questions linger after new transit plan announced" By Natalie Alcoba, National Post. March 31, 2011
  10. ^ Schoolchildren returning from field trip hurt in streetcar crash: report
  11. ^ TTC 2008 Operating Statistics
  12. ^ Bow, James (2006-11-10). "Route 509 - The New Harbourfront Streetcar". Transit Toronto. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  13. ^ Route 512 - The St Clair Streetcar
  14. ^ http://www3.ttc.ca/Service_Advisories/Construction/St_Clair_Avenue_West_Transit_Improvements_Project_-_Phase_4.jsp
  15. ^ Kalinowski, Tess (30 June 2010). "Finally, St. Clair streetcar fully restored". The Star. Toronto.
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ "Transit City". City of Toronto. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  18. ^ Tess Kalinowski (2007-12-11). "Transit-first street plan hailed". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2012-07-19. Unlike Toronto's other streetcar routes, which traditionally run in mixed traffic and board passengers from platforms in the middle of the road, the Cherry St. plan calls for putting all the transit on the east side of the street, running in two directions, with a tree-lined platform separating it from other traffic. "Two figures incorrect in Cherry St. transit plan". Toronto Star. 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2012-07-19. The transitway envisioned for this section is 700 metres. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead= ignored (help)
  19. ^ "STREETCARS ON CHERRY STREET AND SUMACH STREET SERVING THE WEST DON LANDS DEVELOPMENT" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  20. ^ Adrian Morrow (2012-05-25). "A tiny perfect streetcar line is being laid along Cherry Street". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2012-07-19. There's a new streetcar line under construction in Toronto, the first in more than a decade and a surprising development during the tenure of a mayor who is outspokenly opposed to light rail. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead= ignored (help)
  21. ^ John F. Bromley (25 October 2001). "Toronto Street Railway Routes". Transit Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  22. ^ Pursley, Louis H. (1958). Street Railways of Toronto: 1861–1921. Los Angeles: Interurbans Press. pp. 39–45.
  23. ^ James Bow (2012-04-03). "The Ashbridge Streetcar (Deceased)". Transit Toronto. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  24. ^ "The Toronto Civic Railways", UCRS Bulletin, no. 26, Toronto: Upper Canada Railway Society, pp. 1–2
  25. ^ "FAQ - STREETCARS", Transit Toronto, 3 January 2003
  26. ^ a b "Transit City measures up to international standard" - Toronto Star, 06/01/10
  27. ^ http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/lrv/pdf/2009-09-17_plac_presentation_new_lrv_fleet.pdf
  28. ^ "Ashbridges Bay Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) Maintenance and Storage Facility". Toronto Transit Commission. May 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trams in Toronto.

Template:GTA Mass Transit

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toronto_streetcar_system&oldid=522006792"