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The iconic 501 Queen streetcar route splits in two today, in a five-week experiment aimed at boosting customer service on the perennially troubled line.
Until Nov. 20, the 501 originating in the west end will run from the Long Branch and Humber loops to Parliament Street downtown. The east end cars will travel from Neville Park to Shaw Street, overlapping through the downtown area.
The route split is the last in a $2 million series of experi-ments the TTC has conducted over the past year to find the best way of reducing short-turns, bunching of cars and gaps in service on the line that National Geographic, in 2007, declared one of the world’s top 10 trolley routes.
Those problems frequently prompt riders to hoof it home in frustration. The final fix — likely to include a combination of more cars and more operators — will be used as a blueprint for improving service on all 11 Toronto streetcar routes, said TTC chair Adam Giambrone.
Until Nov. 20, the 501 originating in the west end will run from the Long Branch and Humber loops to Parliament Street downtown. The east end cars will travel from Neville Park to Shaw Street, overlapping through the downtown area.
The route split is the last in a $2 million series of experi-ments the TTC has conducted over the past year to find the best way of reducing short-turns, bunching of cars and gaps in service on the line that National Geographic, in 2007, declared one of the world’s top 10 trolley routes.
Those problems frequently prompt riders to hoof it home in frustration. The final fix — likely to include a combination of more cars and more operators — will be used as a blueprint for improving service on all 11 Toronto streetcar routes, said TTC chair Adam Giambrone.
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