People keep forgetting, the Queen car goes all the way to Long Branch. Maybe there is still pushback to the idea, but don't leave Mimico/New Toronto/Long Branch out of the "loop".
The Coxwell streetcar ran on Kingston Road during evenings, nights, and weekends as the KINGSTON RD-COXWELL special service, extending from its main loop at Danforth and Coxwell, before replaced by buses. Could see a return of the Coxwell streetcar as the 502 to feed Line 3 at Riverside/Leslieville Station using a Jimmie Simpson Park loop.
"When the Bloor-Danforth subway (today's Line 2) opened in February 1966, the TTC did reduce service on the streetcar lines that fed into it, including the King and Dundas routes, as part of a plan to encourage passengers to use the new subway. However, this reduction was short-lived, as ridership on the streetcars didn't decrease as expected. The TTC quickly reversed the cuts and had to increase streetcar service to nearly pre-subway levels to meet demand"
Yeah, well, that's the pushback I was talking about. I used to live in New Toronto (though I don't anymore), and it was a huge day of celebration when the TTC decided to merge the Queen and Long Branch streetcars into one, and do away with the transfer at Humber Loop. Especially since there was often an absurdly long wait at the loop, and also at Roncesvalles, because on the Queen line, westbound drivers always wanted to short turn at the barns at Roncesvalles to end their shifts, and the connection between Humber and Roncesvalles was underserviced. Drivers who had been stuck in downtown traffic, would often be past the end of their shift by the time they got to Roncesvalles, so they would do an abrupt unscheduled short turn. Between 5 and 7 PM, virtually EVERY westbound streetcar would short-turn at Roncesvalles, and there were almost no streetcars connecting Humber to Roncesvalles during that 2 hour period.
I presume you were asking me, but like I said, I don't live out that way anymore. In the 1970s I used the streetcar to get to downtown shopping (Eatons, Simpsons, Sam the Record Man), and to attend what was then called Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. There are 2 reasons using the streetcar was good then, but would not be now: the trip took just an hour, but I'm sure it would be a lot longer today, because the streets are more crowded; and the other option would have been to take 2 routes to get from my home to the subway, which made that option a longer trip, but now the road systems and transit in the suburbs have expanded and improved, so I would be using the subway instead today.
Coming from Long Branch today you would most likely actually be using GO transit, which according to google maps can get you to Ryerson in about 40 minutes.
Agree. When lakeshore GO at Mimico and Long branch get to 15 minutE intervals it will be time to stop new Toronto streetcar at Humber Loop as Mimico and Long Branch are better served by Go Train with stops at the CNE which will unlock Ontario Line access
Not Humber Loop, but the Park Lawn Loop for 501, 507, and 66B buses. It would have access to GO trains at its Park Lawn GO Station. The Humber Loop would be only as a backup or short turn for the 501 streetcar and 66A bus. The Park Lawn Loop and Station could also be a terminal or station for a westerly Line 3 extension.
Totally fair - that’s IF any of this actually happens this decade. I think the best we’ll see is 15 min lakeshore GO service tho
You're saying it could return, only to be cut back again when (if) the Ontario Line opens...? East of the Don River, the 502 and 503 shared 100% of their route, I don't see what purpose having two route numbers instead of 1 would serve. And, remember that the 502 and 503 were both limited service routes with poor levels of individual service - the improved 503 offers way better service than the 502/503 of yesteryear ever did. There is no point in bringing back the 502.
Only late at night. During the day, the split at Humber loop is maintained - they restored the split service in 2016.
Back in the 2000s, I remember reading quite a few people calling for the Long Branch car to be restored to its own route and routed up to Dundas West. I don't know how feasible that really is - Dundas West seems to be quite a zoo.