Line(s) 501 Province Ontario | Connections TTC buses Opened 1957 (current location) | |
 | ||
Owned by Toronto Transit Commission Structure type waiting area and washroom Address Toronto, ON M8Y 1H6, Canada Connection Toronto Transit Commission bus system Owner Toronto Transit Commission | ||
hd testing the ttc s new streetcar humber loop
Humber Loop is a station and intermediate turning loop for streetcars on the 501 Queen line of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is located between the Gardiner Expressway and The Queensway just west of the Humber River in Toronto. The loop is accessed by a private right-of-way that connects tracks eastbound to The Queensway and westbound to Lake Shore Boulevard.
Contents
- hd testing the ttc s new streetcar humber loop
- Chasing a runaway streetcar humber loop toronto
- History
- Services
- References
Chasing a runaway streetcar humber loop toronto
History
Streetcar loops serving this area have been sited at several different places since the 1920s. The early loops were on the north side of then Lakeshore Road intersecting Queen Street (near present day Lakeshore Boulevard and Palace Pier Court and near the historic The Palace Pier) that featured a covered wooden shelter structure.
With the formation of Metropolitan Toronto the Toronto Transportation Commission was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission in 1954, and all public transportation services, including the acquisition of some independent bus companies, became the responsibility of the municipality. At that time the Humber Loop was on Lake Shore Boulevard and it had to be relocated to the current site in 1957, due to the construction of the Gardiner Expressway.
The Humber Loop was the western terminus of the Queen Street route from Neville Park Loop and the eastern terminus of the 507 Long Branch route along Lake Shore Boulevard from Long Branch Loop. It was a fare zone boundary where through passengers were required to transfer between the two routes. Those routes were merged in 1994 to form the 501 Queen line, the longest streetcar line in North America.
The TTC plans to relocate the loop to Park Lawn Road where it will better serve development growth in the Humber Bay Shores area. Although preliminary design work has been done, the project has not been funded due to reductions in the capital program.
Services
An enclosed waiting room is provided for passengers, as are separate facilities for operators. The main streetcar route is 501 Queen, which has frequent westbound short turns here at the Humber Loop. The only major change was the replacement of the old flat roof to the terminal building.
The loop is also the terminus for TTC bus routes 66A Prince Edward from Old Mill station and 80B Queensway along The Queensway from Sherway Gardens, while the 80A Queensway route bypasses the loop going to Keele station.
Since January 3, 2016, 501 Long Branch-Humber and 501 Humber-Neville Park streetcars have turned around here because the 501 Queen is being split until sufficient streetcars are available.
As of January 8, 2017, the 66 Prince Edward will be only remaining route to service the loop as the 501 Queen service will operate with streetcars only between Sunnyside Loop and Neville Loop with buses operating from Long Branch Loop via Lake Shore, Windermere, The Queensway, Queen and Dufferin to Dufferin Gate Loop and the other from Marine Parade to Windermere due to fleet limitations and right-of-way reconstruction between The Queensway at Parkside and Lake Shore at Dwight. Also, the 80A Queensway service east to Keele Station will be fully restored and operate 7 days a week, 18 hours a day to provide connections with 501 Queen instead of having buses to terminate here on weekdays and Saturdays late evening and on Sundays. As a result, 501 Queen and 80 Queensway buses will not serve this loop and would be bypassed.