Humber Loop

Humber Loop
PCC streetcars in service at the loop in 1968
Location The Queensway
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates 43°37′52″N 79°28′43″W / 43.63111°N 79.47861°W / 43.63111; -79.47861Coordinates: 43°37′52″N 79°28′43″W / 43.63111°N 79.47861°W / 43.63111; -79.47861
Owned by Toronto Transit Commission
Line(s)  501 
Connections TTC buses
Construction
Structure type waiting area and washroom
Disabled access ADA accessible
History
Opened 1957 (current location)
Rebuilt January 8, 2017 (closure) to June 24, 2018 (full reopening)

Humber Loop is a station and intermediate turning loop for streetcars on the 501 Queen line of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).[1] 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. The 501 streetcar is split here, larger ALRV streetcars head east from here to Neville Park Loop, and CLRV streetcars head west from here to Long Branch Loop.

History

Loop like structure where Queen Street met then Lakeshore Road

Streetcar loops serving this area have been sited at several different places since the 1920s.[2] 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.[3]

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,[2] 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.[1]

On January 3, 2016, the 501 route was temporarily split into two sections at Humber Loop, with the section west towards Long Branch Loop operating with CLRVs and the section east to Neville Park Loop using the higher capacity ALRVs. Effectively, the 507 Long Branch streetcar was revived in all but name west from the Humber Loop.[4][5][6]

Starting from January 8, 2017, streetcar service west of Roncesvalles Avenue was replaced by buses for about 15 months to accommodate various construction projects,[7] including rebuilding the bridge carrying streetcar tracks over the Humber River. At Humber Loop, there were several construction tasks including replacing track and overhead, building a new substation, making platforms accessible to accommodate Flexity streetcars and modifying the siding on the west-to-east loop.[8][9][10] On April 1, 2018, streetcars returned to operate between Sunnyside Loop and Humber Loop.[11][12] Streetcar service between Humber Loop and Long Branch Loop returned on June 24, 2018.[13]

Future

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.[14]

Services

CLRV #4084 turning in the Long Branch side of Humber Loop

An enclosed waiting room is provided for passengers, as are separate facilities for operators. The main streetcar route is 501 Queen,[15] which has frequent westbound short turns here at the Humber Loop.[1] 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[16] while the 80 Queensway route from Sherway Gardens bypasses the loop going to Keele station.[17]

Currently, 501 Queen service operates in two sections with a split at Humber Loop at most times of the day. Westbound 501 streetcars from Neville Park and eastbound from Long Branch turn back at this loop, requiring customers to transfer between the two sections. However, the TTC provides transfer-free service through Humber Loop for five trips during the morning peak period and for all trips in late evening and overnight.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Vanessa Farquharson (2012-03-24). "Riding the 501: The longest streetcar route in North America". National Post. Archived from the original on 2013-02-24. Humber Loop, where every other 501 streetcar turns around.
  2. 1 2 Bow, James (25 June 2015). "The Humber Loop Interchange". Transit Toronto. Retrieved 8 January 2018. Humber Loop started to take up its modern arrangement on July 1, 1954. The final major change to the Humber Loop interchange occurred on July 20, 1957.
  3. ↑ https://losttoronto2.wordpress.com/tag/lakeshore-and-the-humberhand-painted-signs/
  4. ↑ Verity Stevenson (January 3, 2016). "Queen streetcar riders get what they've waited for: more service". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  5. ↑ Steve Munro (January 3, 2016). "501 Queen Service Design Effective January 3, 2016". Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  6. ↑ "501 Queen - Service increase". Toronto Transit Commission. January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016. The route will be temporarily split into two separate sections, operating between Long Branch Loop and Humber Loop, and between Neville Park Loop and Humber Loop.
  7. ↑ Wilson, Codi (March 1, 2017). "Buses to replace streetcars on Queen Street this summer". CablePulse 24. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  8. ↑ "TTC Service Changes Effective Sunday, January 8, 2017 (Updated)". Steve Munro: Transit & Politics. December 11, 2016.
  9. ↑ Munro, Steve (January 28, 2018). "Reconstruction of The Queensway and Humber Loop". Steve Munro. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  10. ↑ "TTC 501 Queen route converts to buses west of Roncesvalles for 2017". Toronto Transit Commission. December 16, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  11. ↑ "501 Queen - Streetcar restrictions during several construction projects - February 18 update". Toronto Transit Commission. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  12. ↑ "TTC service improvements and changes". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  13. 1 2 "TTC service improvements and changes". Toronto Transit Commission. June 24, 2018. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ Andy Byford CEO (4 October 2013). "Relocation of Humber Loop to Park Lawn Road" (PDF). letter to councillor Mark Grimes. Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  15. ↑ TTC route 501 Queen
  16. ↑ TTC route 66 Prince Edward
  17. ↑ TTC route 80 Queensway

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