Buses replace 501 Queen streetcars until September

Starting Sunday, streetcars on the 501 Queen routeare beingreplaced by buses due to summer construction and road workprojects.

The TTC says the change is to avoid a series of diversions that would be caused in part by city work at Coxwell Ave., work between Bathurst St. and Spadina Ave., major road and track work west of Roncesvalles Ave., and the installation of a new pedestrian bridge at the Eaton Centre.

Streetcars are expected to return to the route on Sept. 3.

• Buses that will replace Queen streetcar for summer dubbed 'the better option'
• 501 Queen streetcar off the tracks for entire summer, TTC says

To ensure the same number of passengers will be accommodated, the TTC says it will use up to 65 buses on the route during rush hour.

"This need to take streetcars off and replace with buses is really about making the journey a seamless one for our customers," TTC spokesperson Brad Ross told CBC Toronto.

Ross says allof the buses, unlike the streetcars, will have air conditioning and will be accessible, too.

While buses will run on the 501 route, other routes, including 511 Bathurst, 504 King and 503 Kingston Road, will see streetcars either increase or entirely return to the tracks at the same time.

The return of streetcars to the 501 Queen route in September will not mean the end of construction and road work projects affecting riders. Diversions are expected to occur on the route from Sept. 3 to Nov. 25 due to track reconstruction.

The 501 Queen route isone of the longest streetcar routes in North America and the city's third busiest, with more than 43,000 passengers daily. It's only been closed once before, for five weeks in 2002.