The Toronto Transit Commission will restore Line 2 Bloor-Danforth subway service to pre-pandemic levels starting Oct. 12, a move aimed at accommodating growing numbers of commuters as more employees return to in-office work.
Trains will arrive approximately every two and a half minutes during the morning rush hour, with increased service throughout the day. The changes will also affect the 72 Pape, 73 Royal York and 94 Wellesley bus routes to better meet rider demand.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow announced the service increase on Oct. 9.
“Torontonians deserve better, more frequent transit, and we continue to work towards providing just that,” said Chow. “Today’s announced service increase will benefit thousands of customers who use Line 2 daily, and we look forward to continuing to deliver even better public transit for the residents of this city.”
Return-to-office driving demand
TTC CEO Mandeep S. Lali said the timing aligns with workplace trends.
“With more people returning to in-office work this fall, the TTC is ensuring that we can meet the demand by adding capacity in the right places at the right times,” said Lali. “This is the first of several service increases that we plan to implement this fall, ensuring that we can continue to get our customers to their destinations safely and efficiently.”
The service boost will add six trains during the morning rush period, with trains arriving approximately every two minutes and 20 seconds. The additional capacity will transport up to 6,000 more people during peak hours.
Route-specific changes
The 72 Pape route will have adjusted trip times in early morning and late evening periods to align better with Line 2 and 325 Don Mills service start and end times.
The 73 Royal York will add buses during late evening weekend periods. Trip times will also be adjusted in early morning and late evening to match Line 2 service hours.
Service on the 94 Wellesley will increase to every 10 minutes to provide an alternate route for riders affected by 506 Carlton diversions. Sunday service will now begin at 8 a.m.
TTC Chair Jamaal Myers said the changes focus on customer needs.
“These increases are about ensuring that TTC customers can benefit from faster, more frequent service, in both peak and off-peak periods,” said Myers. “These service increases and improvements are about getting the basics right for our customers, getting them where they need to go safely and reliably.”
