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°WCoordinates: 43°37′52″N 79°28′43″W / 43.63111°N 79.47861°W
Owned by Toronto Transit Commission
Line(s)  501   508 
Connections TTC buses

Humber Loop is a station and intermediate turning loop 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.

History

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

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 merged in 1994 to form the 501 Queen line, the longest streetcar line in North America.[1] Originally there was a pair of loops, but the unused westbound one has been abandoned and taken out of service.

The TTC has plans to eventually 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.[3]

Services

An enclosed waiting room is provided for passengers, as well as separate facilities for operators. The main streetcar route is 501 Queen,[4] which has frequent westbound short turns here at the Humber Loop.[1] Additional rushhour service is provided by 508 Lake Shore to downtown via King Street.[5]

The loop is also the terminus for TTC bus routes 66A Prince Edward from Old Mill station[6] and 80B Queensway along The Queensway from Sherway Gardens,[7] while the 80A Queensway route bypasses the loop going to Keele station.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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. ↑ 2.0 2.1 James Bow. "The Humber Loop Interchange". Transit Toronto. Retrieved July 2014. 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. ↑ Andy Byford CEO (4 October 2013). "Relocation of Humber Loop to Park Lawn Road" (PDF). letter to councillor Mark Grimes. Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved July 2014.
  4. ↑ TTC route 501 Queen
  5. ↑ TTC route 508 Lake Shore
  6. ↑ TTC route 66 Prince Edward
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 TTC route 80 Queensway

External links

Media related to Humber Loop at Wikimedia Commons