I was trying to recall when I last took the TTC anywhere. It was likely in 2011 when I took the…read moreBathurst 511 streetcar to and from the Canadian National Exhibition (The Ex). Last Thursday, I drove down to Chinatown at Spadina and Dundas. I parked my car there before meeting my friend and his sister for lunch. We planned to take the 510 Spadina streetcar southbound and then walk to Rogers Centre (I keep wanting to call it SkyDome because it has more character) for the Taylor Swift concert. We headed to the streetcar stop in front of Dragon City and waited. I grew up commuting on the TTC. I suppose that your commuter senses never die. All I saw were buses running along Spadina Avenue. This stop didn't have signs that said that streetcars weren't running. It was clear to me that they weren't. A lack of proper communication irks me. How about a sign that says to board the bus on the northwest corner?! We all walked across Dundas Street West and waited for the bus, which ran frequently. My friend's sister asked me a question about transit. I used to take Cantonese classes on Saturdays, so this area still feels the same. I let her know that this route used to be the Spadina 77 bus. It's kind of funny that I didn't have a chance to ride the streetcar along this route. I felt like nothing had changed, other than the bus number. My guess is that the 510 Spadina notation aligns with the 5xx series for streetcars. With streetcars being temporarily out of service along this route, buses are keeping the same notation. During my brief time commuting along this bus route, it had two buses numbers: 510 C and D. We were on the 510 D bus. Don't ask me what the difference is between the two. I was happy that this bus got us near Rogers Centre. After the concert, my friends took the train home. I walked over to Spadina. Three buses were waiting there. I took one back up to Chinatown. What hasn't changed is a TTC conductor missing a requested stop. A woman requested a stop at Dundas. I heard the ding. The conductor did not. He flew past the stop. The woman was rightfully upset. He called out Sullivan, the next stop. He flew past that stop, too. Dundas was the next stop, which was mine. Since the requested stop was still on, I couldn't request it. Luckily, Dundas had a red light. The bus stopped. I exited from the front. I felt bad for the woman who had to walk down a major street now. I hope that streetcars return to this route. I'd like to ride it and see what it's like. I was pleased that the buses got me to where I needed to be, but I want to ride a streetcar for the first time on Spadina. (456)

Who writes reviews about streetcars? I write reviews about streetcars!…read more After moving to Toronto from Montreal, I had to get used to the idea of streetcars, which haven't been a thing in Montreal for some 40 years or more. The 510 Spadina streetcar was my first exposure to the new Bombardier Flexity Outlook cars, based on the models used in some European cities. And I have to say, I like them a lot more than the older Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) units. Having multiple entrances and exits, all with PRESTO card readers, and more comfortable acceleration and braking definitely helped me avoid the motion sickness that I usually get on the older model cars. It took way too long, but Bombardier finally delivered the last of the 204 vehicles on January 24, 2020, just two short weeks ago. Aside from all this talk about the models of streetcars, one of the best things about this line is how it's configured with two dedicated protected lanes in the middle of Spadina, so aside from at intersections, the streetcars don't have to deal with interference from other road vehicles. If only they could do this for all the other lines... Keep an eye out for the various art installations atop the poles on either side of the streetcar tracks as you go down the Spadina line, and enjoy the ride!

The subway is wheelchair accessible and the shares the same entrance to TTC office, on south west…read moreof Davisville-Yonge intersection. You can use both stairs and escalators to get down to the platform, and only stairs (or elevator) to access the street. This station is above the ground (and has good wifi reception lol)

Davisville station is located at the south west corner of Yonge and Chaplin Cresent opposite…read moreDavisville Avenue between Eglinton and St. Clair stations on the Yonge-University Line (Line1). Whenever I happened to go to this station it seems strange that they decided to go al fresco with this open roof design. There aren't that many stations that aren't either covered or underground so it's almost strange to see that this station is as it is. The thing about Davisville is it's the closest station to the TTC HQ as well. You'd think they'd make it less humble than it is but no frills I suppose. There's 4 bus routes that are transferable or connect to Davisville and they're: 14 - Glencairn 11 - Bayview 28 - Bayview South 97 - Yonge The 14 runs west from Davisville along Chaplin to Bathurst and heads west along Glencairn crossing the other side of Line 1 at Glencairn station continuing west past Marlee and Dufferin and turns south on Lansdown and west along Tycos before turning north on Caledonia and running back east along Glencairn back towards Davisville. The 11 runs east on Davisville to Bayview and turns north and does a turn near Sunnybrook hospital and continues north through the Bridal Path area and crosses the Sheppard Line at Bayview station and continues north past Finch to Steeles before turning around. The 28 runs east on Davisville and south on Bayview on the east side of Mt Pleasant cemetery through Leaside and south along the windy part of Bayview by the Don Valley and towards the Evergreen Brick Works at the east side of Rosedale. The 97A follows Yonge to York Mills from Davisville. The 97B follows the same route as A but also goes as far south as Queens Quay and the 97C goes as north as Steeles.

Pure chaos last night though this might be more to blame TTC for. Was heading on a Northbound train…read morefrom St. Andrews to Finch, but due to maintenance had re-routed from Union back Southbound and had to get off at St. George to then switch to another Bloor-Yongye line. Upon getting to St. George, the station was filled with people scrambling all around in different directions 3x more than usual, overheard a lot of the red-vested TTC help attendants getting pretty overwhelmed and tired of the same questions from commuters wondering when the next train would come and how the medical emergency that stopped the first train would be resolved. I think there's real opportunity to consider more service design into transportation in Toronto. This would ultimately prevent situations like these from happening. (Ie. More signs and clearer messaging to inform riders on statuses, map improvements, ACCESSIBILITY, etc.)

How do I review this station without letting my disdain for the TTC get in the way? Hmmm…read more.. How about I just tell you about the station? In case you don't know St. George (I like to call him San Jorge) is the patron saint of jolly old England lad (and lasses). Did you know if the other two saint stations not named St. Clair are also patron saints of Ireland and Scotland? That's right Saint Patrick (aka San Patrizio) and Saint Andrew (San Andreas). Now stay with me because this will make your mind explode if you haven't already fallen asleep... If you were to combine the flags of St. George (red cross over white), St. Andrew (white cross over blue) and St Patrick (red X over white) you get the Union Jack flag aka the flag of the United Kingdom? OK enough of the history BS. I made that all up... actually no I didn't I'm just making sure you haven't lost interest just yet while I play this shell game of writing things completely irrelevant to St. George. So this station is special in a sense that it is one of the main interchange stations in all of the TTC system. In rankings of importance it's right up there and probably 3rd just behind Union (first) and Bloor/Yonge (second) in my personal ranking system of things. I like ranking things don't ask me why but ya I consider this station 3rd. This station is physically on the north side of Bloor Street between Prince Arthur and Bloor directly behind the OISE building of U of T (252 Bloor W). There are 2 entrances/exits while one faces St. George itself and the other is at Bedford. This station is on 3 levels. Ground level is where you enter/exit, buy tokens and such. The next level down is the 1 line (yellow line) which runs on the Spadina/University side (Downsview endpoint) and the Yonge side (Finch endpoint). This line runs right through the core of downtown from Bloor south through Queens Park and down University Ave to Union station before turning back up Yonge Street going all the way up to Finch Ave. This line is basically known as the "north-south" line and has recently been given the designation as "1" in the TTC's elaborate naming system. The next level down is the level for access to the Bloor Danforth line also known as "2" or if you are into colors it can also be called the green line. This is essentially your east west line that runs from Kipling to Kennedy. Really though nobody here calls any of these lines here by colors. This isn't Boston and the numbers thing is new but this isn't New York either. We don't have enough lines to be getting into letters either. Let's just say "3" should be part of "2" and "4" shouldn't even exist. San Jorge station is an important station because as far as interchange stations goes this is one of them and it can get very busy here.

This is an open-air station (platform and bus stop) which means it can be hot or cold. At least…read morethere is a covering over the platform for rain. There is a single staffed entrance at the north end. There are 2 sets of stairs down to the subway platforms. This station is not accessible. You can watch the subway trains from an "indoor" walkway across the rails. On the ground level, there is a large loop for passenger pickup and drop off. But this is also the path for the Yonge bus line. There is no free WiFi and no customer washrooms.

One Exit One Entrance...One will never get lost…read more.. Right across from the Ramsden Park..always quiet and never busy. And of course not being underground, I always able to get a signal for my cellphone... No special designated drop off or pick up area...just tell your friends or your ride to pick you up at Black Camel across or the street!!

Getting from the arrival area at the airport to the express train is a long and winding walk. But…read moreit is well signed, and once we got there, staffed with friendly people to help the clueless. Pay for the ticket at the kiosk just before the platform to save a few dollars. You can use your credit card to pay, swipe to get in, and then swipe to get out once you exit the train. Union Station is the last stop, and from there you can easily connect to the subway. Once you know how to do it, this is probably the least stressful and most economic way to reach the city. And the most environmentally friendly too!

Very convenient service but needs an extension of hours! I know it may be wishful thinking but 24/7…read moreservice would be amazing. Or at least starting around 4am, as there are many early flights. Coming in late also might limit folks, as they plan to take the UP and come in later than expected. However, fast and efficient!

The LRT opened! There is s tunnel to the Yonge Eglinton Centre again. This is a hub. Check it outread more

This is a busy transit hub as it's located on Yonge Line 1 Subway and will be connected with…read moreEglinton LRT. There has been ongoing construction in the area for over a decade, but now it's very easier to navigate inside the station and in/our of the station. The station is wheelchair accessible and has elevators and ramps, making it easy for everyone to access the platforms. There are designated waiting areas and accessible washroom. The station is conveniently it's connected to shops, restaurants, food court and grocery stores. The TTC staff are on-site, available to answer commuters questions.

I was recently in the area to pick up food at Rudy. I parked on the street north of Danforth…read moreAvenue, parallel to it. I walked up Linnsmore Crescent and saw Greenwood subway station. Normally along the Bloor-Danforth subway line (it's called line 2 these days, but the former is far more meaningful), a subway station is on or steps away from the street after which it is named. Greenwood is an exception. Greenwood Avenue is a good block west of Linnsmore. I spent a couple of summers in this area. In grade 7, I broke away from taking Cantonese in the summertime to focus on fun activities, such as calligraphy and badminton. My mom felt that I was revolting. My reasoning was that I was taking Cantonese on Saturdays throughout the regular school year, so why not try something different? I won. Yay! Anyway, calligraphy and badminton were offered at Lakeview Secondary School, which was roughly south of Greenwood station. The school became Catholic a few years later, as I recently drove over to check it out. Greenwood station had one bus coming in and out of that station: Greenwood 31. I had the option of taking that bus down to Queen Street East, and then hopping on the 501 streetcar to get home. The problem was that this bus didn't come as often as the Coxwell 22 bus. Instead, I walked along Monarch Park to Coxwell and took that bus to get down to Queen Street East. It now has two routes coming in and out of the station: Greenwood 31A and 31B. The former goes down to Queen. The latter goes further south to Eastern. Buses run every 20 minutes on weekends. They seem to run every 13 minutes during weekdays, which is significantly better than when I needed it. Figures! Sadly, this station does not have an elevator to support accessibility. It does have escalators. Coxwell, the station to the east of Greenwood, is your best best for accessibility needs. The station looked pretty quiet when I was briefly passing by. I saw one person come out of the station. It looked nicely kept and clean from the outside. (35)

This is a pretty small subway station as stations go in Toronto. Therefore the bad TTC service is…read moreeven more poor here. I've had to catch a cab from the station a few times to get to a friend's house because the buses come so infrequently. The sad thing is, it's still more reliable to get down to Leslieville from here than trying to catch a streetcar from Yonge street.

Osgoode Subway Station is right at Queen and University, making it super handy for getting to…read moreplaces like City Hall, the Four Seasons Centre, and the Entertainment District. The station is clean and easy to navigate, with clear signs. Line 1 trains run often, and it's a reliable stop for commuters and visitors (as reliable as TTC can get).

We were staying at the Hilton Toronto on Richmond & University and this was our "go-to" subway…read morestation to get around the city. Easy access and they have kiosks where you can purchase fairs or reload the Presto transportation card. Trains rain during the day roughly every 5 mins. Really appreciated the Wi-Fi and the escalators from level 3 to 2 especially after all day walking and exploring Toronto. Recommend the PRESTO card! Load money and swipe and go. Reload as needed. Good for subway, streetcars, and UP Express. Found it a perfect option while on vacation and exploring the city. Need help with routes and times, we used www.ttc.ca/trip-planner and found it extremely helpful. Osgoode Subway entrances are at: Southeast - University & Queen West Entrance, Southeast corner (Four Seasons Centre) Southwest - University & Queen West Entrances, Southwest corner Northwest - University & Queen West Entrance, Northwest corner Northeast - University & Queen West Entrance, Northeast corner