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501 Queen (301 Queen during overnight periods) is an east–west Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It stretches from Neville Park Loop (just west of Victoria Park Avenue) in the east, running along Queen Street and in a reserved right-of-way within the median of the Queensway to Humber Loop in the west. In the late evenings, the 501 Queen route is extended west from Humber Loop, running on Lake Shore Boulevard to Long Branch Loop (just west of Browns Line, adjacent to Long Branch GO Station), replacing route 507 Long Branch. This route operates as part of the TTC's Blue Night Network service, operating in the early morning hours as the 301 Queen.

History

1875–1999

In 1875, the Kingston Road Tramway operated a horsecar service along what would become today's Queen Street East. This line was abandoned in the mid 1880s, at about which time the Toronto Street Railway extended its King horsecar line onto Queen Street East to Lee Avenue in the Beaches district. In 1893, the Toronto Railway Company electrified the line. In 1921, the TTC took over streetcar service. The route number 501 began being displayed on streetcars' destination signs on February 4, 1980, when the Queen route was still operated entirely by PCC streetcars.

On March 26, 1995, the 507 Long Branch route was replaced by a westward extension of the 501 Queen route, In 2012, a National Post article made a similar claim. In late 2023, a reinstated 507 route would be carved out of the 501 route, reducing the length of the latter except in late evening. The result was that streetcar service was temporarily replaced by buses from Parliament Street to Long Branch Loop, with a diversion along King and Bathurst Streets to Wolseley Loop. Streetcar service was restored along Queen Street between Parliament and Bathurst Streets on February 13, 2022, to Dufferin Street on September 4, 2022, to Roncesvalles Avenue (Sunnyside Loop) on January 25, 2023 and to Humber Loop on October 29, 2023. Route 501 service to Long Branch Loop was scheduled to resume on November 19, 2023.

thumb|501 Queen on a long-term diversion eastbound at York & Adelaide Streets

On May 1, 2023, an estimated 4.5-year closure of Queen Street between Victoria and Bay Streets began to allow construction of the Ontario Line at Queen station. Initially, the TTC diverted 501 streetcars via McCaul Street, Dundas Street and Broadview Avenue. On September 3, 2023, the TTC split Queen streetcar service into eastern and western segments; 501A streetcars would run between Sunnyside Loop and McCaul Loop, and the diverted 505 Dundas streetcar route would be extended from Broadview Avenue to Neville Park Loop. On October 8, 2023, the TTC replaced the eastern segment of the split route with the 501D streetcar which would run east on Queen Street from Neville Park Loop, south on Church Street looping via Church, Wellington and York Streets, returning via King Street to Church Street. The TTC was planning to rejoin the two segments of the line using a new diversion between Church and York Streets, via Richmond Street westbound and Adelaide Street eastbound. However, on that date, the TTC decided to provide a temporary diversion in both directions via Spadina Avenue, King Street and Church Street. On November 10, 2024, the TTC started operating the planned diversion route via Richmond and Adelaide Streets, with eastbound streetcars using new track on York and Adelaide Streets.

Effective November 19, 2023, the TTC reinstated route 507 Long Branch to run between Humber and Long Branch Loops, replacing the 501 Queen along Lake Shore Boulevard but only until late evening.

On March 31, 2024, 301 Queen night streetcar service resumed, ending replacement bus service between Long Branch and Neville Park Loops. However, due to Ontario Line construction, 301 streetcars had to divert via Spadina Avenue, King Street and Church Street.

Rolling stock

thumb|right|ALRVs once provided base service on 501 Queen (photo at Maclean Avenue)

Route 501 Queen was once served mainly by Articulated Light Rail Vehicles (ALRVs) and occasionally supplemented with some of the shorter Canadian Light Rail Vehicles (CLRVs). and moved to full-time on January 6, 2019. The TTC had to address rush-hour crowding due to the accelerated retirement of the ALRV fleet, the last of which made their final voyages on September 2, 2019.

By June 23, 2019, the main portion of the route (along Queen Street and the Queensway between Humber Loop and Neville Park Loop) was the first to be fully served by Flexity Outlook streetcars; the southwest portion of the route (along Lake Shore Boulevard between Humber and Long Branch Loop) followed suit on September 1, 2019.

Route splitting

2009 split

By 2007, critics of the TTC's management of this line argue that small delays at one end ripple into 30-40 minute waits at the other. Like route 504, there is much demand at either end of the route, and along the downtown middle stretch. Transit proponents such as Steve Munro have long claimed that Route 501 would be better off if it were split into two or three overlapping segments.

Route

From Neville Park Loop, the route proceeds westward in mixed traffic on Queen Street East. At Kingston Road, passengers can transfer to the 503 Kingston Rd streetcars. Further west, Broadview Avenue provides a transfer point to the 504 King streetcars to go along King Street.

507 Long Branch<span id="Former Route 507"></span><span id="507 Long Branch"></span>

Route 507 Long Branch is a streetcar route running along Lake Shore Boulevard West between Humber Loop and Long Branch Loop. It was created on October 28, 1935, merged into an extended 501 Queen on March 26, 1995

See also

  • used by 501 Queen

References

  • Route 501 - The Queen Streetcar (Transit Toronto)
  • Photo tour of 501 Queen (Transit Toronto)