Toronto’s transit systems will be put into a test this weekend, as hundreds of thousands are expected to descend on the city for several events, including the concert of the K-pop group BTS and the opening of the Canadian National Exhibition.
The TTC has introduced a CNE express shuttle bus service from Dufferin Station to Exhibition Place as well as increased services on the 29 and 929 Dufferin buses, and the 509 and 511 streetcars.
The TTC says staff will be available at key locations and subway stations to assist customers.
The transit agency is also adding subway trains on Line 1 on Saturday and Sunday for fans going to the BTS concerts at Rogers Stadium.
The TTC reminded fans that they can get off at either Downsview Park, Sheppard West, or Wilson stations, as all three are within walking distance of the venue. Staff are also available to assist concertgoers.
There will also be extra buses on the 84 and 984 Sheppard West routes, and the TTC says the 101 Downsview Park bus will be extended to Sheppard West station from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Concertgoers with accessibility needs can take a dedicated shuttle service at Wilson Station.
Fans can use their concert tickets to access the TTC for free.
In addition to BTS, English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is also playing at the Rogers Centre downtown from Thursday to Saturday for his “Loop Tour.”
There are also several festivals in the city, including SankofaFest, the Mabuhay Festival, the Yorkville Murals Festival and the Toronto Korean Festival.
TTC CEO Mandeep Lali was asked about the busy weekend in Toronto during an unrelated news conference on Thursday.
“I’ve highlighted this many times before, when you’re having these events, I think we sometimes lose track of the fact that we are a world-class city. We do these events on such a daily occurrence that we’re kind of building our resilience, we’re building our tacit knowledge, and we’re building the reliability and customer experience within that to deliver these,” Lali said.
He noted that the learnings the TTC got from the World Cup are being applied on other big events in Toronto, including the CNE.
“We’ll have our customer service agents on board so we’ll deal with any issues that should occur in a rapid response time, so it doesn’t impact one service,” Lali said.
“We’re not starting from zero. We’re starting from a very strong position.”
Meanwhile, GO Transit says it is also adjusting service on its Lakeshore West and East lines from Aug. 21 to Sept. 7 to help riders get to the CNE.
Exhibition GO Station is located at the CNE grounds.
No service on Line 2 Sunday
There will be no subway trains running between St. George and Chester stations on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, due to a beam replacement on the Prince Edward Viaduct.
Shuttle buses will operate, stopping at each station. The TTC says Bay and Sherboune stations will be closed while the others will remain open for customers looking to load their or purchase PRESTO.
“While the TTC does most subway maintenance after service each night, it continues to require weekend and early weeknight closures to complete critical infrastructure and state-of-good-repair work,” the transit agency said.
‘Experiential travel’
Kelly Jackson, the vice-president of Destination Toronto, encouraged fans going to concerts to explore the city while they are here.
For BTS fans, Jackson said they could go to the Toronto Korean Festival, which celebrates the Korean culture. As for those going to see Ed Sheeran, she said fans have many places to visit downtown, including the new Biidaasige Park and Toronto Islands.
Jackson noted that “experiential travel” has become a major trend and the city is well-positioned to benefit from it.
“That’s the idea that somebody picks an opportunity to go to a concert to see a World Cup match, or maybe come and see the Blue Jays play, and they base a whole trip around that, and they really build out staying in a destination for a number of days,” Jackson said.
“So for Toronto that means coming and spending multiple days here in different neighbourhoods, trying different restaurants, shopping in local shops, and it’s all of those things combined that really make it such a strong economic impact.”
