Downtown Seen July 2016: Launch of TTC’s 514 Cherry

Eric Morse –

On a lovely sunny June 18 morning, a plethora of Federal, Provincial and City politicos (Mayor John Tory, MP Julie Dabrusin, MPPs Peter Milczyn and Han Dong, TTC Chair Josh Colle and Waterfront Toronto development officer Meg Davis), and five historic streetcars (the 1923 Peter Witt wooden classic #2766, the 1951 classic PCC Red Rocket #4500, one current CLRV, one Articulated LRV, and brand-new low-floor Bombardier car #4421) kicked off the new 514 Cherry streetcar route. The route is designed to relieve overloading on the King route between Liberty Village (Dufferin Loop and the Distillery, with its eastern terminus at the new Distillery Loop which is eventually to be extended down to the length of Cherry into the Port Lands (can the nickname ‘the Cherry Beach Express’ be far behind?).

The new route, which for now will feature one of the new cars plus several CLRVs, is supplemented by changes to the bus routes in the Esplanade – Distillery districts, with a new bus route (121 Esplanade) coming into service. The 121 route will service Cherry Beach during the summer, while the 172 route is eliminated and the 72B will run from Pape to Union via Queen’s Quay East.

Enjoying the combined maiden voyage, free excursion and media scrum on the new Bombardier car (some people were holding out for the Peter Witt, but to no avail), Distillery residents Dan Philips, Dorothy Whitney and Victor Smith said that the new service was very welcome, overdue, and suggested that a future improvement might be to extend the route eastward to Broadview Station, allowing a direct eastward connection.

For information on the new routes, visit https://www.ttc.ca/Service_Advisories/Service_changes/jun514.jsp

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