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Service to the CNE affects these routes:

GO Transit — 01 Lakeshore West, 09 Lakeshore East, 12 Niagara Falls, 21 Milton, 31 Georgetown, 61 Richmond Hill, 65 Barrie.

TTC — 29 Dufferin, 193 Exhibition Rocket, 310 Bathurst overnight, 316 Ossington overnight, 329 Dufferin overnight, 509 Harbourfront, 511 Bathurst.

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GO Transit

65 Barrie

GO already operates summer weekend trains to and from Union Station along the Barrie line: two make all stops to and from Allandale Waterfront GO Station, while four make all stops to and from East Gwillimbury GO.

Passengers riding most regular weekend Barrie trains must change trains at Union Station to reach Exhibition GO. Hourly westbound Lakeshore trains leave Union at 43 minutes passed the hour. GO is also operating an extra westbound train from Saturday, September 1 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3. The train leaves Union at 12:10 p.m., arriving in Exhibition GO Station at 12:16 p.m.

Every weekend, hourly eastbound Lakeshore trains leave Exhibition GO for Union Station on the hour. From Saturday, September 1 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3, GO is also operating extra trips from Exhibition GO at 11:30 a.m. and 6:33 p.m. to Union Station. Barrie passengers must change trains at Union Station to board a regular Barrie train.

You can view the special CNE schedule for the line here. (.pdf)

31 Kitchener

From Saturday, September 1 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3, GO operates two extra trains along the line.

A special eastbound train leaves Georgetown GO Station at 10:22 a.m. The train stops at all stations along the line to Union Station, then continues to Exhibition GO Station, arriving at 11:36 a.m.

A special westbound train leaves Exhibition at 6:44 p.m., heads to Union, then stops at all stations along the line until Georgetown GO Station. It arrives in Georgetown at 8:01 p.m.

You can view the special CNE schedule for the line here. (.pdf)

09 Lakeshore East
01 Lakeshore West

From Friday, August 17 until Friday, August 31, GO increases service on both lines, with more trains stopping at the Exhibition Station. (GO interlines the trains on both routes.)

Most eastbound GO trains stop at Exhibition GO Station at most times of the week, except during Monday-to-Friday morning rush hours. Most westbound trains stop at Exhibition at most times of the week, except during Monday-to-Friday afternoon rush hours. Even more trains stop at Exhibition GO station while the CNE is going on, with some trains that usually bypass Exhibition stopping there during the CNE.

Mondays to Fridays during the “Ex”, the eastbound trains leaving Aldershot GO Station at 6:03 a.m. and 8:38 a.m. stop at Exhibition GO Station at 6:56 and 9:22 a.m.

The eastbound trains that usually start their trips in Union Station at 3:45, 4:25 and 5:06 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, instead start at Exhibition GO Station at 3:25, 3:51 and 4:35 p.m. during the “Ex”. All trains arrive in Pickering GO Station at 4:26, 4:51 and 5:46 p.m. The first two trains continue to Oshawa GO Station, arriving at 4:46 and 5:12 p.m.

Mondays to Fridays during the “Ex”, the westbound trains that leave Oshawa Station at 5:47 and 8:25 a.m., Pickering GO Station at 8:38, Oshawa at 9:08 a.m. and Union Station at 4:13 p.m. stop in Exhibition Station at 6:59, 9:26, 9:48 and 10:17 a.m. and 4:19 p.m.

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, all trains stop at Exhibition GO Station.

GO also operates extra trains over the long holiday weekend, from Saturday, September 1 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3.

Extra eastbound trains leave Aldershot GO Station at 10:34 and 11:34 a.m. They serve all stations along the line, arriving in Exhibition GO Station at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. They continue to Union Station, ending their trips at 11:40 a.m. and 12:40 p.m.

Two more extra eastbound trains leave Exhibition at 5:33 and 6:33 p.m. They arrive in Union Station at 5:43 and 6:43 p.m. They continue along the line, serving all stops until Oshawa, ending their trips at 6:38 and 7:38 p.m.

Extra westbound trains over the holiday weekend leave Oshawa GO Station at 10:11 and 11:11 a.m. They arrive in Union Station at 11:10 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. They end their trips in Exhibition GO Station, arriving at 11:20 a.m. and 12:20 p.m.

Two more extra westbound trains leave Union Station at 5:13 and 6:13 p.m. They leave Exhibition at 5:19 and 6:19 p.m. They serve all stations along the line, arriving in Aldershot at 6:18 and 7:18 p.m.

You can view the special CNE schedule for the lines here. (.pdf)

21 Milton

From Saturday, September 1 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3, GO operates two extra trains along the line.

A special eastbound Milton train leaves Milton GO Station at 9:53 a.m., serves all stations until Exhibition GO Station, arriving at 11:01 a.m.

A special westbound train leaves Union Station at 6:30 p.m., serving all stations until Milton GO Station, arriving at 7:28 p.m. You can also ride an eastbound train from Exhibition to Union at 6 p.m., requiring passengers to change trains at Union Station. Please check the departures board for platform information.

You can view the special CNE schedule for the line here. (.pdf)

12 Niagara Falls

All trains operating along the line between Union Station and the Niagara Falls VIA Rail Station stop at Exhibition Station Friday evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

You can view the regular schedule for the line here.

61 Richmond Hill

From Saturday, September 1 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3, GO operates two extra trains along the line.

A special southbound train leaves Richmond Hill GO Station at 9:39 a.m. The trains stops at all stations along the line until Union Station, then continues westward to Exhibition GO Station, arriving at 10:31 a.m.

A special *westbound train leaves Exhibition at 6:19 p.m., heads to Union, then stops at all stations along the line. It arrives in Richmond Hill GO Station at 7:13 p.m.

You can view the special CNE schedule for the line here. (.pdf)

71 Stouffville

Due to ongoing construction at a bridge west of Centennial GO Station every weekend, GO won’t be operating any extra trains along the line.

TTC

511 Bathurst

From Friday, August 17 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3, the TTC increases the frequency of service, with streetcars operating every few minutes to and from Bathurst Station. It usually assigns extra staff and sets up crash gates at the Exhibition (East) Loop to handle crowds during busy hours at the CNE. Passengers pay their fares when they enter the loop and can board streetcars through all doors.

310 Bathurst overnight

Buses operate with regular service along their regular route.

29 Dufferin

From Friday, August 17 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3, all buses operating along the 29 Dufferin route end their trips at the Dufferin Gate Loop. The TTC is canceling service along the 29B and 29D branches into Exhibition Place to serve the Princes’ Gates and Ontario Place.

It’s also increasing the frequency of service along the route, with buses operating every few minutes to and from Wilson and Dufferin Stations. It usually assigns extra staff and sets up crash gates at Dufferin Gate Loop to handle crowds during busy hours at the CNE. Passengers pay their fares when they enter the loop and can board buses through both doors.

329 Dufferin overnight

Overnight from early Friday, August 17 until early Tuesday, September 4, southbound buses operate along their regular route to Dufferin Street and Springhurst Avenue, then proceed:

Southbound buses operate along their regular route to Dufferin (Gate) Loop, then proceed:

northward along Dufferin Street;
eastward along Liberty Street;
southward along Strachan Avenue; and then
westward along Manitoba Drive and the loop access road into Exhibition (East) Loop,
ending their trips.

Southbound buses skip their regular stops

• on Saskatchewan Road east of Dufferin Street,
• on Manitoba Drive east of Saskatchewan Road, at Nova Scotia Avenue and opposite Exhibition (East) Loop.

(The buses end their trips inside the loop, instead of on Manitoba Drive beside the loop.)

Northbound buses start their trips at the Exhibition (East) Loop, then proceed:

eastward along the loop access road and Manitoba Drive;
northward along Strachan Avenue;
westward along Liberty Street;
southward along Dufferin Street;
westward along Springhurst Avenue;
southward along Fort Rouille Street; and then
eastward into Dufferin Loop; and then
resuming their regular route northward along Dufferin.

Northbound buses skip their regular stops:

• on Manitoba Drive at Exhibition (East) Loop and west of Nova Scotia Avenue,
• on Saskatchewan Road west of Manitoba Drive and at Dufferin Street.

193 Exhibition rocket

From Friday, August 17 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3, southbound buses proceed from Dundas West Station without stopping:

south- and eastward along Dundas Street West;
eastward along College Street (due to construction on Dundas Street West);
southward along Dufferin Street;
westward along Springhurst Avenue; and then
southward along Fort Rouille Street into Dufferin Gate Loop.

Northbound buses proceed from Dufferin Gate Loop without stopping:

northward along Dufferin Street;
eastward along Queen Street West;
northward along Gladstone Avenue;
eastward along Peel Avenue;
northward along Dufferin; and then
west- and northward along Dundas Street West to Dundas West Station.

Buses operate every 10 minutes seven days a week from about 9 a.m. until 1 a.m.

The TTC usually assigns extra staff and sets up crash gates at Dufferin Gate Loop to handle crowds during busy hours at the CNE. Passengers pay their fares when they enter the loop and can board buses through both doors.

509 Harbourfront

From Friday, August 17 until Labour Day, Monday, September 3, the TTC increases the frequency of service, with buses operating every few minutes. You can board the buses on the east side of Bay Street, just south of Front Street West, beside Union Station.

The TTC usually assigns extra staff and sets up crash gates at Exhibition (East) Loop to handle crowds during busy hours at the CNE. Passengers pay their fares when they enter the loop and can board streetcars by both doors.

316 Ossington overnight

Overnight from early Friday, August 17 until early Tuesday, September 4, southbound buses operate along their regular route to Strachan Avenue and Manitoba Drive / Fleet Street, then detour:

westward along Manitoba and the loop access road into Exhibition (East) Loop,
ending their trips.

(The buses end their trips inside the loop, instead of on Manitoba Drive beside the loop.)

Northbound buses reverse the detour routing.

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Since those first passengers in 1881, Toronto’s public transit vehicles — horse cars, streetcars, buses and trains — have been carrying passengers to and from the Canadian National Exhibition — and the various fairs that preceded it. From 1883 until 1885, Toronto’s and Canada’s first electric-powered streetcar carried passengers through the exhibition grounds from the end of the horse car line at Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street — then the main entrance to the fair — to the area of the current Dufferin Gate. The city as a whole had to wait until August 16, 1892 before an electric streetcar entered regular service along city streets.

All four of Toronto’s public transit agencies — the Toronto Street Railway, the Toronto Railway Company, the Toronto Transportation Commission and the Toronto Transit Commission — have traditionally dedicated extra human and equipment resources in making sure that everyone gets happily, safely and efficiently to and from the great fairs. And, Canada’s railways and interurban bus companies have also played their parts in the history of the Exhibition, especially the TTC’s former interurban subsidiary company, Gray Coach Lines, the forerunner of today’s GO Transit.

Starting in the 1930s, Gray Coach operated buses directly to a terminal on the Exhibition grounds — immediately west of the Automotive Building (today’s Allstream Centre) — from various cities and towns in Southern Ontario, including Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Galt (Cambridge), Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Oshawa, Preston (Cambridge) and St. Catharines. For those who lived in other towns, GCL operated special flag buses from the downtown bus terminal on Bay Street to the CNE. (They were “flag” buses, because you could wave at, or “flag”, the driver to stop and pick you up.) Your Gray Coach ticket from elsewhere in Ontario let you ride the flag bus from the downtown terminal for free. The downtown flag buses also served major downtown hotels, including the Royal York and the King Edward.

In the 1960s and 70s, the TTC also got into the flag bus business, operating express buses from suburban points to the same Exhibition bus terminal near the Automotive Building that you could also flag down. In 1961, buses operated from Yonge Street and Finch Avenue, Jane Street and Wilson Avenue, Royal York Road and Anglesey Boulevard, Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East and Eglinton Avenue East and Pharmacy Avenue. In 1982, the last year of this service, the buses still operated from Jane and Wilson and Eglinton and Pharmacy, but also ran from Yonge and Steeles Avenue, Bloor Street West and the East Mall, Islington Avenue and Elmhurst Drive and Ellesmere and McCowan Roads.

The Transit Toronto archives contain several informative articles by James Bow describing the history of transit services to the Canadian National Exhibition.

You can read about:

• the history of streetcars to the Exhibition here.
• the history of the present 511 Bathurst and the former Fort streetcar routes here.
• the history of the 509 Harbourfront streetcar route here.
• the history of Exhibition East and Fleet loops here.
• the “last stand” of the 521 King - Exhibition streetcar route (and, in passing, the history of the 522 Dundas - Exhibition car route, too) here.

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Transit agencies interline one or more routes sharing a common terminal refers to reduce costs by sharing resources — drivers and vehicles — for two or more routes with a common terminal. In this case, a westbound train operating along the 09 Lakeshore East line arrives at Union Station, then continues westward along the 01 Lakeshore West line. Similarly, an eastbound train operating along the 01 Lakeshore West line arrives at Union Station, then continues eastward along the 09 Lakeshore East line.