Transit Toronto

The Government of Ontario today appointed Bruce McCuaig as the new president and chief executive officer of Metrolinx.

McCuaig is replacing the current president and CEO, Rob Prichard, who will become the chair of the Metrolinx board of directors.

McCuaig is Ontario’s deputy minister of transportation. According to a government media release, “through his 26 years of public service, Mr. McCuaig has gained experience in a variety of transportation and land use issues, involving partnerships across all levels of government and other organizations”.

The current chair of the board of directors, Rob MacIsaac is leaving Metrolinx to focus on his role as president of Mohawk College in Hamilton. MacIsaac was formerly the mayor of Burlington.

GO Transit and PRESTO aren’t the only local transit agencies cleverly using video to market their services.

Look how the City of Brampton and Brampton Transit are promoting the upcoming Züm bus rapid transit project.

Buses start operating along the first phase of Züm this fall.

Metrolinx has signed a $54 million contract with Lovat Inc. to buy four tunnel-boring machines for the Eglinton Crosstown light rail Transit City project.

Workers start tunneling under Eglinton Avenue next spring. The 31-kilometre-long (19-mile-long) Eglinton Crosstown project includes an 11-kilometre (7-mile) underground tunnel in the centre section.

Lovat employs about 380 people at its Toronto manufacturing plant and is also supplying the boring machines for the project to extend the TTC’s 1 Yonge - University - Spadina subway to York University and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.

A construction project at Vaughan Mills (mall) means that York Region Transit must detour buses operating along the 85 / 85A / 85B Rutherford / 16th Avenue route for about two weeks, starting Monday, July 26.

This week, the Town of Richmond Hill is closing

• Sunset Beach Road between Betheseda Road and Bayview Park Lane

probably to work on the project to build the new Oak Ridges Community Centre and Park.

York Region Transit is detouring buses operating along the 84C Oak Ridges clockwise route while the road is closed.

At a PRESTO agency, you can

• buy a PRESTO card,
• “load” value onto your card,
• check your balance and
• make various other transactions.

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, July 28 at Milton GO Station, you can use your PRESTO card to pay for fares on all GO Transit trains serving the station.

You can’t use the PRESTO card to pay your fare on Milton Transit buses.

Read Transit Toronto’s June 4 post for more information about using PRESTO cards on GO trains.

Updated — July 29, 9:09 a.m.: Thanks to Andrew Farmer for letting us know about an error in this post, which we’ve now corrected.

For about two weeks, starting this Friday, the City of Toronto is closing:

• Parliament Street, between Shuter Street and Queen Street East and
• Queen Street East, between Power and Parliament Streets,

as part of a major City / TTC project to rebuild the roadway, install new sidewalks and curbs and replace the streetcar tracks and switches along Parliament Street between Gerrard and King Streets East this summer and fall.

Work on the project also involves part of the roadways of Queen and King Streets East and continues southward along Parliament between Shuter and King in phases throughout July, August and September. Later this fall, work starts northward from Shuter to Gerrard Street East.

During this phase of the project, the TTC will replace the tracks, switches and curves at the complex junction of Queen and Parliament, while the City installs new sidewalks and curbs along both Parliament and Queen East.

The TTC is detouring streetcars operating along the 301 Queen overnight, 501 Queen routes and buses operating along the 65 Parliament and 502 Downtowner routes, while the streets are closed.

Lately, we’ve had to post bad news whenever Mississauga Transit revises its services. This time, however, Mississauga passengers get some good news as MT increases service on several routes, starting Tuesday, August 3.

From 5:35 until 8:30 a.m tomorrow, Tuesday, July 27, GO Transit passengers at Clarkson GO Station can enjoy free beverages, fruit and pastries, before they board their trains.

Mississauga Transit buses no longer operate along the temporary routes to carry passengers to and from secondary schools during the summer school session after Friday, July 30.

Summer school routes include: 354 Mississauga Secondary -Square One high school special; 356 Rick Hansen Secondary - Square One high school special; 357 St. Joseph Secondary - Square One high school special via Rathburn; 358 St. Joseph Secondary - Square One high school special via Eglinton; 359 John Cabot Secondary - Square One high school special; 360 St. Marcellinus Secondary - Square One high school special; 361 St. Joan of Arc Secondary - Meadowvale Town Centre high school special; 362 St. Joan of Arc Secondary - South Common high school special; 363 Clarkson Secondary - South Common high school special; 364 Credit Woodlands Secondary - Square One high school special.

Regular service to and from high schools resumes on Tuesday, September 7.