

Kayla Goodfield, CP24.com





After about six months of disruption, regular service on the 504 King and 506 Carlton streetcar routes is set to resume in the city’s east end.

Buses have been operating in the area of Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East since Feb. 18.

In a news release issued at the time, the TTC said the changes were necessary due to a reduction in the number of available streetcars as well as the number of road construction projects along the two routes scheduled for this year.

Regular service is expect to begin on Sunday.

This transit announcement in the city comes one day after the Ontario government announced they are moving ahead with a plan to take over Toronto’s subway system.

An advisory panel made up of experts will provide recommendations on the building and maintenance of new and existing lines throughout the city to “upload the subway,” the province said on Friday.

While speaking about the restarted service of the streetcar routes in the city’s east end on Saturday, Mayor John Tory said he wants to speak with the Progressive Conservative government’s appointed panel on the matter of subways.

“We don’t know yet what they mean when they talk about this and so I want to see what they mean,” Tory said. “They haven’t even said what they mean, they just use this word ‘upload’ and that could carry with it some beneficial consequences, but it could also carry some negative consequences.”

“I want to say to them that we expect to be fully involved in all the discussions about what this means and I’ve been very clear that if it’s not a good deal for the people of Toronto, if it isn’t a big improvement from what we have today and if it isn’t something that allows us to operate in an integrated fashion and be fair to the people who use it then I won’t be in favour of it either.”