The 508 Lake Shore streetcar is back starting Tuesday, serving Lake Shore Blvd. W., from the Long Branch Loop to Parliament St.

The TTC route was suspended back in 2015, due to a streetcar shortage and Bombardier’s delays in delivering the Flexity Outlook fleet at the time. But with the delivery of more Flexity streetcars this year, the Lake Shore route is being reinstated.

This is good news for many south Etobicoke residents who have been eagerly awaiting its return.

Steve Ulrich, steering committee member of the Humber Bay Shores Ratepayers and Residents Association, said the reinstatement of the route using the new streetcars will provide commuters with more accessibility and transfer-free service to downtown and back.

“Providing direct and reliable transit will only further entice residents to leave their car at home and take transit,” Ulrich added. “That notion is becoming imperative in our ever-changing vertical communities.”

The service will run on weekdays, with five streetcars leaving from the Long Branch Loop between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. and travelling down Lake Shore Blvd. W. to Parliament St., then to the Roncesvalles Carhouse.

In the afternoon, five streetcars leave the carhouse and travel east on King St., east on Queen St., north on Broadview Ave., west on Dundas St. and south on Parliament St., then travel west on King St., west on The Queensway and west on Lake Shore Blvd. to the Long Branch Loop.

“The return of the 508 Lake Shore is the result of our ongoing commitment to improving service reliability,” TTC senior communications specialist Stuart Green said. “This returning service means improved options for customers west of the Humber Loop looking for direct routes into the city via King Street.”