Article by www.cbc.ca

Brace yourselves, commuters: the TTC has released its proposed slate of subway closures for the new year. 

The transit agency says the closures are aimed at signal upgrades, maintenance and construction on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

The forecast includes 34 full weekend closures, with 27 on Line 1, six on Line 2 and one proposed for Line 3. 

Another 18 single-day closures are proposed for the same subway lines, with the majority on Line 1. 

The TTC is proposing to open Line 2 late on Sundays eight separate times. That means a section of the line would be closed for about four hours, and subway service would pick up again after noon.

There could also be 86 early weeknight closures on Line 1, and 20 weeknight closures on Line 2. In those cases, a section of the subway line would close early, at 11 p.m.

Another 65 closures of various kinds are proposed for 2021 and 2022, according to the report.

The TTC says the closures mean work could get done on its automatic train control (ATC) project, which will allow trains to run more frequently, and closer together. The closures would also allow the TTC to work away on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project, and keep its infrastructure in good shape.

In 2019, there were 31 weekend subway closures, six single-day closures, eight late subway openings, and 28 early closures planned, however several of those were cancelled or postponed, the TTC's report states.

Early subway closures cost an average of $40,000 a night, and an average of $500,000 per weekend, according to the TTC. But it says those costs can also vary.

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