These streetcar upgrades will be ready in time for Taylor Swift's concerts: TTC

A Toronto Transit Commission sign is shown at a downtown Toronto subway stop Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is gearing up for another streetcar upgrade project, but it assures commuters that the bulk of the work will be out of the woods right in time for Taylor Swift's concerts this fall.

Just after Labour Day, the TTC said it will kick off its four-month-long project of upgrading the streetcar network along Queens Quay and Fleet Street, which spread across nearly three kilometres from the Harbourfront Tunnel and Strachan Avenue.

The transit network said the project will focus on replacing and reconfiguring overhead wires, and upgrading the underground power systems.

The TTC says there will be changes to streetcar service and bus replacements at points during the months-long project.

"As part of the plan, harbourfront streetcars will be restored for Taylor Swift concert dates in November, with increased service on multiple routes to accommodate an influx of visitors to Toronto," the TTC said in a release Friday. The mega-popstar is set to perform six concerts at the Rogers Centre, from Nov. 14 to 23.

The transit network said the project will finish sometime early next year, and is part of a larger power upgrade program, including the work at Spadina and St. Clair avenues.

The project has caused some frustration for drivers, cyclists and businesses, as the TTC noted southbound travel times along Spadina Avenue when buses were swapped in.

• READ MORE: 'Things could have been different': Frustration building amid Spadina Avenue TTC construction

"As a city, we are investing over $200 million to expand the TTC's fleet of fully accessible low-floor streetcars," Mayor Olivia Chow said in the release. "The work being done alone Queens Quay and Fleet Street is integral to ensuring that the right infrastructure is in place to run these streetcars, and to deliver a safe and reliable TTC service for many years to come."

This streetcar project will be broken up into stages, with the first phase starting Sept. 3 between the Harbourfront Tunnel and Spadina Avenue. Buses will replace the streetcars from Union Station and Exhibition Place.

Streetcar service will resume between Union Station and Spadina Avenue during the second stage of work, the TTC says, as it will be focusing on finishing upgrades from Spadina Avenue to Bathurst Street, with 510 Spadina replacement buses set to serve stops between Spadina Avenue and Exhibition Place.

Then, from November until early 2025, the TTC said it will shift its focus to finish overhead work west of Bathurst Street along Fleet Street. The 509 Harbourfront streetcar service will continue to run with 511 Bathurst streetcars extended to run along Queens Quay to Union Station.