TORONTO -- A scheduled subway closure on Toronto’s Line 1 will go ahead as planned despite worries about the COVID-19 pandemic.
On both Saturday and Sunday, there will be no service between Lawrence and St. Clair stations on Line 1. Shuttle busses will operate between the stations and customers requiring Wheel-Trans are asked to reach out to TTC customer service employees.
In addition to the shuttles, the TTC is asking that customers utilize the 97 Yonge bus and to use the University side of Line 1.
Earlier this week health officials urged residents to avoid gatherings of more than 50 people. A spokesperson for the TTC said that they don’t expect overcrowding on the shuttle buses in accordance with social distancing practices set in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Since January we’ve been performing significant additional cleaning and disinfection of all vehicles. Our shuttle buses are no exception,” the spokesperson said. “We will have plenty of shuttle service available and given the reduced demand and the fact that all events have been canceled, we don’t expect there to be crowding.”
“If someone is not comfortable with the number of people on a vehicle, we suggest they wait for the next one.”
All stations will be open for fare sales and access to surface routes during the closure
The transit agency said on Thursday they were making some operational changes due to the outbreak, including implementing all-door boarding to reduce traffic at “pinch points” and allow for further social distancing among customers.
