The TTC is exploring whether it would be possible to have earlier subway starts times on Sundays -- a service the transit agency offered during the Pan Am Games and continues to offer during the Parapan Am Games.
Until Aug. 15, subway service begins at 6 a.m. on Sundays, three hours earlier than the regularly scheduled start time.
The extended weekend hours have been popular with TTC commuters, many of them saying the early-bird service should continue after the Games end.
"Everyone has different lives and time schedules, so I think why not," one commuter told CTV Toronto. "If you go for brunch at 9 a.m. with friends downtown you can’t really get there on the subway," said another.
According to the TTC, the problem with having earlier subway start times on Sundays is not the cost but a maintenance issue.
Typically, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., TTC crews are busy with system maintenance duties.
"That three-hour Sunday window is really critical to us in keeping the system maintained," TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said. "But we also recognize that people need and want to get to where they're going."
The transit agency adds that unlike other major cities, Toronto's subway line does not shut down at midnight, giving crews less time for overnight maintenance.
Currently, subway service in Toronto ends at approximately 1:30 a.m. and maintenance crews cannot begin their job until 2 a.m. But the TTC has ordered a staff report on possibly changing the maintenance window time.
One suggestion involves shutting down the subway earlier on Sunday or Monday. Another possibility would be to open the subway lines earlier during big events on Sundays.
"The encouraging thing is that because we were able to do it for the Pan Am Games, it shows it can be done," TTC Chair and Coun. Josh Colle said.
The staff report is due back in November.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson
