Year in review 2013
January 1: New fare rates take effect.
January 13: A new suite of customer information tools for bus stop and shelters was be rolled out as a trial on the 94 Wellesley route.
January 21: Commissioners voted to rename the future streetcar maintenance and storage facility, being built at Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard, to The Leslie Barns.
February 1: Luggage racks debut on all buses operating on the 192 Airport Rocket.
February 25: TTC Chair Karen Stintz congratulated the TTC, and the City of Toronto, on receiving a Sustainable Communities Award from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for the Victoria Park Station modernization project.
February 28: TTC Chair Karen Stintz and CEO Andy Byford officially launched the TTC’s first-ever Customer Charter at Bloor-Yonge Station. Its focus: cleanliness, better information, improved responsiveness, more accessible and modern, and the renewal of vehicles; in total, 31 time-bound commitments for 2013.
March 5: TBM Moley breaks through Allen Road extraction shaft marking the completion of the southern tunnels.
March 15: The first time the TTC’s new accessible streetcar appeared on Bathurst was a test run of #4400 in the early morning hours.
March 27: Commissioners approved a contract amendment worth $119.4 million to Nova Bus for the purchase of an additional 126 articulated, low-floor, clean-diesel buses for delivery starting in 2014.
March 31: The TTC’s vintage PCC and Peter Witt streetcars made their annual appearance in the Toronto Beaches Lions Easter Parade.
April 1: The TTC announced via You Tube a new customer service initiative called the personal car. April Fool’s!
April 18: TTC Chair Karen Stintz and CEO Andy Byford officially introduce the TTC’s six new Group Station Managers at Victoria Park Station: Bo Koch, Cameron Penman, Shelley Pickford, Michael Sosedov, Ellen Stassen and Eve Wiggins.
May 2: Five TTC employees received awards from EMS for providing CPR and life-saving medical care: Eglinton Operators Justin Irving, Bernhard Derksen and Romani Bolis and Transit Enforcement Officers Max Axmith and Trevor Timbrell.
May 29: CEO Andy Byford unveiled the Five-Year Corporate Plan to transforms and modernizes the TTC to become a transit system that makes Toronto proud. Its strategic objectives: safety, customer, people, assets, growth, financial sustainability and reputation.
June 5: The TTC and Corby Distilleries Ltd. announced a new, three-year partnership to sponsor free New Year’s Eve rides in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
June 13: TBM Torkie breaks through Steeles Avenue West extraction shaft on the Spadina Subway Extension.
June 14: TBM Yorkie breaks through Steeles Avenue West extraction shaft on the Spadina Subway Extension.
June 18: The TTC and Distress Centres extended an agreement that will see the Crisis Link suicide prevention program continue through to July 31, 2018.
July 7: Major flooding hit Toronto, closing portions of the subway. Full service was restored to Kipling Station on July 10.
July 17: After two days of debate, Toronto City Council voted 28-16 to replace the Scarborough RT conversion and extension to LRT with a subway extension from Kennedy Station to Scarborough Centre.
July 18: The TTC’s first low-floor, articulated bus #9000 arrived on property at Wilson Garage from Nova Bus in St. Eustache, Quebec.
July 23: Test car #4401 was taken out for a daytime, media-preview ride on Bathurst Street.
July 24: Commissioners approved the New Streetcar Implementation Plan, and life-extension of 105 CLRV streetcars.
July 24: Commissioners approved the renaming of the subway station under construction at Steeles Avenue West and Northwest Gate to Pioneer Village Station.
August 7: CEO Andy Byford kicks off his Employee Town Halls, starting at Danforth Division, to promote the TTC Five-Year Corporate Plan.
August 10-11: The TTC executed its largest-ever subway closure as crews conducted major work to upgrade the signal system on the entire “U” portion of the Yonge-University-Spadina Subway, from Bloor through to St George.
August 19-30: Pape Station was closed for 12 consecutive days, as favoured by the surrounding community, in order to speed up construction and modernization work.
September 11: The TTC won an Urban Design Award from the City of Toronto for its work on the Victoria Park Bus Terminal Replacement.
September 25: The Board approved the TTC’s business plan for Special Constable status for Transit Enforcement Officers.
September 25: The Board voted to support the Scarborough subway alignment along the McCowan Road corridor, through Scarborough City Centre and north to Sheppard Avenue East.
October 7: TBM Yorkie broke through Highway 7 extraction shaft on the Spadina Subway Extension.
October 3: TTC Chair Karen Stintz and CEO Andy Byford and Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly officially introduced the TTC’s first new low-floor, clean-diesel articulated bus #9000.
October 21: The TTC released its report on the tragic workplace death of Roadmaster Peter Pavlovski near Yorkdale Station.
October 31: Pape Station elevators enter service, making the station the TTC’s 32nd accessible subway/rt station.
November 8: TBM Torkie broke through Highway 7 extraction shaft, marking the completion of all tunnelling required the extension of the Spadina Subway Extension.
November 11: CEO Andy Byford and Local 113 Executive Board Member Phil Horgan laid a wreath in front of the Old City Hall Cenotaph during Remembrance Day ceremonies.
November 21: The TTC held a Customer Town Hall at Toronto City Hall.
December 31/January 1, 2014: The TTC offered free New Year’s Eve rides and extended service in the subway and on most service routes, courtesy of Corby Distilleries Ltd.