522 Exhibition West

522 Exhibition West was a streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission from the 1960s to 1986.[1]

522 Exhibition West
Dufferin Loop during the 2013 CNE
Overview
LocaleToronto, Ontario
Termini
Stations Dundas West
Dufferin Loop
Service
TypeStreetcar Route
Route number522
Operator(s)Toronto Transit Commission
Rolling stockCLRV
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) Toronto gauge
Electrification600 VDC Overhead

History

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), and the private streetcar companies that preceded it, ran special streetcar service to the CNE from the 19th Century.[1][2]

The TTC ran a seasonal streetcar service named the 522 Dundas Exhibition, to serve the Canadian National Exhibition. In 1980, this route was officially renamed "Exhibition West," from the former name "Dundas Exhibition." This streetcar route operated on special occasions and events that took place at Exhibition Place, such as the Canadian National Exhibition, and the Molson Indy.

522 operated from Dundas West station, running south on Roncesvalles, east on King Street, south on Dufferin Street, and south towards the Dufferin Gates at Exhibition Place.

The 522 route began service when the TTC opened the Bloor–Danforth subway line in 1966. The TTC discontinued the route in 1986 and replaced it with the 93 Exhibition West route, but reinstated it for one year in 1995, due to the large number of buses required to shuttle passengers on the Spadina line, because of the Russell Hill accident on August 11, 1995.[3]

A similar event-only route, the 521 King Exhibition (now known as the 521 Exhibition East) also only served the CNE during special events.

Resurrection

Unlike the counterpart of this route (521 Exhibition East), 522 was reinstated in 1988, not as a streetcar route, but as 93 Exhibition West, which was also a seasonal service that ran only during the CNE and other special occasions. The 93 was later renamed the 193 Exhibition Rocket on November 23, 2002 as a TTC marketing strategy to brand regular-fare express services as "Rocket" routes.[4]

The 193 buses operated from Dundas West Station, southeast on Dundas Street West, south on Dufferin Street to Springhurst Avenue at Dufferin gate loop. This route operated as a seasonal express service.[5] Though in August 2018, service ended on the 193 during the 2018 CNE, since it was considered redundant since Dufferin station became accessible with elevators. Later that same year, the 929 Dufferin express started running and currently operates from Dufferin gate loop to Dufferin station on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, then heads north to Wilson station, however the 929 is not a non-stop service.

See also

References
  1. James Bow (2013-08-13). "Streetcars to the Exhibition (Routes 521, 522 and More)". Transit Toronto. Retrieved 2013-10-30. It began its route at Dundas West Station, running south on Roncesvalles, east on King and south on Dufferin to the Exhibition West (Dufferin) loop near the Dufferin Gates. Like its 521 cousin, it operated only during the times the CNE was commanding huge crowds. The last 522 car on Labour Day, 1986, before being replaced by the 93 Exhibition West bus. It was reinstated for one year only during the 1995 Exhibition season.
  2. "Direct service to the Exhibition". Toronto Daily Mail & Empire. 1900-08-17. p. 6. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  3. Bruce Campion-Smith (1995-08-18). "A few new ways to take the better way to the Ex Subway accident, construction cause changes". Toronto Star. p. A6. Retrieved 2013-10-30. Instead, the TTC is offering the 522 streetcar service, which will shuttle riders between Dundas West station and the Dufferin gates.
  4. Kay, Jeffery. "93 EXHIBITION WEST EXPRESS (1988-2002)". Transit Toronto. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  5. "193 Exhibition Rocket (2002-2017) - Transit Toronto - Surface Route Histories". transittoronto.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
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