Thursday kicks off what will surely go down in Toronto’s history as one of the most economically booming weeks attributable to one single celebrity: Taylor Swift.
The pop star is performing at the Rogers Centre for six sold-out nights as part of her Eras world tour, which is bringing tens of thousands of “Swifties” — along with Kansas City Chiefs tight end and the singer’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce — to the downtown core.
With so many fans travelling in for the events a number of road closures in place to quell the chaos, many may be wondering what the roads and rails will be like in the coming days, whether they’re going to and from the concerts, or around the city general.
Public transit, of course, is a safe and reliable option, with the TTC offering a special “Swiftie pass” and ramping up service along routes like the 19 Bay, 509 Harbourfront, 510D Spadina and 511 Bathurst to keep the crowds moving.
Unfortunately, those taking what is usually the fastest and most direct way to and from Union Station, the Line 1 subway, will find things a little slower than usual thanks to Reduced Speed Zones, a measure while necessary track maintenance takes place.
While we anticipate reducing the number of current restrictions significantly over the coming months, ongoing proactive track inspections mean that the TTC will always have some slow orders in place in different locations across the network. Read more: https://t.co/zabmoUEBml ^TR
— TTC Customer Service (@TTChelps) November 13, 2024
An ever-changing list of these zones has been in effect since the beginning of this year, and as of this weekend, it’s down to 17 from more than 30 in August. But, of those 17 is the segment of track between St. Andrew Station and Union, the closest stations to the Rogers Centre.
Though this reduced speed zone isn’t new — the only new zone added to the updated list published November 14 is around Broadview Station on Line 2 — it is still something that might worry those heading to the area during the concerts.
“The Reduced Speed Zones we have remaining are either very short or at locations entering or exiting stations, so any impact to concert-goers in the downtown core will be minimal,” TTC spokesperson Stuart Green assures blogTO.
He adds that the transit agency has “a ton of extra things happening” specially for the shows, including stationing more TTC staff and first responders along relevant routes, crowd control measures, and the aforementioned extra service, all of which has been months in the works.
Everyone say “Thank you Taylor Swift” for getting 10 reduced speed zones removed. Now if only the @TTChelps could set performance targets to improve ridership for everyday riders and not to set an impression for out-of-towners.https://t.co/CEB2ACiNad pic.twitter.com/HBHnn5G993
— Observing The City (@observinthecity) November 13, 2024
While riders may bemoan the zones during such a hectic few days between T. Swift and all of the other events happening, some have jokingly thanked the celebrity for seemingly “getting 10 reduced speed zones removed” from the network.
“We have been speaking to other transit agencies to learn from their experiences, and we are ready to make all the concertgoers’ experiences as smooth as possible,” TTC CEO Greg Percy said in a release about the steps being taken.
“Our experience with other large-scale events gives me confidence that we are ready for the Eras Tour shows.”
