From 11 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 23, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, Long Branch GO Station is closed, and so is the pedestrian access to it. The streetcar loop beside it has been closed since June. This weekend, the corner of Lake Shore Boulevard West and Browns Line has no trains and no streetcars.
Both closures come from the same goal. The TTC is renewing its tracks and upgrading the parkette walkway between Long Branch Loop and the GO station. Metrolinx is building a second station entrance on the east side, mainly to shorten that same transfer. For a few years the connection between the loop and the platforms has been the least convenient part of the corner. Both agencies are now working on it, and this weekend is when their schedules overlap.
What runs on Oct. 24 and 25
GO's service notice for the weekend goes beyond Long Branch. On Oct. 24–25, GO Transit is running Lakeshore West trains only between Niagara Falls and Aldershot. No trains run from Aldershot to Union Station. Replacement GO buses run between West Harbour GO and the Union Station Bus Terminal, and they don't stop at Appleby, Bronte, Port Credit, Long Branch, Mimico or Exhibition. GO is also making late-evening changes on Friday, Oct. 23.
That means none of the lakeshore stations nearby has GO service this weekend. Driving to Port Credit or Mimico won't get you a train. The TTC's bus replacement, running from the Long Branch Bus Loop, is the transit route out of the neighborhood. The bus loop stayed open while the streetcar loop closed.
| Service | Weekend of Oct. 24–25 | Route and frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore West GO trains | No service at Long Branch, Mimico or Port Credit | Trains Niagara Falls–Aldershot only |
| GO replacement buses | Run, but skip Long Branch | West Harbour GO to Union Station Bus Terminal |
| 507 Long Branch replacement bus | Running | Long Branch Loop to Humber Loop via Lake Shore, Park Lawn and The Queensway, about every 10 minutes, extended into the late evening |
| 501A Queen streetcar | Running from Humber Loop | Humber Loop to Neville Park Loop |
| 301L Queen overnight bus | Running | Long Branch Loop to Dufferin Gate Loop, about every 30 minutes |
| 508 Lake Shore streetcar | Suspended | No service |
To get downtown, take the 507 bus east to Humber Loop and transfer there to the 501A Queen streetcar. Under the TTC's construction plan, the 501A runs between Neville Park Loop and Humber Loop during the late evening as well. Eastbound, the 507 bus heads up Park Lawn Road to The Queensway before reaching Humber Loop. That's a longer ride than the streetcar's old route along Lake Shore, so allow extra time.
Metrolinx is using the GO closure to work on several parts of the station at once. In the parking lot, crews are installing duct banks and storm sewers. On the platforms, they're placing rebar, installing the snow-melt system and pouring concrete. Above ground, they're erecting structural steel, installing roofing and doing architectural finishes. The notice says nearby homes and businesses may hear noise and feel vibration. Crews will try to point equipment lights away from houses.
The walk both projects are rebuilding
The TTC's description of its Long Branch Loop project lists three things: new track, overhead power upgrades, and "upgrades to the pedestrian walkway in the parkette, between Long Branch Loop and the Long Branch GO Station." The track work also covers the west intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard West and Browns Line, so construction is happening in the road as well as inside the loop.
The Metrolinx project is aimed at the same transfer from the other direction. UrbanToronto's February 2026 report explains that the new east entrance building and its pedestrian tunnel under the rail corridor will shorten the walk for passengers transferring to TTC and MiWay at Long Branch Loop. They will also add a third way onto the platforms. The same report says the eastern part of the commuter lot will become a pick-up and drop-off loop with better pedestrian and cycling paths, which it describes as fixing the lack of a direct, accessible connection between the loop and the station.
The station is also getting other upgrades. According to Metrolinx's project page, the plans include:
- a new west entrance with a tunnel served by elevators and stairs
- a new east pedestrian tunnel with elevators and stairs, plus an east entrance building with washrooms and a waiting area
- rehabilitated platforms with snow melting and heated shelters
- upgraded pedestrian, cycling, parking and pick-up and drop-off facilities
UrbanToronto notes that the elevators will be the station's first. All three platforms are being rebuilt wider, with new stairs, elevators and canopies. Because the platforms are being rebuilt in phases while trains keep running, fewer train doors can open at Long Branch for now. Regular riders have likely already noticed this.
The date the TTC hasn't set
On the TTC's project page, the current service changes run from "June 7 to October 31," and the page says they are subject to change. The page also says the overall renewal will continue through late 2026. The route advisory describes the 507 streetcar as suspended and replaced by buses, and it doesn't give a date for streetcars to return.
The TTC's next citywide service change takes effect Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. As of mid-October, the TTC hadn't said whether streetcars will return to Long Branch Loop that day. If you use the 507, check the Long Branch Loop project page the week of Nov. 1. The June-through-late-2026 construction window leaves room for the bus replacement to continue past Halloween.
How the station work is scheduled
The station's opening dates have already moved once. UrbanToronto reported that Metrolinx originally planned to finish all station work by 2025 and now projects tentative completion of the full reconstruction in 2030. The City of Toronto's 2025 GO Expansion annual update gave the same dates and described the full-completion date as under review and subject to change.
Construction happens in order, and the existing station keeps operating until its replacement is finished:
- Now through May 2027: Metrolinx's October 2026 update says excavation for the east station building is complete. Crews are working on the substructure of the east platform and on surface structural steel, and they're doing concrete, mechanical, electrical and utility work inside the building's footprint. That is a lot of progress since February, when UrbanToronto reported no visible work on the east building.
- Late 2027: The east entrance building and its new access to the platforms are scheduled to open.
- After that: The current station house and underpass will be demolished and rebuilt, but only once the new east building and tunnel are finished.
- 2030: Tentative completion of the whole project.
Weekday work hours in the October update are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, with overnight work from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Metrolinx says trucks will stage inside the site, not on surrounding streets. For anyone living near Browns Line, that's the schedule for the next several seasons.
Places to walk to this weekend
With no trains and only the TTC's replacement buses running out of the loop, a weekend close to home is the simplest option. Several of the most useful stops on this stretch of Lake Shore Boulevard West are newer than many residents might expect.
- Café Delicia, 3341 Lake Shore Blvd. W. Stephanie Dickison's restaurant column reported this European-inspired café in late July. Listings give an opening date of July 31, 2026, croissants and pastries, and hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
- Urban Delhi, 3747 Lake Shore Blvd. W. This North Indian restaurant took over the space that was The Tale Indian Cuisine and Bar. The menu includes dahi papdi chaat, dal makhani and lamb rogan josh, and listed hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
- DeCourses Café, 3232 Lake Shore Blvd. W. Brunch is served daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with bread, cakes and pastries baked in-house.
- Long Branch Library, 3500 Lake Shore Blvd. W. Open Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The branch has no events on its calendar for this weekend, but Halloween Family Time is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30, from 10:30 to 11 a.m.
At the west end of the neighborhood, Marie Curtis Park has walking trails that connect to the Waterfront Trail. The Etobicoke Creek trail runs north from the park through Etobicoke Valley Park. Metrolinx closed the Waterfront Trail under the Etobicoke Creek rail bridge for bridge work from May 20 to June 2. That closure ended in the spring, and the only closure on this weekend's notice is the station itself.
On this part of Lake Shore, transit construction takes place a few blocks from where people live, and the timelines above show it will continue for several more seasons. Clifford Costello follows these timelines along the waterfront from Long Branch to Port Credit. If you'd like to talk through how the new station's opening dates fit with your own plans for the neighborhood, contact us.
