If you’ve noticed more people cramming into subways and crowding the streets lately, you’re not imagining it — Toronto’s back-to-the-office wave is officially here.

Mayor Olivia Chow just announced a series of changes to help ease the crush, promising a faster, more reliable TTC experience. “Faster, more trains, less crowding. Yay,” she said. “Two minutes and 20 seconds instead of every three and a half minutes — a train is going to come.”

The TTC is restoring Line 2 (Bloor–Danforth) service to pre-pandemic levels, adding six more trains during rush hour. On top of that, bus service is getting a bump along Pape (72), Royal York (73), and Wellesley (94) routes.

Metrolinx is joining the effort too, adding extra rush-hour trips on its Lakeshore East, Lakeshore West, Barrie, and Stouffville GO lines — a much-needed boost for commuters coming in from the suburbs.

Still, not everyone’s convinced the system can handle the pressure.
“The transit system is creaking,” says Matti Siemiatycki, a U of T geography and planning professor. “It’s aged. There are go-slow zones, and the bus networks in places like Scarborough and North Etobicoke are struggling.”

And he’s not wrong. Toronto already has the longest average commute times in Canada, at nearly 35 minutes — up two minutes from last year. The national average? Just under 27.

Siemiatycki warns that if the city’s recovery leans too heavily on cars, “it’s going to be a nightmare. Our roads will be packed.”

City Hall says it’s on it — with plans to add 100 new traffic agents, better coordinate construction closures, and improve intersection flow. But those plans are already facing a test: the southbound Don Valley Parkway off-ramp to Richmond Street is closing for construction until next spring.

“The city has to make sure these projects are done quickly and efficiently,” Siemiatycki says. He also believes the solution will take teamwork — from businesses staggering office hours to commuters embracing carpooling.

For now, the TTC says this is just phase one of a larger network expansion coming in the months ahead. Translation: your commute might still be hectic — but help is (finally) on the way.