Big news for Toronto's streetcars ! 🚋💨
Tomorrow, the TTC Board is reviewing a major report on streetcar and LRT reliability. It's really incredible to see that the TTC's official recommendations align so closely with FastTrackTO's 10-point plan. 🧵👇
Happy to have helped @torontorbot.bsky.social with new report calling for more fare and service integration. Includes supporting improving service across GTA (so we have base reliable service everywhere) and full fare integration so TTC and GO fare are same. bot.com/Resources/Re...
A few of us advocates got together to start enumerating all of the things the city and TTC should be fixing (and should have a long time ago) and created a group with a ten point plan. We estimate you could save *billions* of dollars of peoples time in just the first decade.
Toronto’s streetcars are the SLOWEST in the world. But they don’t have to be - tram systems around the world provide far faster and more reliable service.
10 low-cost fixes, when implemented together, can launch Toronto closer to global best practice.
Be sure to read our plan below!
We're thrilled to see transit experts lay out a plan to revolutionize the streetcars!
When we held our Streetcar Summit, the most popular solutions among riders were effective signal priority, banning left turns, installing 2-point switches, & more.
Experts & riders agree - let's get on with it!
Excited to be helping on this! We need a comprehensive plan that can show how much the streetcars can improve.we can save Torontonians hundreds of thousands of hours a day.
The Line 5 launch went quite well in my personal opinion, and I'm going to have a detailed and I would say quite positive post on the line later today. But first I want to provide some things I really think should be fixed. The TTC to their credit was actually asking for this!
Very happy to have collaborated with CSA Group on this report examining successes and challenges in transit project construction in Canada and the lessons we can learn for future projects.
www.csagroup.org/article/publ...
Here's the presentation itself. www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...
Today I'll be presenting at TTC about a comprehensive plan to revitalize surface transit in Toronto. To be effective, it needs to be implemented as a package but it could radically improve the speed and reliability of streetcars, LRT, and buses.
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...
None of these changes require megaprojects. They’re operational and technical choices—but they can transform the rider experience.
Faster trips don’t just make transit more appealing. They free up vehicles and operators, effectively increasing frequency at no added cost.
Single-point switches also force slow crossings. Virtually every modern system—including our LRTs and Leslie Barns—uses double-point switches + modern controls. We shouldn’t be installing 1930s tech in 2025.
Antiquated switch tech is holding back the streetcar network. Operators still stop to visually confirm switch positions because the legacy control system is obsolete.
Streetcars/LRVs are capped at speeds below parallel cars and buses. On Queensway, a right-of-way designed for 80kph now crawls at 30 even where there are no sidewalks. On Finch, the signalling forces operators to keep a buffer under already low limits.
Streets like Finch, Spadina & St. Clair are so wide that red lights are extremely long. European cities solve this with multi-stage crossings—pedestrians wait safely halfway across, shortening the whole cycle. Both pedestrians and transit get quicker green lights.
That’s why reliability + TSP reinforce each other: more consistent service = more effective priority. Line management matters. if vehicles leave terminals bunched, you can’t fix it down the line. We need monitoring departures, adding recovery time, and even redesigning terminals.
The best systems actively manage the whole signal cycle, trimming red time for transit and adjusting subsequent cycles to keep traffic moving smoothly. The biggest gains come when the system can predict when the vehicle reaches the intersection.
Transit signal priority (TSP) is essential but not a silver bullet. Simple fixes like letting streetcars/LRVs move ahead of left-turning traffic are no-brainers. Today, streetcars can extend greens but true TSP does much more.
Very excited to see rapid movement on addressing the issues with speed on Finch LRT & the streetcars too, including today's TTC motions. This is a huge opportunity to fix longstanding problems, mirroring what we recommended in our Star article.
We wrote an article on how we could fix Spadina and many of those are the same fixes needed here. We shouldn't tolerate bunched vehicles and average speeds below 15km/h on lines entirely in their own lane. Fortunately, we don't have to. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... 7/
We've long gotten used to the problems with the downtown streetcars, which have meant that their ridership has steadily declined for decades. But with Finch we can see the problems clearly and hopefully this will bring political energy for changes that can then be applied to the whole network. 6/
I've always supported the St. Clair streetcar right-of-way, which served as an important model for the Transit City lines. But if we're honest, it too hasn't lived up to its full promise because of slow travel times and poor reliability as a result of limited TSP and line management issues. 5/
The good news is these problems can be fixed. Speed limits can be revised, recognizing that the best thing we can do for road safety is to get people out of cars and onto rails. Signals can genuinely prioritize trains. These are software, not hardware fixes. We've already done the hard part. 4/
I know there are always teething pains but some of these problems are structural. Very low speed limits (well below parallel cars and buses despite LRVs having professional drivers and advanced signalling). Mandated slow speeds through intersections. Left-turning cars getting to go first. 3/
Travel time is especially problematic when frequency is reduced vs former bus. Not to mention the comparison is to a local-only bus when all similar TTC routes have long had express (which might've pushed travel time even lower--Finch East express bus covers similar distance in 28 mins). 2/
Opening of Finch West LRT was very exciting. I love seeing the new infra, beautiful trains & people excited to ride! But we're clearly not done yet. Scheduled travel time of 46 minutes & often over 50 mins in reality just isn't okay when the local bus was scheduled at 38 off-peak and 53 at peak. 1/
True about ownership but there are still contractual requirements for Metrolinx to retain freight compatibility, so CN would’ve had to agree.
It’s actually an interchange train with CP between Mac and Lambton yards
It is generally not permitted to build a high platform (enabling level boarding for passenger trains) on a track with mainline freight trains
If this arrangement were possible elsewhere, it would make high speed and regional passenger service much more convenient, faster, and more accessible. But right now, there's no standard to make this possible while making sure we don't hinder Canada's amazing freight rail success.