The Future of subway and rapid transit in the GTA

[CapitalSeven]

The problem isn't streetcLRarTs, the problem is Toronto. This is this city that declared "Transit First" on Queen's Quay 21 years ago, took 100 years to start the "relief line," made a train wreck of transit in Scarborough, and spent huge sums on new streetcars then undermined their use in every way, making downtown transit slower. And then the province, equally incompetent but in different ways, stepped in. One almost wishes a foreign potentate from Northern Europe or East Asia would arrive in a guntrain, haul the authorities off to be tried for crimes against transportation, and take over.

 

[nfitz]

. . . I’m not sure where the insanity is other than a whole bunch of new magical transit experts that have taken over these forums as soon as finch opened.

There does seem to have been a recent influx of new members of similar mind and politics who are very verbose. It does make one wonder of their origin.

Yes. Before my time, but I did in fact mean David Crombie. These kids need a history lesson haha.

No love for Art Eggleton?

He's not even a decade older than the U.S. president. Municipal elections are this year. Draft Crombie?

Crombie isn't even 90 yet - about the same age as Hazel McCallion when she ran for re-election for her final term in Mississauga in 2010.

 

[sixrings]

That’s really rich….many of the same people now dismissing criticism spent hundreds of pages in the Finch West LRT and Eglinton Crosstown threads praising this project and shutting down concerns or anyone who mentioned the S word. Anyone who questioned whether LRT was the right technology for Finch was told they didn’t understand transit, density, or “how cities work.”

Now that the line is open and struggling, criticism is suddenly labelled “insanity” or blamed on “magical transit experts.” You can’t gaslight people for a decade and then act surprised when they judge the project on its actual performance.

Hopefully this is the LAST LRT ever built in Toronto, and judging from the anger outside of this echo chamber, it’s very likely that will be the case.

So congratulations whatever it was you were trying to prove.

The reading comprehension of this site has drastically been reduced since December 7th 2025. New members New Year’s resolution should be to hit up a library… maybe complete that CAEC.

 

[socamonarch]

There does seem to have been a recent influx of new members of similar mind and politics who are very verbose. It does make one wonder of their origin.

No love for Art Eggleton?

Crombie isn't even 90 yet - about the same age as Hazel McCallion when she ran for re-election for her final term in Mississauga in 2010.

I've been here since 2007, I don't say much but once and a while I'll say a few things..Lurk and then try to educate myself on the subject..

 

[afransen]

Agreed!

I find all the weather-related issues shocking. That should have been fully tested by opening. Either the weather has been worse than expected (which I doubt), or the line wasn't tested to meet weather conditions that Toronto encounters.

I hope they figure these out soon

We haven't had a real winter storm with major snowfall since the line opened.

 

[PL1]

We haven't had a real winter storm with major snowfall since the line opened.

I agree. We do seem to have had more wet snow this winter than recent years. However, the weather has not been unusual for what we typically experience in Toronto. I would expect the tracks and switches to work in these conditions.

 

[nfitz]

I've been here since 2007, I don't say much but once and a while I'll say a few things..Lurk and then try to educate myself on the subject..

I'd not even spotted either of your other two posts this decade until right now!

It's not you I'm referring to!

 

[socamonarch]

I'd not even spotted either of your other two posts this decade until right now!

It's not you I'm referring to!

I'm a introvert so I choose words wisely

 

[duty free]

She wasn't a mayor of the amalgamated city of Toronto

Two thumbs down for thinking I meant Bonnie. Learn something about your city's history. Mississauga doesn't even exist in my mind. It's not relevant to me.

 

[Rainforest]

There's nothing magical over here, unless you're implying only you can have an opinion on this subject as you feel you're an expert...

This is the first line open.. Fine.. but it will not be different for Eglinton or Hurontario... St Clair was a disaster as well... And Spadina was a shit show as well. So yeah we've been at it for a bit.. We need to consider something different..

St Clair and Spadina are fine. Those routes are short, and therefore their slow speed does not matter much, the total travel times are still acceptable.

The needs are different for Finch LRT and for the other contemplated suburban LRTs. Travel distances are 2-3 times longer, a decent speed is required. If a good speed cannot be achieved, then there is no point to spend the funds and suffer through years of construction; just paint bus priority lanes and schedule express + local buses.

 

[lead82]

Spadina and St Clair are also not fine and insanely slow. Their only saving grace is that few ride it end to end. However the stop spacing in general in Toronto is way too close and that’s especially true on the streetcars. The easy fix is to remove all the non major stops to speed up the line. The culture in Toronto doesn’t value speed or efficiency so we are stuck with slow service and mind numbing long commutes.

 

[nfitz]

The easy fix is to remove all the non major stops to speed up the line.

There's 3 or maybe 4 stops on Spadina that could go. But little more than that, or you'd have to run a bus service for locals. The fix on Spadina and St. Clair are the transit priority at intersections.

 

[lead82]

Both would be useful measures. On St Clair I can easily see 5-8 stops that can be easily removed, especially around Bathurst/Vaughan/St. Clair West/Tweedsmuir. Just in that area having 4 stops in 500m is insane. Only one stop is needed at best - St Clair West, but I can see a second right at Bathurst. The other two are so close that it’s insane to have them. The signal priority on all tram lines would by a big boost and easy to do but needs the chicken Littles at city hall to get their act together. I’m not holding my breath.

 

[Undead]

Hey mods, can we send this dude into a timeout?

Whatever you say LRT fanboy

 

[nfitz]

Hey mods, can we send this dude into a timeout?

Should include all their other accounts too ...