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Earlier this Spring, a new advocacy group called FastTrackTO proposed a bold 10-point plan to speed up Toronto's infamously and maddeningly slow streetcar network, to reduce travel times by as much as 40 per cent. Media coverage of the plan upon its release in March was decent, but UrbanToronto is digging more deeply into the plan across this last of three stories on the topic, putting it squarely front and centre in peoples' minds as anticipation for Toronto's 2026 municipal election this Fall begins to build. To help accomplish this, we are presenting the plan in depth, in three parts, looking at how for it to succeed fully, the City's agencies needs to address each of the points.
Our first week's coverage of the FastTrackTO plan explored their first three proposals for a better streetcar and light rail network:
- One: Make Transit Signal Priority Work Better,
- Two: Split the Crossing, Speed Up Signals, and
- Three: Stop Slowing Down Streetcars That Could Safely Go Faster.
The initial items touched on some of the most straightforward, low-cost solutions to chronic issues plaguing Toronto's surface rail network.
Last week's coverage of the plan explored FastTrackTO's fourth, fifth and sixth proposals:
- Four: Prevent Unnecessary Emergency Stops,
- Five: Eliminate Left Turns Where They Don't Belong, and
- Six: Stop Stopping at Every Switch.
These middle-of-the-pack items touched on fixes to operational and traffic systems that would be modest in cost but require a rethink of operational norms.
This week, the final four look deeper into decades of unquestioned practices, stretching from what kinds of streetcars we buy to the placement of the stops they serve. Speaking with UrbanToronto, FastTrackTO co-founder and respected transit expert Jonathan English explained that the city could revolutionize travel in the urban core if an active approach to improving and optimizing Toronto's legacy surface rail network were adopted.
Seven: Stop Installing Obsolete Switches
As touched on in last week's segment, Toronto has been installing outdated streetcar switches city-wide for almost as long as the TTC has been running the streetcar network. Known as single-blade switches, these archaic devices result in increased wear on track components, slower, rougher, jerkier rides for passengers, and more noise for nearby residents and businesses.
Luckily, a solution—straightforwardly known as double-point switches—has existed for the past century, and in fact have been installed recently on Eglinton Line 5, Finch West Line 6, and at the Leslie Barns. FastTrackTO proposes that the TTC adjust its procurement and maintenance standards to ensure that these new switches are installed every time a track intersection on the streetcar network is torn up for reconstruction. The switch would require a slight increase in the operational budget to purchase the double-blade switches, but English alleges it would "save countless staff-hours for each intersection upgraded, as streetcars would be able to travel faster and more safely across the city."
Eight: Optimize Stop Spacing Across Entire Routes, Not One Stop at a Time
Stop spacing has long stood as one of the single most contentious topics of operational reform eyed for application to the streetcar network. The current messy distribution of stops has been altered over decades of changing travel patterns and societal demands, never having been rationalized through a cohesive review of the stops as part of a broader transit network. FastTrackTO seeks to resolve this suboptimal arrangement through a line-by-line overhaul of the streetcar network's stops.
"It's no coincidence that Toronto operates one of the slowest and most stop-heavy streetcar networks in the world," says English. Examples of hyper-frequent stops are not hard to find, such as on Dundas Street West through Chinatown. For decades, over just 500 metres of roadway, the 505 Dundas streetcar stopped a jolting four times, with stop spacing never exceeding 200 metres. Only within the last two years did the TTC finally remove the stop at Huron Street, yielding at last to countless complaints from riders. However, this was a one-off removal, and by instead performing a comprehensive review and slimming down the streetcar network's stops, FastTrackTO asserts that riders will see an increase in speed and reliability while accessible stop spacing distances are maintained.
Nine: Make Replacement Buses History with Modular Track Diversions
The entirety of Toronto's streetcar network is essentially never running all at once, with segments of at least one line routinely replaced by shuttle buses. Most frequently caused by the reconstruction and expansion of utilities or the reinstallation of streetcar tracks, this practice has come to be known as "bustitution." These haphazard arrangements often result in winding detours around the impacted corridor and poorly coordinated linear transfers between the disrupted portion of service and the uninterrupted portion of the line.
As impossible as it may sound today, this disruptive practice was not always the TTC's go-to method for managing construction zones. For most of its history, the commission relied on a far more rider-centric approach: laying temporary, short stretches of bypass tracks around the impacted segment of roadway. This allowed streetcars to simply skirt past the construction site and continue their routes uninterrupted, requiring only a slight reduction in speed to safely navigate the tighter track geometry. For reasons unknown, the TTC abandoned this standard procedure by the 1980s in favour of full-scale route closures. Meanwhile, international transit agencies across Europe and Asia continue to successfully deploy temporary bypass tracks to this day to minimize service impacts. FastTrackTO advocates for a return to this prior best practice, arguing that reviving it is essential to ending the incessant service disruptions that currently artificially lengthen trips and drive away frustrated riders.
Ten: Plan for Double-Ended Streetcars in the Next Procurement
Lastly, Plan for Double-Ended Streetcars in the Next Procurement seeks to introduce greater routing flexibility to the downtown network. The current single-ended fleet requires dedicated on-street or off-street loops to turn around. This limits routing potential and compromises network flexibility, as a single track blockage can bring an entire line to a standstill. FastTrackTO wants the TTC's next fleet procurement to prioritize double-ended streetcars, allowing for long-term infrastructure planning to accommodate the transition.
"Toronto's current streetcars need a loop to turn around, locking up valuable real estate and limiting routing choices," says English. "Our LRTs already use bidirectional vehicles with cabs at both ends for greater flexibility. Procuring double-ended vehicles for the streetcar network would free up loop sites and allow vehicles to turn around almost anywhere using a single crossover."
English suggests deploying them incrementally on lines like the new Waterfront East LRT. "Doors on both sides open up the possibility of island platforms for faster, safer boarding, and new cars could feature level boarding to improve accessibility. The decisions made in the next procurement will shape the network for decades."
This wraps up the last of FastTrackTO's proposals to overhaul the operation of Toronto's streetcar and light rail networks, and in the process, deliver a fundamentally more reliable and rapid means of getting across the city. With a mayoral election nearing and the field of candidates narrowing, Toronto's unending transportation crisis is bound to once again take centre stage. As the streetcar network's ridership and average speeds continue to flatline—if not outright decline—there may very well be political appetite to finally revamp the city's most neglected icon.
This article is the third and final in a series of three examining FastTrackTO's "10-Point Plan to Fix Toronto’s Streetcars and LRT". UrbanToronto will continue to follow updates on Toronto's surface rail network, but in the meantime, you can learn more about our new Light Rail Transit lines from our Database files, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been republished with wording changes to clarify two points.
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
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