Without new trains, subway service in Toronto will become more crowded and less reliable.
Call on your MP now to invest in more reliable, frequent transit service by speeding up the Permanent Public Transit Fund to 2024 and allowing the TTC to use the funding for more bus, streetcar, and subway service.
Why does the TTC need new subway trains?
The subway trains on Line 2 are reaching the end of their life. Without federal funding for new trains, service will become more crowded and less reliable: more malfunctions, more unreliable service and more shuttle buses. The oldest trains on Line 2 will reach the end of their design life in 2026, and the TTC does not have enough funding to order new trains.
The TTC also needs additional new trains to solve overcrowding on Line 1 and Line 2, and for the Scarborough Subway Extension and Yonge North Subway Extension. By 2041, the TTC subway is projected to carry over 2 million riders per day per the latest TTC Staff Report. There will not be enough trains to keep up with the number of riders in the future without new trains, leading to overcrowding and disruptions.
What happens if my MP does not chip in for new trains?
The longer we wait to order, the more expensive the trains will get. If federal MPs do not chip in by early 2024, the cost to replace aging Line 2 subway trains will increase by at least $90 million, and the TTC will miss the chance to add sliding safety doors at the edge of subway platforms. Earlier this year on June 23rd, 2023, the TTC canceled its previously-issued Request for Proposals for new subway trains, due to a lack of secured funds to procure the trains.
A recent TTC staff report updates the total cost of new subway trains to be between $3.23 billion to $3.74 billion, depending on how early funding is acquired. Without funding support from all levels of government in early 2024, the cost of replacing aging Line 2 trains could increase dramatically, and require costly measures to extend the life of aging trains and systems.
The City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario have chipped in their part to fund the $3.2 billion cost of new subway trains. Now the federal government needs to step up.
Why should the federal government help?
Federal MPs need to do their part to support Toronto’s needs, from shelters to transit. Premier Ford has announced some support to run the TTC, but it’s not enough to fill the budget shortfall. With investment from the federal government, the TTC could increase service on subways, streetcars, and buses -- and make transit more affordable.
The good news is that the federal government has announced a Permanent Public Transit Fund. But the funding will not start until 2026. Transit agencies across Canada are asking the federal government to make this support available sooner.
Why should the federal government provide operating funding?
A new report from Environmental Defence and Équiterre found that Canada can double public transit ridership by 2035 if federal and provincial governments step up investments in expanding transit service hours and frequency, implement bus lanes and improve urban planning to encourage more housing density near transit.
Right now, transit agencies and cities are not allowed to use federal dollars to run more bus, subway, and streetcar service, or to complete preventative maintenance work; federal funding is only used for capital projects like buying new vehicles or building new transit lines.
This means new streetcars and buses could sit empty in the garage! This is why we are calling on MPs to speed up the Permanent Public Transit Fund and allow cities to use it to operate transit.
Riders need safe and reliable public transit. Send a message to your federal Member of Parliament to invest in Toronto's transit needs as soon as possible!