In Toronto, a Major Victory for Light Rail

It was an $8.4 billion question that had simmered all year, but finally boiled over this week at Toronto City Hall during a no-holds-barred debate that may well determine the future of city’s transit expansion.* http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/02/toronto-major-victory-light-rail/1202/ For years, Toronto struggled to modernize and expand its transit system, which now carries about 500 million riders annually, […]

LRT victory in Toronto

Victory in Toronto as Mayor’s all subway plan defeated by council Toronto’s Mayor Ford lost anti-light rail battle “Ford loses council transit battle TTC chair’s proposal revises portions of Transit City plan” http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/02/08/toronto-transit-debate-city-hall.html Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has lost his battle in the City Council to save his all-subway vision for future rail transit. Instead, […]

The fictitious war on cars

Why the automobile is not ai??i?? and has never been ai??i?? endangered Jennifer Good ai??i?? The Brock Press (Brock University) Canadian University Press http://cupwire.ca/articles/50669   Bike lanes don’t slit cars’ tires. There’s no war zone here. (Photo courtesy of Paul Krueger/Flickr Creative Commons.) ST. CATHARINES (CUP) ai??i?? “The War OnAi??Cars.”Ai??It’s a slogan that I first […]

Toronto Meet Your New Ride

New Toronto Streetcars http://lrv.ttc.ca/Ai?? is the website from the TTC on the new streetcars. The Toronto Transportation Societyai??i??s December newsletter has some interesting thoughts on the vehicle as well as photos of the half mock-up. The first 80 cars will have both pole and pantograph with the remainingAi?? (109 or 116 depending on the order) […]

Toronto Elected a Ford, But Instead got An Edsel

Toronto mayor, Rob Ford, is an American tea-bag clone or clown (depending if one voted for him or not) who had big transit ideas. No more streetcars, no LRT, but miles and milesAi??(sorry kilometres and kilometres) of new subway construction. Well, financial reality has hit with a big bang and with Mayor Ford’s unwanted help […]

A Ford Fiasco In Toronto

There are many in the Metro Lobby crowd that think moneyAi??grows on trees and taxpayers just love paying more taxes and modern LRT is nothing more than an “European concept” andAi??not really applicable here in Canada or the USA. What is applicable for grand metro schemes is the extremely high cost of construction and I […]

Around Canada

A column published by The National Post says Toronto has a fetish for streetcars and what the city really needs is more rapid transit subways to make it a world class urban area. The commentary compares Toronto with London and its Tube system:http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/06/10/kelvin-browne-derailed-by-the-spacehog-streetcar/ Every city with aspirations for greatness insists on good transit, and subways […]

LRT and Subway Construction Costs

From the Toronto LRT Information Blog http://lrt.daxack.ca/blog/ Discussions on Toronto and GTHA LRT Possibilities Much of this site is devoted to promoting LRT as a viable alternative to Subway for rapid transit expansion within the GTA where capacity needs exceed or will exceed that of bus operation, but do not warrant a Subway level of […]

April Fool from Rob Ford

Rob Ford’s Designs on Metrolinx (Update 2) http://stevemunro.ca/?p=5061 Posted on April 1, 2011 by Steve Updated 9:45am: Environmentalists scoffed at plans to convert rail corridors to roadways.  “Electrification of GO was our big chance to show the world just how green a transit system could be”, said Jamie Kirkpatrick of the Toronto Environmental Alliance.  Trains […]

The Good & Bad; News from Toronto

Firstly the good news; Toronto's transit system will receive 39 kilometres of new subway and light rail track in a $12-billion expansion package announced by the province and city on Thursday. Ontario invests billions in Toronto transit 'spine' http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110331/toronto-transit-announcement-110331/ ctvtoronto.ca Thu. Mar. 31 2011 1:01 PM ET Toronto's transit system will receive 39 kilometres of […]