Steve Munro has just posted something that explains the switches - I assume he knows what he is talking about and am reassured that he and
@smallspy seem to agree. SEE"
https://stevemunro.ca/2025/10/07/ttc-board-meeting-october-6-2025/
Streetcar Switching
During the public session, a deputant used the UITP’s comment about slow streetcar operation as a jumping off point for comments about, among other things, single vs double point track switches. In fact what the UITP presentation said was:
Operational speed for the streetcar is 30 percent lower compared to the global average.
- Streetcar Priority is one of the solutions to increase operational speed.
- Advanced traffic management systems should be considered.
- Automation of switches (motorized) will eliminate stop-look-go and increase operational speed.
The statement about switch automation is misleading in that all of the regularly used turns in the network already are electrified. Other locations that are commonly used for diversions should be added, and much greater integration of the switching with transit signal priority should occur. However, the UIPT
did not flag single point switches as a key issue.
The problem lies in unreliable switch controllers installed decades ago to replace the use of contactors on the overhead system. This was triggered by the introduction of longer streetcars (ALRVs) where the pole was further back from the front of the car than on the fleets of CLRVs, PCCs and older vehicles for which the contactor-based system was designed. Reliability problems with the controllers including failure to switch as directed, or changing a switch under a car, lasted for decades.
New controllers are now being installed, but the program is incomplete, and there is no way for an operator to tell which version an individual switch might have. Stop and go-slow orders apply to all junctions even those with manual switches. Problems are not limited to the switches, but to general maintenance of special work.
Pursuit of the single/double blade issue may provide some benefit, but it should not obscure the more general issue of infrastructure maintenance which, as we have seen, also affects the subway and the now-closed SRT. Moreover, true transit priority is required if the City is to achieve its allegedly pro-transit goals. This should not be lost in the debate over switch technology.
For the record, single point switches are still used on other North American streetcar systems including Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, and New Orleans. These are all “classic” streetcar systems where single point switches were the norm since the introduction of street railways in the 19th century. They are not “bespoke” technology.
The difference in Toronto today is that the low-floor Flexity cars have smaller wheels and this makes the condition of track and especially switches more important than for the earlier vehicles. This was flagged as a future track maintenance issue when the cars were ordered, but that message was lost over time.
