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DSCToronto said:
Most tracks were NOT encased in concrete. See: https://www.ttc.ca/about-the-ttc/projects-and-plans/Russell-Carhouse ":The Russell Yard upgrade project includes: Replacing all yard tracks with concrete-embedded track rail and switches."
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As noted above, wrong yard ;)

fiendishlibrarian said:
We are looking at Leslie, not Russell. I'm also curious about that CLRV off to the side: thought they were all up at Rockwood.
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Only the historical ones (4001 and 4089*). There were two, 4081* and 4124, which were originally retained with a view towards possible conversion to work car. Those didn't go up to Rockwood. I'm not sure what the future holds for those - I've heard a rumour that a private individual has expressed interest in taking one of them, but I'm not sure how reliable that is.

* For the number trackers, it was originally 4081 that was supposed to be the historic car, not 4089, but somewhere along the line some difficulty occurred.
 
hawc said:
Why are they tearing up the tracks on King just west of River? They look new.
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Look up about 6 posts...

1754773584786.png


This is, almost, the last section of King between Bathurst and River where the TTC are using the period with no streetcar service to do (long-overdue) repairs to the margins and in some blocks, the tracks themselves. Here they are only replacing deteriorated margins.
 
DSCToronto said:
Look up about 6 posts...

View attachment 672311

This is, almost, the last section of King between Bathurst and River where the TTC are using the period with no streetcar service to do (long-overdue) repairs to the margins and in some blocks, the tracks themselves. Here they are only replacing deteriorated margins.
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As well as the deteriorated concrete in the margins, I believe that they are also doing carstop rail replacement. The rails at stops and intersections gets worn down faster than elsewhere, so it gets replaced more frequently.

Dan
 
hawc said:
Ah. Alright goood to know.

When you look at the incredible amount of infrastructure require to keep the streetcars running, and when you look at how disruptive it is to replace that infrastructure, I bet a few people have wondered whether it would be easier to just run electric buses. Just have crazy frequency of them to deal with the fact they carry less.

Also, am I crazy or does it feel like the new streetcars are way bigger but almost have less room inside? Feels like you could pack more people into the old streetcars. Now I know these ones are longer, but it's weird they almost feel like its a less efficient layout inside. Same with the current buses. Feels like less room to sit and stand inside. It's like those huge SUVs that actually feel smaller inside than a little VW Golf.
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You seem to ignore the fact that greatly increasing the number of vehicles will greatly increase the general traffic congestion and one of the main costs of operating transit is wages - more vehicles means more operators. You also need to remember that, though streetcar tracks and overhead need repair, so does the subway and much of the time taken while King/Church has been closed was for City watermain work - that is generally and sensibly usually done at the same time. The usable space inside the new streetcars (and buses) is constrained by the fact that they were designed, as they should have been, to accommodate those with mobility challenges - the old streetcars (much as I liked them) were virtually unusable by many people.
 
hawc said:
Also, am I crazy or does it feel like the new streetcars are way bigger but almost have less room inside? Feels like you could pack more people into the old streetcars. Now I know these ones are longer, but it's weird they almost feel like it’s a less efficient layout inside. Same with the current buses. Feels like less room to sit and stand inside. It's like those huge SUVs that actually feel smaller inside than a little VW Golf.
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This video goes into the comparative layouts. When the C/ALRV replacement was being tendered I thought 70%LF was the best choice not just for seating but also for truck design given the tight loops and steeper grades of the legacy system.

The process by which it was decided that downtown cars must be 100%LF was weird at the time. It’s difficult to not think the desire to hand Bombardier a mega order for Flexities played into this, though I am not sure this was ever proven. The more different the cars were, the more difficult to justify not tendering them as separate orders, and of course in the end after the uptown project became Metrolinx’, this became more or less the case with the Alstom order and the reworking of the 600 car contract with Bombardier to have two different customers and a lower car count. A 300+ standalone standard LRV order would surely have drawn significant interest from competitors if they didn’t have the poison pill of the downtown cars to provide.

At the same time, perhaps without the mandatory on-street car stops of the downtown system, the uptown LRVs could have been high floor - but that might have put Siemens in pole position given their existing Canadian high floor customers.
 
dowlingm said:
This video goes into the comparative layouts. When the C/ALRV replacement was being tendered I thought 70%LF was the best choice not just for seating but also for truck design given the tight loops and steeper grades of the legacy system.

The process by which it was decided that downtown cars must be 100%LF was weird at the time. It’s difficult to not think the desire to hand Bombardier a mega order for Flexities played into this, though I am not sure this was ever proven. The more different the cars were, the more difficult to justify not tendering them as separate orders, and of course in the end after the uptown project became Metrolinx’, this became more or less the case with the Alstom order and the reworking of the 600 car contract with Bombardier to have two different customers and a lower car count. A 300+ standalone standard LRV order would surely have drawn significant interest from competitors if they didn’t have the poison pill of the downtown cars to provide.

At the same time, perhaps without the mandatory on-street car stops of the downtown system, the uptown LRVs could have been high floor - but that might have put Siemens in pole position given their existing Canadian high floor customers.
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Bombardier is capable of making a high floor or partially high floor LRV. They have built some for customers in the US. I thought the push for 100% low floor cars was lead by ACAT.
 
APTA-2048 said:
Bombardier is capable of making a high floor or partially high floor LRV. They have built some for customers in the US. I thought the push for 100% low floor cars was lead by ACAT.
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That’s true - Minneapolis was 70% LF. That was a Swift model.
 
The first part of the TTC's 2026 elicited strong and clearly negative feedback in regards to the Yorkville/Rosedale changes. They are gone.

1755106297479.png


On balance, I agree this was the correct call. The proposals, as structured, created more problems than they solved.
 
TTC invites public feedback on 2026 Annual Network Plan

Aug. 13, 2025

The TTC is inviting members of the public to share feedback on its 2026 Annual Network Plan, which outlines proposed routing and service changes for the coming year.

The 2026 plan places strong emphasis on enhancing service for three priority groups: women, shift workers, and lower-income customers. By focusing on equity and convenience, the TTC is working to ensure that transit better serves the diverse needs of Toronto’s communities.

“Transit is about access to jobs, education, and opportunity,” said Mayor Olivia Chow. “The TTC’s Annual Network Plan is an opportunity to further build a system that reflects the needs of our city’s diverse communities. I encourage everyone to take part in shaping the future of transit in Toronto.”

“We’re committed to building a transit system that works for everyone,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “This consultation process allows us to hear directly from riders and ensure that our network reflects their priorities, especially those who rely on transit most.”

“We’re listening to our customers and using their feedback to guide meaningful improvements,” said TTC CEO Mandeep S. Lali. “Our goal is to deliver a world-class transit system that is safe, reliable, and accessible to all.”

From August 13 to 24, the TTC is seeking feedback on two key areas:

• Express Bus Network Review
• Proposed construction-related service diversions

Customers can share their input by completing an online survey or attending one of several in-person events:

• Aug 14 – Kipling Station (7:30–9:30 a.m.)
• Aug 18 – Kennedy Station (7:30–9:30 a.m.)
• Aug 19 – Don Mills Station (4:00–6:00 p.m.)
• Aug 20 – Yonge & College (Stop ID #848, 4:00–6:00 p.m.)

This round of consultations follows an initial round held in July. The 2026 Annual Network Plan is shaped by feedback from TTC customers, employees, and community members and aims to improve connectivity and accessibility across the transit network.

For more information and to complete the survey, visit ttc.ca/annualnetworkplan.
 
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