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Admiral Beez said:
That’s just insane. Akin to me saying my family food budget has been rolled back by ignoring the furnace and roof replacement. If we’re this level of screwed we should have never built the LRT.
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We're the economic engine of the province and the largest contributor to Canada's GDP. If Toronto can't afford to run a measly LRT line, then we should just give up on municipal government. Municipalities are expected to collect substantial revenue and fund their own capital and operating expenditures. It seems like this model is failing for us. Toronto isn't a flashy city and has to get by on utilitarian infrastructure at best.

So higher orders of government, provincial and federal, should probably pay for these large projects instead, unless local government can collect sufficient revenue (which we cannot).
 
Admiral Beez said:
That’s just insane. Akin to me saying my family food budget has been rolled back by ignoring the furnace and roof replacement. If we’re this level of screwed we should have never built the LRT.
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I assume this shift of cash is to achieve better service outside of the budget cycle. I'd assume the 2024 budget will bring more funding for both existing transit and Line 5. Creative budgeting!
 
Admiral Beez said:
That’s just insane. Akin to me saying my family food budget has been rolled back by ignoring the furnace and roof replacement. If we’re this level of screwed we should have never built the LRT.
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I suspect it's more a negotiating tactic than anything else (akin to when they proposed closing Line 4 to save money in the 2000s). And don't forget the only funding they've recommitted to expansion is the 2023 budget for operating the Crosstown - which won't happen.

Ontario's failure to provide any additional funding for transit operation in 2023 is causing issues for large transit systems. At the same time, Ontario is yet to spend all it's special Covid funding from the feds, and is now running a surplus. The solution is clear.
 
felix123 said:
We're the economic engine of the province and the largest contributor to Canada's GDP. If Toronto can't afford to run a measly LRT line, then we should just give up on municipal government. Municipalities are expected to collect substantial revenue and fund their own capital and operating expenditures. It seems like this model is failing for us. Toronto isn't a flashy city and has to get by on utilitarian infrastructure at best.

So higher orders of government, provincial and federal, should probably pay for these large projects instead, unless local government can collect sufficient revenue (which we cannot).
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If European countries subsidize their cities' public transit, why can't Canada. Even the airlines and airports in Canada get subsidies of some sort.
 
W. K. Lis said:
If European countries subsidize their cities' public transit, why can't Canada. Even the airlines and airports in Canada get subsidies of some sort.
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In these small European countries, transit is under the auspices of the national government - not local government.

In Canada, it's the responsibility of the provinces. And they do subsidize operations. Meanwhile the feds subsidize capital investment.

Though I'm not aware of much subsidy in Canada (outside of Covid) of airlines and major airports. I believe Pearson is supposed to make money, or at least break even; including capital investment.
 
nfitz said:
In these small European countries, transit is under the auspices of the national government - not local government.

In Canada, it's the responsibility of the provinces. And they do subsidize operations. Meanwhile the feds subsidize capital investment.

Though I'm not aware of much subsidy in Canada (outside of Covid) of airlines and major airports. I believe Pearson is supposed to make money, or at least break even; including capital investment.
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In Ontario, the province subsidizes Metrolinx (GO Transit & PRESTO) operations. Not much for the TTC, nor any other municipalities' operations.

The only direct operational funding the TTC gets right now from governments other than the city is a small slice of the gas tax from the province, traditionally split between operations and capital, which last year amounted to about $186-million. The province hasn’t contributed serious money to TTC operations since the era of then-premier Mike Harris.​
From link.

Which means as we can expect even less from the gas tax as we switch over to electric vehicles.

See link for the breakdown of 2022-23 Gas Tax Funding by Municipality
 
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I read that part of the St. Clair streetcar ROW will be closed for maintenance projects. Streetcars will be replaced with buses that will run on the street. Sounds like a disaster. Could this conceivably also happen to the Crosstown (assuming one day it opens)?
 
mrgrieves said:
I read that part of the St. Clair streetcar ROW will be closed for maintenance projects. Streetcars will be replaced with buses that will run on the street. Sounds like a disaster. Could this conceivably also happen to the Crosstown (assuming one day it opens)?
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Jeez. Isn't that ROW less than a dozen years old? What could possibly take it out of service?
 
Admiral Beez said:
Jeez. Isn't that ROW less than a dozen years old? What could possibly take it out of service?
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Built 2006-2010 making it due for track replacement now the tanks no long run on it.
 
T3G said:
Call me crazy, but wouldn't it have made sense to build trackage that could withstand CLRV operation along it?
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TTC has been rebuilding their system with a new style where the tracks are supposed to last 20-25 years, the subbase including the ties 50 years and the base 75-100 years. Curbs will see replacement sooner since there take more pounding than straight track. Switches have no timeframe other than when they need to be replace. Most to all of us. if not all us will be around to see if it really will happen for the first 2 timeframe and none for the full cycle .

Even after TTC has build areas to the new style, rails were replaced after 5 years because pounding of the CLRV's on straight tracks.

TTC claims its faster to remove the topcoat and then remove the rail from the clips and then replace the top coat once the new rail in place.

Given I have seen at least 5 different methods for laying tracks, no idea at this time if TTC is the better way of doing it.
 
mrgrieves said:
you guys aren't reading the facts on it. doesn't have to do with tracks
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Concrete and track repairs will occur at various locations along the route including at Bathurst, Vaughan and in Oakwood Loop. Track lubricators will be added at Oakwood and Earlscourt Loops to reduce wheel squeal.

Crosstown ROW and TTC ROW are 2 different animals with Crosstown seeing less impact on it.
 
drum118 said:
Concrete and track repairs will occur at various locations along the route including at Bathurst, Vaughan and in Oakwood Loop. Track lubricators will be added at Oakwood and Earlscourt Loops to reduce wheel squeal.

Crosstown ROW and TTC ROW are 2 different animals with Crosstown seeing less impact on it.
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how are the at-grade sections different? can regular maintenance also long-term shut down the line?
 
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