Everything About Toronto's MASSIVE Transit Transformation

[@lgmckay]

Hi Rees, as a former TTC operator I'm amazed by how much I learn about transit from your videos; you should be the Minister of Transportation.

[@RMTransit]

Haha, thank you Gordon!

[@christopher_so16]

He really should be!

[@lucasapacker]

At the very least, if the folks that make decisions regarding transit aren't consulting people like Reece then that's a massive failure on their part.

[@g.r.2985]

I totally agree, but he probably doesn’t want to deal with the politics! And who can blame him!

[@marcheprovencal592]

seconded!

[@holl0r]

Cool, but I really want so see a Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Québec high speed rail line.

[@RMTransit]

We shall see!

[@taleseduardolima]

I want to see it go all the way South to Windsor!

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

This would be great, but I've become content with HFR. For me, cost is more important than time, I'd rather a $20 train every 30 min that takes 4 hours than a $100 train that takes 2.5. Not that HSR has to be expensive or HFR will be cheap, sadly. I just mean speed here is my second priorty since even current via is hard to justify with more than 1 person driving.

[@blackcircle2535]

@@neolithictransitrevolution427 you mean from 4 hours to 30 minutes

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@blackcircle2535 I don't? That would be 500km in 30 minutes... that's faster than a mag lev, like, twice as fast. I mean roughly double the speed, really, at best. But even if I did mean 30 minutes, I wouldn't pay $160 round trip (in my example) more to save 7 hours. Definitely not with more than 1 person anyway.

[@91djdj]

Toronto starts looking like a city that can possibly be the opposite of what American cities are at the moment. It's so convenient having a metro or regional rail leaving every few minutes. While this is easily achievable in urban areas, connecting suburban or even rural areas in an attractive way is a lot more complicated.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

Rural is certainly difficult, but I think if you implement (light) BRT (with Bus lanes) along existing stroads and upzone, along with operating ride shares out of regional rail stations, Suburbs is quite achievable.

[@RMTransit]

It’s sort of like if cities in the Northeast we’re keeping their systems up better!

[@jasonreed7522]

Rural areas at best get transit between town centers, but if you want anything remotely frequent its probably better to just link these towns to a big city and consider the rural sections not as profit generators but as highway uncloggers. (Basically rural will always need something resembling a car, so provide a car-city interface that isn't a highway dumping cars into a city. This is why park and ride should exist as a temporary measure on the outermost station on a line, every other station should try and be TOD)

[@91djdj]

@@neolithictransitrevolution427 Yeah. I think it's time to think about the "District of the future". Not only residential sites but also industry heavy places and other stuff. I would argue that in most cities on earth the different parts of a city are not well linked. You can do game-changing things here when it comes to transport.

[@91djdj]

@@jasonreed7522 True. The question will always remain how a rural area would look with a "better" connection to public transit. But I think hourly buses and, like you said, park and ride would kinda be the first step.

[@eddietat95]

One thing is for certain: Union Station will still be under construction.

[@Azraeel11]

"Always" - Prof. Severus Snape

[@Steve_McMillen]

Toronto transit is really underappreciated. Especially when comparing it to some other cities in North America. Looking forward to seeing how a fully integrated system will look and function once all the different projects have completed.

[@RMTransit]

I agree and things are looking up!

[@vehicularbronchitis1114]

u clearly dont live in toronto

[@User_014]

@@vehicularbronchitis1114 Lol well I do and I honestly think it's great I honestly don't know why people dislike it all the time

[@vehicularbronchitis1114]

its faster to walk then to bus sumtimes g

[@GayvonFartin]

@@vehicularbronchitis1114 then take the streetcar or a subway lol

[@maximnossevitch8966]

All of this is very exciting and great to know! But without merging the Toronto/Mississauga/Brampton/Hamilton transit networks, I think it's a missed opportunity. One of the worst things about transit in these areas is that you have to pay multiple fares. I don't know maybe it changed since I moved out of Toronto but paying $8 in fares per direction to get to University was a pain in the ass

[@RMTransit]

They don’t need to be merged, just better coordinated

[@aidankeys8534]

If I understand the current environment, GO transit and its surrounding city systems (GO and MiWay, for sure)(NOT including TTC) have some form of fare sharing system where through Presto tapping, regardless of the which service you used first and second, you only pay GO transit's base+distance fare.

[@adorabell4253]

A better solution would be more development if those cities do people don’t have to travel into Toronto all the time. And workplaces covering transit passes.

[@maximnossevitch8966]

@@adorabell4253 agreed! We used to develop cities around railways and it was very successful, and also provided reasons to continue developing rail networks. Then the car took over and the boomers went crazy with highways

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

Yep, I’m visiting family in Mississauga atm and was completely taken aback by how expensive a day trip to Toronto ended up being. I’m British so I’m no stranger to expensive train fares, but even the buses felt expensive and don’t get me started on the infrequent timetabling!

[@Fan652w]

Thank you Reece for this extremely informative overview of transit in you home city. (Good to hear that weekend ridership on GO services is back to pre-Covid levels. I think this is also true of a lot of other transit systems - perhaps worldwide. This 'weekend recovery' underlines the fact that public transit is not just for 'work' purposes, but also serves leisure activities.)

[@RMTransit]

Absolutely, we need to remember that people don’t just go to work and then sit at home the rest of the time!

[@TheHalomaster3000]

I use toronto transit most weekends and I can say that it will be nice to finally ride the Eglington line once it opens. Im definitely going to try and be there on opening day

[@RMTransit]

As will I!

[@Bigredfitnessmoshe]

You assume it’s actually going to open one day! As Somebody who lives right off Eglin 10 I’m much more pessimistic that it will ever be done. Almost 10 years now

[@siycles]

@@Bigredfitnessmoshe Covid Played a big part in that, the supply was backed a lot and lots of materials were behind schedule. I would blame the government on this one. Start pressuring the construction companies! Private companies are always more harder on them and the projects finish a lot faster. CIBC square was done pretty fast, along with pinnacle. Offer bonuses in the contract or terms that state it must be done before certain date else reductions in pay will be made.

[@nanaokyere7141]

Wow. I realized there's A LOT happening in Toronto, but didn't know this much! I know that in 10 years, Toronto will be the most talked about city in North America and maybe the world in terms of how much transit is built and how it could stack up to older bigger cities. Line 5 & 6 will be the first to be done next year and those alone will switch the game up. Reese didn't even mention that the city is looking to get different types of LRT vehicles for the Eglinton east extension, splitting line 5 into two lines heading north east to Malvern because of how complicated the tunneling would be with the line 2 extension under construction as I type this. Overall I'm very excited to see Toronto transit go from just a 2.5 line subway system to 5.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

It's also "in the plan" to extend line 4 to the new end of Line 2 in Scarborough, which would be pretty great. The city will have a couple of boring machines sitting around so we'll see.

[@jonb3286]

@@neolithictransitrevolution427 I could see Metrolinx using the resources (such as TBMs) and the lessons learned within these projects to increase RT infra within outlying cities of the GTHA (London LRT or Peel region REM anyone?)

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@jonb3286 NIAGARA. My goodness, I want more transit in Niagara. Start with a Tram along the board walk to connect the GO/Via station through the core, and then expand that out as LRT to Fort Erie (Buffalo) in the south and Niagara on the lake in the North. The region is a tourism hub and the growth there would be immediate. At the same time, take like 4 Diesel Go trains from the current system and use them (on all existing track) to connect Fort Erie -Weland-St.Catherines-Niagara in an arc with ~30 minute service, and another few Diesel trains to run From Niagara-St. Catharines-Stoney Creek- Hamilton Water front - Aldershot (and a few new stops, for example a second in St. Catherines) where connections could be made to the Electric system. Long term Niagara City proper is full of green Hydro Corridors/existing rail ROW to run local trams on. Also put some trains to london on the line going through Brantford and maybe provide GO service Oshawa-Kingston and Kingston - Montreal (great for Cornwall) to replace the Via service moving to the new alignment. But Niagara is meant to be a tourism hot spot and it could be fed and connected into such a powerful region very quickly.

[@nanaokyere7141]

@@neolithictransitrevolution427 Funny enough that line 4 was actually meant to be an LRT extension from Sheppard all the way to Morningside. It got cancelled and put on the shelf thanks to Rob Ford. So now line 4 is just getting some ridership because of all the condos being built around their stations. Time will tell what kind of technology they'll use for that extension.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@Humulator Right? Yet for some reason they run a GO train there to try and increase tourism. But, with a LRT that could take you to your hotel and to the main attractions/along the main Blvd, it would actually be worth visiting for an inexpensive vega alternative. And extend it to Niagara on the lake and Fort Erie, and you actually get some local use plus a few day trips for tourists. Its a simple line, ROW exists/is available on the whole route, it would pay itself off quickly, and it would act as a spine for local transit.

[@andrew20146]

I'd say Bikeshare is an exciting piece of the public transit ecosystem too. The system is getting lots of ebikes and gradually growing to cover most of the City of Toronto. It would be great if Metrolinx uploaded it and integrated it with transit seamlessly across the whole region.

[@RMTransit]

You’re absolutely correct, it’s growing a lot and there are more and more ebikes too, and we are starting to get some decent bike infra!

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

I freaking hate it, why doesn't it take presto

[@LNahid2000]

Bike Share would be the perfect last mile solution for GO Stations outside the city.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@LNahid2000 I think you need a car share along side, somewhat unfortunately. But I think to convince people to use public transit inter-suburb, and not just in Toronto, the car availability is essential. I would say thats okay, because a bigger goal to me is displacing private cars and reducing car usage, and also this may make better uze of our infrastructure which generally sees most traffic in one direction at a time. Also, it gives more leverage fir the city transit agency to influence the cars on the road and in the resale market, which can help with the proliferation of pick ups and SUVs.

[@MrAlen6e]

Bikeshare at every GO station would be an incredible idea

[@noeldass6147]

Can I just say I absolutely LOVE how enthusiastic you are when you speak about transit in general, but especially in this video about Toronto! You’ve made miss it even more!

[@EppelheimTV]

"People find it kinda funny that I talk a lot about Toronto..." Yeah, why should you not talk a lot about Toronto, it's your hometown, so naturally you know most about this place. I don't get why people complain about this. This would be like watching Geoff Marshall and then complaining why the content is about London and the UK.

[@Absolute_Zero7]

@@glaframb Reece graduated years ago...

[@Steve_McMillen]

You know he's not from Toronto when he pronounces it as "To-ron-to" instead of "Tronno"! :P

[@birchtree5884]

@@Steve_McMillen I still call it Tronno and I've only been there briefly in my life

[@RMTransit]

@@Steve_McMillen ah I’ve heard locals say it both way, and I talk differently in videos versus in real life

[@Steve_McMillen]

@@RMTransit All good! :)

[@tahirrizwan6759]

As someone who was born and raised in Amsterdam and moved to Toronto 2 years ago, it’s super exciting to see everything unfold at such crazy speed right in front of my eyes. Like it makes me feel really at home here. I love comparing infrastructures of both these cities. I’m super excited for the Egglington LRT because it fills a big gap between West and East Toronto besides the 512 streetcar and the 2. Koreatown is changing with Mirvish Village, The One on Bloor and Yonge, condos are being built everywhere even wiping out parking lots, and Waterfront is getting new developments like :O I’m seeing so much changing so fast! Love the content you put out since I’m strictly reliant on the ttc and had my fair share of traveling in diff cities with public transport!

[@Stet17]

Lol you even botched the spelling of Eglinton just like the locals do!

[@tahirrizwan6759]

@@Stet17 lmaoooo 😭 guess I’m a Torontonian now haha

[@liannaxiao1651]

@@tahirrizwan6759 a true turono mans 😃

[@tahirrizwan6759]

@@liannaxiao1651 hahaha trying my best! :D

[@lalakuma9]

If only rent is NOT also going up as fast!

[@wtspman]

As much as expansion projects are exciting, there are some systemic challenges in Toronto to the effective movement of surface transit. I am thinking mainly of transit priority signalling. It seems like there had always been lots of talk about what TPS could offer, but then the members of council that represent suburban wards stand in the way of effective implementation. They will fight tooth an nail for their car-driving constituents, but they ignore the needs of the vastly more numerous people who travel on transit.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

If feel this is the reason so much funding is being provided to grade seperations. Its not transit its for cars. At the very least, transit is growing, which will build a greater user base and help with gathering support in the long term

[@Ian-uu7st]

@@neolithictransitrevolution427 thats a good thing. Drivers arent disturbed and transit will move much quicker and more safely. It sounds like you care more about impeding drivers than improving transit. You can have both good transit and car transportation systems.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@Ian-uu7st No you're misunderstanding me, and I didn't say it was a bad thing. But I do think it's important to call out. RM and other transit advocates talk about transit finding being limited and how we have to pick and choose how its used. Whenever you reference free or heavily reduced tickets, it always comes back to limited funding. So when we look at what that funding is used for, I think its important to note that sometimes "transit" funding is really being used to benefit car usage. And if we spent the funding on more trains for higher frequency, we'd likely be able to get more funding for those grade seperations regardless, because cars are more impeded. I do think it can be good to add features to cities that impede car usage. But I also think grade seperations with few transit/car interaction are beneficial. Overall though my point is transit funding should be used in ways that most greatly benefit transit, and we should be more realistic about why certain projects get funding and where funding limits really apply.

[@ricobarth]

@@neolithictransitrevolution427 Yes, weaning people off cars is often more effective than the cold-turkey method, so the "preventing driver revolt" line item (eg, grade separation) in the transit construction budget is a valuable one. But it is real transit cost, because priority goes to things (roads) that already exist.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@ricobarth I'm not sure I fully follow your point, but to wean people off cars I don't think it is effective to make driving more convient. And I would say this makes driving particularly more convient, at 15 minute frequencies with 90km/h 100 meter trains we're talking about one of the least impactful transit lights in a city. I would rather see money going to lower fairs, upgrading local frieght lines to build new services (in Toronto that would be the mid town line, along the 407, and north south Brampton), purchasing more trains to build up higher frequency, and purchasing rentable car and bike fleets for last mile solutions. Grade seperations, while important, shouldn't be seen as needed until transit is creating traffic light stops at similar inconveniences as other cars do. That is my opinion on how would like to see government spending used (Dems' My Tax Dollars!, grrr)

[@jamesg9864]

Thanks!

[@RMTransit]

Thank you!

[@lucky247365]

I remember the huge stink that suburbanites and a few restaurants on king made when the king street pilot project went live. I'm so glad it turned out to be a major success and is now a permanent change.

[@trodg]

Just visited Toronto for a week, the transit system was really easy to learn and was an effective way to travel the city

[@andrei19238]

me too

[@FalconsEye58094]

One of the rising stars of the continent

[@RMTransit]

I like to think so!

[@joe_z]

Rising stars in housing costs, maybe. Transit getting better will only make that problem worse, as much of a good thing as it otherwise is.

[@rollingthunderinho]

@@joe_zyou must’ve have read Canada’s housing crisis response plan. Housing should be fixed by 2030. There’s talk about restoring to 2004 prices by 2031

[@pizzamizza2375]

I live in the GTA and love using the public transit when i visit toronto my only problem with all the projects is that it's going to take a very long time to build as with all new transit projects in the gta and toronto. I wish we could complete them faster but I am still very happy we are building them and not fighting and arguing over them rather than building them

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

The GO electrification is improving quite quickly.

[@jan-lukas]

I thought GTA meant grand theft auto for a second

[@TheTroyc1982]

Well we have a new line opening this year and another one opening next year.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@TheTroyc1982 Plus when should the BRTs be opening? 3 years from now? Followed by GO electrification the next year?

[@GordonSlamsay]

I just took toronto transit for the first time in years (I'm here on a staycation) and was honestly impressed with how quick and honestly comfortable it was. I know the ttc has some systemic issues, but I was overall impressed. also the old subway trains on line 2 are better than line 1 trains. something about the aesthetic.

[@TagusMan]

I took the subway in NYC and it happened to be an older train, maybe from the 60s or 70s. It was just a subway train but the design stood out as much more attractive and interesting than the modern trains. Old school is the best school, just ask the old trolleys in Lisbon, Prague and San Francisco.

[@torink8229]

I agree. I prefer the gritty aesthetic of the line 2 trains as well.

[@mischaskoropad1599]

Reece is one of the few guys that actually knows what he’s talking about in regards to transit and rail transportation. He uses actual facts and plausible ideas in his videos. I work in the industry and been following him for a few months.

[@justcallmeD90]

I do really love living in Toronto and seeing all the transit projects

[@RMTransit]

It’s such an exciting time!

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

MetroLink has done a great job rescuing GO transit from being a subpar commuter rail. I hope to see a MetroHomes one day to take over public housing development on a regional scale.

[@realtissaye]

hahahah that would be great

[@robarandjelovic4068]

Fantastic video! After spending years in Munich, it infuriated me how a city 3x smaller than Toronto could be so far ahead in terms of transportation. You’ve given me hope that we really are catching up - although I might be around to see it all get done :)

[@rdcruick]

I live in Toronto and had no idea such extensive plans were underway. Sounds good to me!

[@SammytheawesomeILikePotatoes]

What an awesome recap of all that's to come! I'm just as excited as you are.

[@RMTransit]

Thank you Sam!

[@arthurcant8507]

Excellent video, as someone in the industry this is such an informative video! Really impressed with everything that you covered, you are extremely knowledgeable with what is happening in the GTHA, seriously great work!

[@fortythreenorth2518]

Used to love the TTC subway as a kid in the 1980's. Was always so exciting to go downtown with my parents or on class trips.

[@DarrenHobinHere]

9:00 Hopefully Brampton and Ontario can eventually agree on the portion of this that was meant to go to Brampton GO. Access to that train line via the LRT would be pretty awesome. It'd also be nice if they moved the Steeles station back to the north-side of Steeles, so that it'd require people to cross less roads to transfer to buses at Gateway Terminal. But I guess that's a slightly different topic.

[@Vespuchian]

Having just got back from vacation where I used GO and UP to get to/from the airport from all the way in central Durham, I can only give praise on how transit options have improved over the last decade, particularly the integration of Metrolinx/Presto making fares entirely painless. To hear the system is going to practically double in coverage and capacity over the next decade is welcome news indeed.

[@cycloid2326]

12:32 On that note, might be worth taking a look a Boston’s electrified regional rail plans, of which phase 1 is set to roll out within the next 10 years.

[@RMTransit]

I’ve taken a look, but it seems to be moving more slowly which your comment seems to reflect. Excited to see what happens

[@darthwiizius]

Projects like this make me want to visit Toronto in about ten years time.

[@RMTransit]

You should!

[@darthwiizius]

@@RMTransit Yes, yes I should. It's going to make the city and region really accessible.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

What I would really love to see along side the great regional rail and metro improvments is some very simple changes to street car operation to give priority and more ROW, and to provide some lines in the surrounding suburbs connecting main streets to the regional station. That and a city car sharing program.

[@drewhester6836]

Car share is hard in Toronto as a lot of people pay for street parking around the city so we have to do designated pickup and drop off areas, which makes it less accessible. I was in Vancouver and you can just drop the cars anywhere and it's amazing.

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@drewhester6836 I would say run it out of GO stations. Massive parking garages, full of free parking, and the cars would generally stay overnight whereas commuters use the parking in the day. It also makes local TOD easier to enforce 0 parking minimums as locals have an accessible alternative. Not quite helpful for downtown Toronto, but I really think it helps the connectivity over the GTA. Its hard using the GO bus to go to Burlington if I don't have someone to pick me up, for example.

[@RMTransit]

@@drewhester6836 I don’t really see why? Let car share cars park free?

[@drewhester6836]

@@RMTransit Yea that works where there is green P, but in a lot of downtown and even uptown neighbourhoods the parking on the street is rented. This means that you can't drop the car there.

[@peanutjones5924]

@@drewhester6836 communeauto has that here where you can drop the car anywhere there is street parking. really convenient for one-way trips

[@MrMinusTwo]

It's so nice to read something positive from someone who is excited about all of the progress Toronto is making. Such a good antidote to all the complaining you normally hear from people who are sick of traffic, etc.

[@raphaelkinney]

Living as a student in downtown Toronto for 5 years was easily my favorite place I have resided in the last decade. It is absolutely true that the public transit goes underappreciated compared to just about every city in North America with the possibility being NYC, just from my own experience. While a student there I actually made myself a little running project and ran aboveground the entire length of the existing Line 2 from East to West. What was so great about the project was taking pictures of each station along the way, visiting all the communities it spanned, and when I was done all I needed to do was hop back on the the line to go home! Or should I had needed to stop at any point I could have done so as well. The route I stringed together I think was the shortest way to each station and was around 31km total. Great video and makes me want to go back!

[@Mereo110]

" public transit goes underappreciated compared to just about every city in North America with the possibility being NYC". You forgot Montréal.

[@raphaelkinney]

@@Mereo110 Also very true! One side of my family lives there even though I never have but in the times I visit it was always spot on.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

Toronto was already a pretty solid transit system and the commitment to making it better in so many ways all at once is really impressive. It’s also incredibly depressing to me when I try to imagine any US region attempting something like this in my lifetime. It’s so necessary and yet so inconceivable.

[@angelazsz]

lol i never thought i’d hear of the ION on youtube! i actually really love it, i’d love to see service more often but it’s been an excellent expansion for waterloo region, i’ve definitely noticed a lot more people will take transit now than before when there were only busses

[@HD-lx5uq]

Great video and well-researched. Thank you! Will be tuning in again! 😃

[@infinousX]

Love this video, commuting to downtown Toronto everyday for work I am thrilled that videos like this exists. Keep up the good work.

[@rtz5668]

Best video's to watch while waiting for your train

[@glennlee6987]

Great summation of Toronto and surrounding region's transit update! Thank you!

[@PSNDonutDude]

Forgot to mention Lakeshore West extension to Confederation Go in Stoney Creek Hamilton, which will likely also get all day 30 minute service when it opens. Construction just started this summer on the station.

[@RMTransit]

Yes that is a good point, it’s exciting to see!

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

Any clue how this will work? It's CN line they will be running on, and a different track than what the Downtown Hamilton track uses. Plus, it won't be electrified, so how will trains be powered if they are running all of LSW with just 1/2 stops unpowered? I have the same question for the LSE extension and I'm dying to find out

[@PSNDonutDude]

@@neolithictransitrevolution427 I'm not completely sure tbh. Running on CN rails has already been done for years to Aldershot station for every 30 minute all day service, so there must have been further negotiations to get beyond Aldershot to West Harbour and beyond. In terms of electrification, I'm also not sure, but I think they may run diesel between the electric trains for the ones that go beyond the electrification boundary. Alternatively, they may have trains that can do both diesel and electric? I'm not too sure tbh

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

@@PSNDonutDude I know Metrolinks now owns the rail from union all the way to Aldershot (or the rail it uses anyway), and that the corridor to Aldershot will be electrified. But I also know its policy for Metrolinks to only electrify track it ownes, so it won't go to West harbor or Hamilton Central. Buying hybrid trains (like NJ has) makes a great deal of sense. To me though, ideally, they run an pure electric trains to Aldershot, and they open a new "Niagara" line with the left over diesels From Aldershot to Niagara with some new stops (including stoney creek, an additional St. Catherines stop, ect). Then just have timed transfers. In the future they might also create an Aldershot - Brantford -London line, which would really Elevate Aldershot to a central hub point, although I think London is a low priority for Ontario Transit. There is also the unlikely option that they us the DMUs from the UP express to run shuttle service on the new Oshawa extension and Aldershot- Hamilton Central, which would still have very high frequency amd capacity. But they hate the DMUs so. What I hope they don't do is have express trains that go to the end of the line be Diesel, and only use electric on the inner portions. Absolute waste of electricification in that case, and waste of Diesels that could be running Niagara or Peel region circulation services on existing trackage. But I worry thats the easiest politically because you buy less trains and deal less with CP/CN, so could happen. I think this is the biggest unanswered question on the whole project.

[@PSNDonutDude]

@@neolithictransitrevolution427 might be a good question to bring up in the Discord since there are a few people there that know a great deal about the electrification project. Tag me if you do!

[@jdarby9351]

I was so confused about Greater Toronto Area transit expansion till I saw your video. Great job, many thanks.

[@mdhazeldine]

That's quite impressive when you see it all together like that. I had no idea about the long BRT lines and the Hamilton streetcar, even though I watch basically all your videos. Also, when was the last time you did a video on the Cambridge ION extension? I don't think i've seen one about that?

[@kartik_sinha]

I must say you people in North America are very patient with the pace of construction. Here in delhi we are very very impatient if it takes more than 4 years to construct a line then people say that the contractor company is working too slow. For example recently the managing director of DMRC inspected the construction progress of the magenta line expansion and said a 12 km stretch (out of 29 km) will be operation by january 2023 and, the people were so annoyed. They expected the complete thing and the pink line extension (12.5km) to open by June 2022 but now by january 2023 only a 12 km section of magenta line will be operationalized and the remaining will take about 8-10 more months to get completed. This is not acceptable and when DMRC says about covid the answer is that this should have led to a maximum 6 month delay. Some even argue that the lockdown was a golden opportunity to expedite construction in congested sections as there was a lot more space available due to low traffic. Infact this was the strategy used by NCRTC to quickly implement the RRTS project and curtsey this decision the construction is running about a month ahead to schedule. The same strategy was used by kanpur, agra, bhopal and ahmedabad metros. So why not Delhi? No one expect DMRC has an answer to that.

[@RMTransit]

People complain lots that it takes too long here, but people are also willing to accept a lot less disruption etc I imagine

[@jasonreed7522]

I'm sure its tons of factors but we are probably just used to slow construction relative to other nations. We all complain but not enough to get the pitchforks out to demand it get done faster. I also wonder at what point in planning various nations anounce their projects, CAHSR was announced and voted on with 0 engineering design done.

[@TheTroyc1982]

Well India is paying for faster construction with the lives of construction workers who die do to more lack safety protocols

[@kartik_sinha]

@@TheTroyc1982 absolutely not. There have zero deaths during construction of metros in the last decade atleast. That stereotype is a thing of the past for government sector projects. Though for private sector there is a lot of scope for improvement and a lot has improved but we need to do more. Last year a contractor for metro was fine approximately usd 170,000. Why? Because during construction the barricades were opened to allow for a concrete truck to enter the site but when they had gone for lunch or something the barricades were not put in place completely. Now to clarify the barricades were opened on the other side of the movement of traffic and the truck had backed in. So they did not feel it is a risk to let it be open because they would have to open it back again to let the truck out. Obviously the authorities did not think so. And the fine was imposed.

[@traestorm]

Nice job, Reece! Thank you for your effort! It's super helpful to have a single video with all of the projects outlined in one place!

[@emily-bd4fx]

I used to ride GO transit a lot to commute into Toronto from Mississauga/Hamilton (would not have had great job opportunities without it!) and also took it a lot on the weekends pre COVID. I was shocked that the GO train was standing room only this weekend for a soccer game. I have never ever seen it that busy before even with concerts/games on but it shows that more people are relying on the regional transit!

[@PhilliesNostalgia]

Could you do a video on what the New York metro area is doing to enhance transit? Whether it be extensions to the HBLR, Phase 2 at least of the SAS (though you did cover that in a Demystified video), replacement of older rolling stock with the soon to be rolled out R211s, which will be CBTC compatible, the finishing works on East Side Access as well as other associated works going on with the LIRR, Penn Station Access, hopefully Amtrak to Ronkonkoma, a brief bit on IBX, which you also talked about at length, and other accessibility works and what not. I know what the NY Metro Area is doing is not comparable to the GTHA, but if there is one American city that is the equivalent to Toronto, I would say it is New York, despite how bumbling the MTA will probably carry out these expansion and works. A dedicated video to NJ Transit would be cool as well

[@user-sr3xs9vu3h]

Great video, I hadn't heard about a lot of these before watching.

[@LouisOnAir]

Just touched down in Toronto, very excited to explore this city for the next few days

[@stefslon]

Enjoy the city!

[@jeremychan9799]

Hey Reece, thank you so much for explaining all the transit projects in Toronto - most of them unknown to most of us! I was surprised when you mentioned the BRT line connecting Toronto with Durham, as I’ve been living in Ajax for a long time and had no idea of this project at all. Please keep making these videos about transit in Toronto as they’re both enjoyable and informative!!

[@kwilsxn]

Incredible video. As a Torontonian myself, this video is both exciting and makes me even more proud of this city.

[@brick6347]

Canada is one of those places I've always wanted to see. Wish I'd done it when I had the chance! Maybe one day, eh!

[@RMTransit]

Come visit!

[@Ban00]

This was a very encompassing coverage of the state of transit in Toronto. Thanks for your time and for sharing

[@ienjoyeatingcheese]

I wish I had your optimism. When economic winds shift, big infrastructure projects suddenly get put on the chopping block. I was a kid in the 90s when GO and TTC were stripped down and barely hanging on. Not to mention when a certain premier FILLED IN a subway tunnel under construction.

[@nihaal142]

Super exciting stuff! Great video man!

[@mattellis7906]

Since you mentioned the Lakeshore West line in your video, I was wondering if you would ever want to spend some time talking about transit in smaller regions in Canada. For instance, GO transit has made it easier for riders from Niagara region to get to downtown Toronto, but, the route still requires a bus-to- train transfer. In recent summers, there has been an infrequent weekend train that connects Downtown Niagara Falls to Downtown Toronto. Mostly, this service feels oriented towards tourists visiting Niagara, but is there any news about future projects to develop transit in Niagara Region? This topic might not be worth a whole video response lol 😆

[@RMTransit]

I have talked about some smaller cities Niagara is certainly interesting though!

[@neolithictransitrevolution427]

I said this somewhere else but Niagara is the region I would like to see the greatest transit investment. 1)A streetcar connecting the GO station through the downtown board walk would be great for connecting Tourists and Toronto commuters. After the 'phase 1' you could extend to Fort Erie/Buffalo south and Niagara on the lake North (ideally hitting the regional airport), and really increase the travel destinations for tourists while also openning up local transit. 2) Since Union to Aldershot will be electrified, add a 'Lake Shore South' line running Niagara - Aldershot, and build some new stops like Stoney Creek and a second in St. Catherines. This really only requires a few new stops. 3) Create a 'Niagara Line' that operates as a circulator for the Region, using existing track, to connect Fort Erie (maybe)- Stevensville (maybe) - Welland - St. Catherines (at the new eastern station/Thorold) - Niagara. Connecting the region 4) Fill the existing hydro Corridors in Niagara with Trams, to connect Niagara Falls through the entire city. There are so many unused tracks and linear corridors in the area. The transit back bone would pay for itself with new USA and Toronto tourism, and once thats built creating connecting lines for locals will have a large multiplier effect.

[@MrAlen6e]

Patiently waiting to experience the Englinton crosstown, I think when it finally open it will truly be a game changer

[@simoneh4732]

It truly is going to be an awesome next 10 years. Enjoyed the comprehensive video. Thanks!

[@uelmills]

Well done! An overview video was needed, and you nailed it. thanks

[@gregderise9969]

What a city! So many simultaneous and comprehensive transit expansion projects underway. Well thought out progress. It’s taken a while through a lot of bumps to get to this point, but it’s happening. It’s great. There’s such a building boom that transit is serving that I think it will be a race to keep up. It’s fantastic what will be in place by 2030, but with the building boom there’s going to need to be some serious additions planned for the next decade or two after these are finished to keep up with the needs of riders who will push the capabilities parts of the system heading toward the 2040s. It takes years to bulls big capital projects so I hope by the close of this decade effort is underway to keep up with population growth and movement, the current building boom which service improvements will only stimulate more of, so that the 2040s don’t overwhelm todays system expansions - which are quite impressive and will result in a really fantastic system around 2030 relative to this decade. If there’s one thing that can be said about Toronto, it’s that it’s not slowing down. It’s already one of the planet’s best most livable exciting cities by whatever metric you choose, and it keeps getting better. Not perfect. But for North America it represents a lot of good things about what a city can and should be. The suburbs have a lot of room for change from American style car culture d design to amore pedestrian/bicycle/transit oriented design. Maybe that inspiration will come as transit grows outward away from the core, the downtown core rapidly moving toward - we hope - fantastic.

[@RMTransit]

It’s true that high density residential drives stuff but not nearly as much as office, which will be well served by all the new very high capacity GO service

[@corinnelaking569]

Very nice. I was honestly not aware of just how many different rail expansion projects were underway across the GTA. We live out in Oshawa, and any time we've traveled into Toronto for events, etc, we use GO and TTC. Thanks for the interesting and informative video. I appreciate your enthusiasm as well!🙂 Regards, Shea Laking

[@luckyluc2158]

Thanks for taking the time to make this. As someone that grew up there I like to keep up with what’s going on. There’s a lot of good and also a lot of bad! Sometimes the urban sprawl horrifies me but seeing all the transit improvements is really impressive.

[@marlonbain9894]

Great video! I learned a lot about Toronto, my hometown. Glad to see investment in transit.

[@ItsJustStevesWorld]

First, I really enjoy your videos, keep ‘em coming. Second, Wow. It’s amazing what can be done when a city/region gets behind public transportation. All this couldn’t be done without Toronto/Southwestern Ontario’s citizens electing a government committed to expanding and modernizing local and regional transportation. It’s such a sharp contrast to what exists in so many major US cities. I wish you’d do a video on Central Florida/Orlando…otherwise known as ‘What kind of massive sh*tshow results when you essentially ignore public transit and urban planning for five decades while your population increases by 1500%’.

[@sollows44]

Have you considered doing a video on why the TTC scrapped its network of trolly buses? Perhaps you have and I haven't found it yet. I'm curious because at the time it was done, I though it was one of the most stupid decisions they ever made. It was particularly bad for lower Bay St. where a clean. relatively quiet street transit system was replaced with diesel units spewing their gaseous excrement and noise into the narrow canyon of stone, concrete and glass . . . the worst possible result for such a dense urban environment. I lived in or near downtown Toronto for about 40 years but I haven't been there for several years. I wouldn't be surprised if Bay St now has one of those battery electric buses you mentioned. I would be more shocked than surprised if it was still using diesel power.

[@alexwong8851]

Exciting stuff! Hopefully, it doesn't get delayed too much like other projects here. I would love to see them eventually extend the Sheppard line east and west so it connects to line 2 and university lines

[@peterj.teminski6899]

And possible extension to the airport and conversion to Automated Light Metro...

[@썬샤인77]

Hi.. I'm from South Korea. And my kid and I are traveling Toronto for two months.. We are really enjoying the public transportation system in Toronto these days.. Actually my kid likes subway sooooooo much, so we go to the subway station and ride subway every weekend.. We're looking forward to ride new subway lines soon!!

[@nicolas3129]

Metrolinx should hire you as a spokesperson. You communicate the vision better than anyone I’ve come across!

[@whitwam2]

“higher ridership than most systems in north America” is so such a low bar to beat :(

[@RMTransit]

It’s not so bad, the top tier of cities in North America do alright on transit ridership

[@matthewbell9236]

I think what really helps Toronto and it’s transit is the lake. What I mean by this, is that the city only needs to focus on 3 sides rather than 4 and the density of the population sprawls fairly evenly from Toronto’s centre core. Whereas if you were to look at a large American city that people will often criticize for being very car-centric (not to say Toronto isn’t), is that the space around the city is fairly barren. Being able to justify implementing public transit due to bordering cities from all sides as well as the ability for bordering cities to help integrate transit collaborations really sets the city up for success. Us torontonians often complain about the TTC, we just don’t know what we really got.

[@DocsimusPrime]

I travelled to Vaughan Metropolitan station from Queen Street East the other day via Subway to purchase a Playstation 5, and let me tell you... I felt so lost. But I LOVED it! I want to explore some of these new areas and take the time to enjoy them. I've lived in Toronto my entire life and felt something new for a change!

[@adamomiceli]

This is the video I was waiting for! Thank you

[@Ynhockey]

I hear about the rapid expansion of Toronto, both the urban and the transit-related, and think Tel Aviv. Almost everything said at the end of the video applies to both cities, and indeed the expansion of both is incredible. Good luck to Toronto.

[@civilape]

With the move to electrification, what's the back up plan for power outages??

[@n.b.3521]

This is all so exciting! I hope it all gets done while I'm still working so I have time to enjoy it.

[@Nishith8]

Kudos to Toronto !!

[@petercos951]

Thank you for this very informative summary!!

[@rdatta]

An excellent and video and recap of in-flight and future transit initiatives. Really well done. One suggestion would be to provide a little more information on projected start dates or links to up to date information. Even without that - this was highly informative. Well done.

[@mattthelombax]

The 501 tracks in the West End from Ronceys pretty much all the way out to Long Branch are getting some major rebuilding done! While it's been a mess, I'm glad the work is being doing. You should see how Louisa - Mimico looks right now. The irony of traffic down to one narrow lane though is it's actually safer to cross the street as a pedestrian on Lakeshore Blvd West than it's ever been (though riding a bike there is worse but there's at least a parallel route).

[@jtepper]

Pretty nice to see the enthusiasm for our transit system! It would nice if the video was a bit more objective though for those who have not been in Toronto. Many aspects of the transit is the busiest in North America but it is over taxed. These changes are long over due! Some things need to worked on more; buses need to have more constant frequency. The dedicate lines for buses are good but having the buses evenly spread out needs to happen. The east subway line mentioned is replacing an LRT line, so it is not new. The new subway line will have less stations, and it will be missing some very needed neighborhoods that depend on transit. Toronto also gets lots of snow, these new surface routes do not appear to account for snow removal unless the city plans to push it on sidewalks. How will pedestrians take transit if they can't get to transit? I have seen this first hand especially in less affluent Toronto suburbs that use public transit. The snow is pushed into piles where pedestrians walk. The expansion is exciting but more thought needs to be giving in the design. For instance the new subway along Shepherd is great but subways need population density for ridership. The zoning along that line needs to change to allow highrises, that area goes into an affluent neighborhood with large suburban houses. I hope things do work out though.

[@RMTransit]

Feeder buses rather than density tend to send lots of passengers into the system in the suburbs. Didn’t want to talk about the SRT, have made many videos about it.

[@japanesetrainandtravel6168]

I did not know about the major upgrades to Bloor and Yonge! That is really exciting news - that and the extension of line 6! Thanks for the update Reece. The only sad part of the video is when you mention all day train service and show footage of a Milton Line Train. Not sure when my line will get this !

[@chrisandrade6198]

Love your content keep going💯

[@rishi7sethi]

Rees, amazing video covering what's happening in Toronto. Thanks for this. Have you done one about zone based fares? I understand this has been proposed in Toronto before but it gets shut down. Would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

[@peachulemon]

I was at the indy race this past week end and I gotta say the street cars was crazy good. We sat and waited for maybe 20mins trying to find a place to go and there was always a street car passing by with tons of people using them. I hope they ad them to Mississauga and the rest of the GTA

[@TheTroyc1982]

the Hurontario Line is under construction and should be running in a couple of years

[@NebulonRanger]

14:55 I used to live in this area, right between the GO and TTC stations, and yeah, even years ago, Reece was very correct. Swear there were signs indicating high-rise development plans on every block, was pretty cool to see. 15:22 This, however, has been planned in various forms for decades, so time will tell if it actually gets built. Kind of wild to me, considering Bowmanville isn't exactly a tiny rural town these days.

[@lewiedewymountaindewy]

you should do a video on Sydney's transit expansions over the last ten years. Sydney has been building metro and LRT lines at fast pace while also improving their current commuter trains network frequency (turn up and go). They are also building a new airport in the west.

[@layperson]

always enjoy your series. Appreciate your take on Toronto. The only take I have is the need for standardization. At least we should try as it helps when replacing parts, maintenance etc. But alas as you point out its getting better. When using trip planner say to Welland or even Hamilton International Airport its not an easy task for seamless pathway from Union to these two examples. My wish Connections to the most in demand destination points within the GGH. Many needs but for standardization base line ...lets try with the most in demand destination points in demand and start from that baseline and move forward hopefully for the better....then just maybe the convenience factor will win over the car.....

[@hollylockhart9423]

Im not sure if I missed it but did you discuss anything about the connections and service to Niagara region? There's a plan that involves hovercrafts across the water for a 30 minute trip supposedly to begin summer 2023. But I believe increased frequency of go service is supposed to be in the works (currently weekday service is ONE train out in the AM and ONE train back in the PM; although buses serve the region hourly... Although not to the same station as the train!!)

[@Twittler1]

I’m not up to date with Canadian local administration boundaries, so forgive me if I’m in error to any degree. I did hear something in this video about the work being done by Peel Regional Municipality (what a cumbersome title), to the west of Toronto itself (Mississauga and ?), and other neighbouring regions. To my mind, it would be much better if the TTC and its neighbouring equivalents were abolished, and replaced with a new Toronto regional transport administration (suitably named so as not to give primacy to any one area in its zone of operation). This would help to coordinate projects much more effectively, instead of the current region v city negotiations (often including refusals) and funding squabbles. One administration, funded by the city and surrounding regions/municipalities, and the province (and maybe the federal govt), with a governing board made up of representatives of each area it serves, in proportion to their populations. My two pennyworth anyway!

[@andrew20146]

Effectively, the province of Ontario plays that role. Not an ideal solution. Creating a regional government for the Greater Toronto area would have close to half the population of the province. I think a single transit agency covering that area would be a bit unwieldy. Functionally it would have to be managed at a smaller scale even within a larger transit agency. I think all we really need is proper fare integration.

[@Twittler1]

@@andrew20146 Transport for London. ?

[@Twittler1]

@@andrew20146 Also, I’m not talking about a Greater Toronto government - just a transport administration. And only for Toronto and the regions it borders. No further out.

[@Twittler1]

@@TreeSymphony52 I do remember travelling out to the terminus on Line 2, and the huge queues of cars picking people up to take them the ‘last mile’ to their homes in Peel. Is she the current mayor? She or whoever are pissing in the wind if they want to make sure Mississauga is distinct from Toronto. Politically, yes. Physically, and viewed from outside? Not so much. Sometimes, the suburbs of a large and growing city have to face up to the reality that they are for all intents and purposes, part of the city. This was recognised in the mid 60s in London, when it swallowed up swathes of the surrounding high population areas of the neighbouring county. Indeed, it ended in the disappearance of one of them, Middlesex. The one little bit of it that wasn’t absorbed into London, was administratively transferred to Surrey, the county to its south. It also meant that Surrey’s administrative centre/county town ended up in London, and that’s still the case. Anyway, I digress. In any case, it won’t be Peel/Mississauga/Toronto that decide this’ll happen, when it’s finally time. It’ll be the Ontario provincial government.

[@RMTransit]

There’s definitely something too that Kevin! I agree!

[@travel9two557]

Im NYC and our transit system is a joke to say the least but I visited Toronto in May of 2019 and quickly fell in love with the city. Couldn’t believe how diverse it was Felt like A much cleaner smaller version of NYC. I saw a lot of growth and development going on. Easily a top 5 North American city IMO

[@Rahshu]

I've been waiting for this video! There is so much happening there it's hard to keep it all straight. I really hope it all goes off without a hitch. That would be great for the Greater Toronto region. May even more ambitious plans be revealed in the years ahead!

[@mkkm945]

This is all so exciting. I wish there was a similar push in the regions of the US closes to Toronto namely Buffalo, Rochester & Syracuse. Connecting those 3 with regional trains would be a win in itself but easy access to Toronto would make things even better. I guess we'll just have to wait on this side of the border.

[@nodnarb5]

Hello Reece, can you make a video about mastering the Toronto city map? Knowing where North, West, East and South is and how to get around without getting stuck in traffic?

[@MihirrPanchaal]

This was so well researched!!! Thanks for making this. Do you know when the park lawn and woodbine stations are going to be built?

[@trentonc9141]

Great video. I'm curious about something, why has TTC and GO never created a station on Eglington just east of Wynford Drive? In other words, a stop on the bridge that can go down to the GO line under it via elevators. I realise the Don River is there but can't they build any types of platforms somewhere down there? With that GO line going from Cummer to Union, an Eglington stop means that travelers would be going directly to Union station without and other stops in about 15 minutes. I guess now that the Ontario Line is going to be on Don Mills, that stop could be considered redundant. Although a 15 min train ride from Eglington to Union is much better than any other transit plans they already have. That area does have a straight section so it avoids curved platform with those big gaps like the curved track platforms in London. Your thoughts? One other thing, do you think TTC will ever do a zone system like London's tube system? This way they can combine GO with TTC to be a merged payment (as opposed to paying for each one individually). It's kind of odd that a trip from the Eaton Centre to Yonge/Bloor costs the same as a trip from the Eaton Centre to the Toronto Zoo. Thanks again

[@scottfaulds2645]

How about Sheppard line, whats going on with that line?

[@torontovo]

I would love for Toronto to become a walkable city. Stop all the cars, from coming in too much traffic.

[@TheTroyc1982]

A walkable city has nothing to do with removing cars, it's about having placed nearby to walk to. Toronto is already a walkable city.

[@torontovo]

@@TheTroyc1982 I said what I said. That's your opinion, I would like to see less cars in the inner city and more sidewalk where people can feel safe to travel across the road. Instead of ubers and crazy taxi drivers hunting down their customers. So in my opinion its not walkable yet. Feel free to respond don't care for any feedback. Thank you

[@PaulFerrer]

Great video! Excited for Brampton to finally have all day GO train service.

[@OrsonS]

Wow. Amazing work man.