Category Archives for "Latest News"

Finch West LRT to open December7, 2025

By Transport Action Ontario | Latest News , Urban Transit

Metrolinx and the TTC have announced that the long overdue Toronto Finch West LRT (Line 6) will open for revenue service on December 7, 2025. It will be Toronto’s first new rail line since 2002. The line runs largely above-ground in the median of Finch Ave. from Finch West subway station to Humber College, a distance of 11 km. There are 18 stops (16 at grade). Finch Ave. was widened as needed to maintain at least 2 general-purpose traffic lanes in each direction, plus cycling lanes. A maintenance and storage facility was also constructed.

The line was constructed by Mosaic Transit Group under a $2.5 billion DBFM contract signed in 2018, including 30 years of maintenance. The project was substantially delayed from its first planned completion date of 2021, due to numerous issues including the Covid pandemic, vehicle delivery issues and litigation.

Like York’s VIVA system, fare payment is off-vehicle, which will be new to TTC streetcar and bus passengers. The anticipated service level is 6.5 minute headways during peak hours and 10-12 minute headways off-peak, which is longer than the current bus headways (i.e. longer waits). The round trip travel time is scheduled for 97.5 minutes, which compares to the scheduled bus round trip time over the same distance of 100 minutes (AM peak) and 122 minutes (PM peak). It remains to be seen if more transit signal priority can be negotiated with the City to improve upon these times.

Toronto Transit Commission Ridership Growth Strategy

By Transport Action Ontario | Latest News , Urban Transit

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is developing its 2026-2028 ridership growth strategy (RGS) and its 2026 budget considerations. Transport Action Ontario participated in the TTC Planning Advisory Group and has submitted input into the RGS. While the draft RGS had numerous components that we supported, our input emphasized the need for more transit-only lanes with enforcement. This is the single most cost-effective way to improve service reliability and attractiveness of the TTC and to meet the transportation needs of a growing region.

We also supported increases in the transit signal priority program and in the express bus, all-day-every-day and 10-minute networks.

Our submission is attached below.

Optimizing the Role of Railways in Building Canada’s Economy

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Northern Ontario

Transport Action Ontario has written to the Premiers of Ontario and Alberta expressing our delight that both governments are considering expansion of rail services in Canada for resource development and increased interprovincial trade. Based on our observations from the decades of diminution of rail infrastructure under largely investor-focused, mainly foreign ownership, we provided the Premiers with a number of pragmatic suggestions including:

1. New and expanded infrastructure should be under public ownership.
2. Use crown corporations such as Ontario Northland Transportation Commission to develop the projects.
3. Consider indigenous partnerships.
4. Minimize U.S. capital and supplies.
5. Comparisons with highway alternatives should include long term and externalized costs.
6. Include consideration of passenger rail service and international rail tourism.
7. Public investment on privately-owned rail corridors must be included to increase resiliency and capacity on a mutually beneficial basis.
8. Provinces should “rail bank” all rail infrastructure considered surplus by private operators.

Our letter can be viewed below.

Photo: CN freight train passing Brantford station.

Mapping Canada’s Intercommunity Bus Routes

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News

Transport Action Canada (TAC) is supporting and working with geographer Sean Marshall to improve Canadians’ knowledge about where intercommunity bus routes operate and where there are gaps in the bus and train network.

Sean presented an update of his work at the TAC Annual General Meeting in Kingston, Ontario on April 5, 2025.  He discussed:

• The importance of intercommunity buses
• Changes between 1983 and now
• Mapping Canada’s intercommunity bus links – features and challenges

His presentation is attached to this posting.

The map can be viewed at: https://www.transportaction.ca/canada-intercity-transportation-map/

We encourage operators to send us their updates, and the map will be updated at least quarterly.  

This is only a first step in improving Canada’s intercommunity bus network.  Transport Action’s plan is to continue to advocate for filling gaps in routes, using joint stations (ideally with VIA Rail and local transit operators), schedule coordination between carriers, central booking of tickets and through-ticketing.  We are also working with other on-line bus services like BusBud and Betterez to integrate platforms to provide complete planning and travel information in one website location.

Photograph: Prevost H3-45 motorcoach by Jason Lawrence CC BY 2.0

VIA Rail cost reduction best achieved by revenue boost

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News

In early July, the Canadian government directed virtually all ministers to find ambitious internal savings and reduce program spending by 15% in the next 3 years. This includes VIA Rail.

However, in the case of VIA, we believe that achieving a 15% reduction in the federal subsidy should not be accomplished by service cuts, as they would decimate the operation. Instead, the much better approach is to increase passenger numbers and revenue so that the subsidy is reduced. The two top ways to do this is for the Ministry of Transport to intervene on the two disputes that VIA has with CN – grade crossing restrictions in the corridor and renewal of the Train Service Agreement.

On July 21, 2025 we wrote to Minister Freeland making these points and referring her to our earlier letter of June 6 for more details. Our July letter can be viewed below.