Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Toronto's light rail dreams - er nightmares

Kevin McGran writes that Toronto is like no other city in the world.

TTC shops for streetcars - Toronto Star - April 10 2006

Perhaps so, but let us not ascribe this to its geography.

Toronto's transit officials reveal the expense and difficulty - or even impossibility - of replacing the TTC's streetcar fleet. Meanwhile TTC chair Howard Moscoe openly admits that the existing versions are costly to operate and not accessible to the disabled. Surely the technical and economic feasibility of acquiring effective replacements should be assured before considering extending rails to the far corners of the metropolis.

It seems then that what makes Toronto unique is that it is embarking on an ill-advised venture into light-rail - without any semblance of a transportation or financial plan.

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