TTC unveils new low-floor streetcars
Posted November 15, 2012 8:56 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TTC chair Karen Stintz unveiled the transit commission’s new low-floor streetcars that will replace the city’s aging fleet at a news conference on Thursday.
The cars, built by Bombardier Transportation Canada Inc., will likely be in use by 2014.
MP Peter Van Loan, Ontario Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli, and Bruce McCuaig, the president and CEO of Metrolinx, were also on hand for the announcement at the TTC’s Hillcrest Facility.
Test runs, without passengers, will be conducted in 2013, Stintz tweeted on Thursday. The streetcars will be weighted as if passengers were on board.
The streetcars will eventually be used along all 11 of Toronto’s existing streetcar routes, according to the TTC website.
Bombardier built the 204 new vehicles, which are air-conditioned and have more seating capacity, larger windows and room to accommodate bikes, at a cost of $1 billion.
The city of Toronto and the TTC are committing $662 million and the province is contributing up to $416.3 million.
The new vehicles are equipped with Presto card readers and can accommodate 251 passengers – 68 more than the current streetcars.
Currently, the streetcars carry 250,000 riders each weekday.
The new vehicles are expected to last for 30 years.
The TTC released this time-lapse video of the streetcars in transit. Watch it below or click here to view.
