TTC secures funding to buy 55 new subway trains for Line 2

The Toronto Transit Commission is getting much-needed new subway trains to replace its aging fleet on Line 2.

The federal government joined both the province and City of Toronto in a funding announcement Friday that will see all three levels of government contribute $758 million each to the $2.3 billion purchase of 55 new subway trains for the Bloor-Danforth line.

The federal contribution is part of $1.2 billion the City of Toronto will receive over the next decade as part of the Canada Public Transit Fund program.

Opened in 1966, Line 2’s current fleet of 61 trains currently operating from Kipling to Kennedy will near the end of their useful life starting in 2026 while the current fixed-block signalling system has been in service for 58 years in some sections.

TTC officials had warned that if new trains weren’t forthcoming, they would need to start rebuilding the old ones which would present challenges with integrating them into the new signalling system being deployed across the entire transit system.

The derailment of the Scarborough RT in July 2023 raised even more concerns about the state of good repair along Line 2.

“Today’s announcement from all three governments means we will be able to immediately get moving on ordering new subway trains for Toronto,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “In September the Board gave our CEO authority to issue the RFP for the trains as soon as funding was confirmed. We will move as quickly as possible to get new trains and install a modern signalling system, ensuring the long-term reliability of Line 2 for riders.” 

At its board meeting in September, the TTC issued RFPs for 55 replacement trains for Line 2 and 15 expansion trains for the Yonge North Subway Extension and Scarborough Subway Extension. The expansion trains are fully funded by the Ford government.

It’s uncertain when the new trains will arrive but the TTC had indicated if orders were placed by March 2025 the first trains could could be available by 2030. At Friday’s announcement, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed the new trains will be built in Thunder Bay.

TTCRiders, the rider advocacy group, celebrated the funding announcement. “The hundreds of thousands of subway riders who use Line 2 are thrilled that the federal government has listened and chipped in their share of funding for new trains,” said TTCriders spokesperson Nigel Morton in a release.