This past Wednesday, TTC Commissioners decided to rebuild only 100 CLRVs of its fleet of 196. The rebuilds would begin in 2007 and ramp up to 30 cars per year by 2009, extending the thirty-year design life of these vehicles by another twelve.
TTC staff and commissioners are recommending that new vehicles replace the remaining 96 CLRVs. This arrangement will not only maintain the fleet, but give the City flexibility in expanding the system. Given that Toronto’s streetcar fleet is already operating at near capacity, proposals to expand the system, with LRTs on Kingston Road, Eglinton Avenue, the Waterfront and elsewhere, would require new vehicles to be purchased, anyway. By replacing half of the CLRV fleet with new vehicles, vehicles to expand the fleet could be purchased at a substantial discount. Also, it prevents a possible double-cohort of vehicle retirements, since the ALRVs reach the end of their design life starting in 2018.
The approved proposal calls for a prototype for a new vehicle to be delivered to Toronto by 2010, with at least 64 new vehicles delivered between 2011 and 2014 (a further 27 vehicles would be needed to increase service beyond what now operates).
Steve Munro has more details here. He notes that this approach is more costly than simply rebuilding the current fleet of CLRVs, but it is a step that ensures the future of Toronto’s streetcar network, and opens the door for a real expansion. He calls on Toronto’s transit supporters to lend Toronto’s politicians some political backbone:
We need to see a real push from TTC Commissioners (who are also members of Council) and leadership from the Mayor’s Office. In a recent Toronto Star article, David Miller fantasized about a network of LRT lines in the city. Well, you don’t get new lines without new cars, and it’s time for Mayor Miller to support an aggressive LRT fleet plan.
…we need a serious debate and commitment to a streetcar/LRT network in Toronto. This cannot wait for more interminable, tri-partite negotiations.
