Toronto transit lagging behind other major cities: report

WATCH: A new reports says Toronto’s public transit is lagging behind.

TORONTO:  Despite strong ridership, the growth of Toronto’s rapid transit is lagging behind other large Canadian cities, according to a new study.

Toronto has added just 18 km of rapid transit lines in the past 20 years, less than Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa, according to a study by the Pembina Institute.

The stunted growth is despite Toronto having the highest ridership of any large Canadian city with 133 annual rapid transit trips per capita, according to the report. The next closest city is Ottawa with 104 annual rides per capita.

Toronto’s public transit is often used as a political tactic, says co-author of the study Cherise Burda.

“Toronto has been spending a lot of time making transit into a political football. Every city debates transit technology, but we are the only city that stops building because of that,” she said.

Chandra also suggested new public transit is needed to meet the demand.

“We are a city of transit users. The fact the droves come out to look at the new street car is a testament to how we passionate are. We want to make sure the passion doesn’t turn into frustration.”

Metrolinx is currently working with the city of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) on several transit expansion projects including the Union Pearson Express which will provide rail service connecting Union Station with Terminal 1 at Pearson Airport and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT which will add 19 kilometers from Mount Dennis to Kennedy Station.

Amin Massoudi, director of communications for Rob Ford, touted the mayor’s transit accomplishments in  a statement Friday.

“While the Mayor agrees that more needs to be done and more subways need to be built, we are happy to say that this term has been highly productive when it comes to investing to maintain and expand Toronto’s transit system.” Massoudi said.

The mayor convinced council to vote for an extension of the Bloor-Danforth line into Scarborough in October – a plan which cancelled a fully-funded light rail transit plan for the same area.

While Toronto hasn’t built many rapid transit lines, the city leads all major Canadian cities with 87 kilometers of bus lines opened in the past 20 years, according to the study.