Today, Ontario announced that it would raise the Canadian content in 55 new Line from roughly 25 to 50 percent. The provincial capital subsidy for this purchase will rise from $758-million to almost $1-billion, and the increase will be matched by the federal government who are also funding this purchase. There is no change in the Toronto share.

It is not clear whether the federal contribution is net new money, or merely a reallocation within Toronto’s share of the ten-year transit funding program. A related question is which government(s) will be on the hook for the extra CanCon in future transit vehicles including those for the Scarborough and Richmond Hill extensions, and for added capacity to deal with expected growth. Collectively these account for a potential 57 more trains, doubling the size of the eventual order.

What the announcement did not address is a list of questions about the Toronto subway fleet overall:

• When will the cars be delivered, and how much work is needed to keep the old Line 2 trains operating in the interim?
• When will Metrolinx place the add-on orders to provide trains for the Line 2 Scarborough and Line 1 Richmond Hill extensions?
• How will delivery of the add-on trains affect opening dates for the extensions?
• Will complete replacement of Line 2 trains be delayed because new trains are needed to provide service on these extensions?
• Will the extensions have enough trains to provide full service to the new terminals, or will some trains have to short-turn in peak periods?
• How soon does the TTC project it will require more trains to improve capacity on Lines 1 and 2, and how will these be funded?
• What is the status of funding and timing for new maintenance facilities on Lines 1 and 2 to hold and service the additional trains?
• Will the Automatic Train Control (ATC) technology for Line 2 be the same as the existing system on Line 1, or will the two lines (and their fleets) be limited to use only their “own” trains?

The TTC produces a quarterly report on all its major capital projects with the intent of showing all planned work, but it does not produce a unified chart or timetable showing how everything fits together and where critical links might be in the overall plan. The TTC has a “Strategic Planning Committee”, and this is a complex piece of strategy that badly needs detailed, public review.