The TTC Board agenda for its April 16 meeting includes a pair of reports giving the year-end status for the Operating and Capital budgets, as well as a detailed update on major capital projects.
In this article, I will review the status of major projects to summarize info for readers. In a separate article, I will turn to the 2025 operating results. Those wishing more detail should refer to the full reports.
An important factor with many projects is that they are multi-year efforts, and some of them are not fully funded. This has different implications for various types of projects such as:
- A project might still not have full funding, but a portion can proceed with the hope of additional moneys appearing along the way.
- A project might have stages, but only be funded for some of them. A new vehicle purchases might have money for part of an order, but not for a sustained rollout.
- Projects could be interrelated in that full exploitation of benefits cannot be achieved without completion of both. For example, a new Automatic Train Control cannot work without a fleet that can “talk” to the new signal system. Larger fleets cannot be accommodated without new storage and maintenance facilities.
Although these are large and in some cases quite expensive projects, this is not an exhaustive list. Some parts of TTC State Of Good Repair budget involve areas with many smaller projects (for example, building and structures maintenance) that are quite large in the aggregate. Vehicle overhaul is an ongoing cost, but it is not listed as a “major project” because it is routine work. These items do not appear in the Major Projects report although they comprise a large portion of the capital budget.
The projects discussed here are:
- Subway Work Car Fleet and Maintenance
- Station Easier Access, Second Exits and Fire Ventillation
- New Subway Cars for Lines 1 and 2
- ATC Signals for Line 2
- Rogers 5G Rollout
- Capacity Enhancements for Lines 1 and 2
- Bloor-Yonge Capacity
- Scarborough Busway Project
- New Buses for Conventional and Wheel-Trans Service
- eBus Charging Systems
- Facilities for the Expanded Streetcar Fleet
- New TTC Operations Centre
- VISION (Vehicle Tracking System) Implementation
- SAP Enterprise IT System Implementation
- PRESTO System Upgrade
Subway Work Car Fleet and Maintenance
The condition of the work car fleet in the subway is very much in the news thanks to two recent spills of hydraulic fluid requiring suspension of regular service on Line 2. This is an echo of a major spill in 2024 that was the subject of a review and in changes to maintenance and operating practices. See:
I wrote about the 2026 incidents recently and will not repeat that review here.
The year-end financial report linked at the top of the article contains a short reference to the work car fleet.
Rail Non-Revenue Vehicle Overhaul
$2.1 million or 57% of the 2025 Approved Capital Budget of $3.8 million was spent in 2025. The underspend was primarily driven by the Workcars Overhaul project schedule slippage (Workcar Hydraulics and workcar RT8), as well as a shift in the overall program direction. Based on a high-level assessment, considering the age of the vehicles (workcar RT27 and RT40), it was determined that the estimated costs
associated with the overhaul versus procurement were comparable. As a result, the program adjusted to directly procuring new vehicles, which resulted in lower spending for the year. [p. 10]
The TTC has not published an overview of its work car fleet including plans for major overhaul, replacement or expansion. Some items in the Major Projects Update flag the lack of available work cars as a scheduling problem affecting projects timelines. This has been compounded recently by a push to get as much SOGR work out of the way as possible before FIFA crowds arrive.
Affected projects include:
- Rogers 5G Installation
- Lines 1 & 2 traction power upgrades
Easier Access Program
Retrofitting of elevators to all subway stations is running behind the Provincially mandated completion date of January 1, 2025. Reasons for delay at the remaining stations vary, but many will be completed soon.
This project is fully funded. As of year-end there was $259-million remaining to spend.
| Station | Status | Projected Completion |
|---|---|---|
| Greenwood | In operation February 2026. See Museum Station below. | |
| College | Under construction, 91% complete | Q2 2026 |
| Museum | Under construction, 89% complete. Museum and Greenwood were delayed by the failure of the original elevator subcontractor. | Q3 2026 |
| Spadina (North) | Under construction, 91% complete | Q3 2026 |
| King | Under construction, 65% complete, This project has difficult site conditions due to adjacent buildings. | Q4 2026 |
| Islington | Under construction, 58% complete There are schedule risks related to Hydro and road works on Islington. The initial configuration will use a ramp from street level to the concourse, but an elevator will be included as part of planned redevelopment of the site. An elevator will link the concourse and train platform. | Q4 2026 |
| Old Mill | Under construction, 26% complete. This project was delayed to settle property acquisition. | Q3 2028 |
Second Exits Program
Second exits are to be provided to meet Fire Code at subway stations. Many of these are already in place, but some stations remain in various stages of design and construction. There is no legislated due date for this work.
At year-end, the project budget had $86.2-million remaining, but only $60.6-million of this is funded.
| Station | Status | Projected Completion |
|---|---|---|
| College | Under construction | Q2 2026 |
| Dundas West | Under construction: managed by Metrolinx | Q4 2027 |
| Summerhill | Under construction: managed by developer | Q1 2028 |
| Greenwood | Planning. Stakeholder outreach in progress re location and construction issues. | TBA |
| TMU | Planning. Discussions with an adjacent developer for integration of a second exit from the northbound platform. A southbound exit is planned as and when nearby property development occurs. | TBA |
| Lawrence West | Unfunded | TBA |
Fire Ventilation Upgrades
Ventilation systems in the subway are key for dealing with fire situations where passengers and workers need both fresh air and smoke-free routes, but they are also important during maintenance work. Many of the existing systems are at end of life, and some require expanded capacity. The most recently completed work was at Eglinton Station as part of the Line 5 project by Metrolinx.
Design work is underway for Spadina Station (both Line 1 and 2), Dupont Station, Russell Hill Emergency Service Building (ESB), Donlands Station, Queen’s Park Station, St. Patrick Station, Union Streetcar Loop, Greenwood Station and Broadview Station. Work is pending for Church (new), Macdonald Cartier and Teddington ESBs.
An internal review of ventilation systems is underway to determine future locations where work is required.
This is a long-running project with a total cost, not including future additions, of $828.6-million of which $381.2-million has been spent, $224.4-million remains in the approved budget, and $223.0-million is unfunded.
Note that this does not include any additional work that could be triggered by the installation of platform doors that could change the air flow pattern in stations, and would be funded as part of a PED implementation project.
New Subway Trains
New trains are now on order to replace the existing Line 2 fleet of T-1 trains dating to the 1990s. There are several options in the contract of which only some are funded.
The new trains are essential for the conversion of Line 2 to Automatic Train Control (see following item) because the T-1s cannot be retrofitted and are at end of life.
The trains for the Line 1 extension and future growth also require a new maintenance facility as current yards cannot handle the expanded fleet.
The timing of deliveries is also affected by the projected growth in demand through the 2030s. The Capacity Enhancement projects later in this article include remarks about projected demands.
Line 1:
This program provides for the expansion of Line 1 capacity by achieving headways of up to 100 seconds, enabling the movement of up to 39,600 passengers per hour at peak hours.
The ridership demand forecasts have been updated and are under review, extending to 2051, and may require the target headways to be achieved earlier than previously planned (110 seconds and 100 seconds by 2033 and 2035, respectively) to meet service demands.
As a result of the revised ridership demand forecasts, the achievement of 100-second target headways by 2035 (previously required by 2037) is at risk as they are dependent on: a) funding commitment and availability of the 25 growth and 13 service maturity trains; b) funding commitment and earlier than currently forecasted (Q4 2037) availability of the new TMSF; and c) Yonge North Subway Extension opening.
Line 2:
This program provides for the expansion of Line 2 capacity by achieving target headways of up to 120 seconds, enabling the movement of up to 33,000 passengers per hour at peak hours.
The ridership demand forecasts have been updated and are under review, extending to 2051, and will require the target headways to be achieved earlier than previously planned (135 seconds by 2028, 130 seconds by 2029, 125 seconds by 2030, and 120 seconds by 2037).
The target headways for Line 2 may be required earlier than previously planned to reflect the updated ridership demand forecasts (currently under review). As a result, the achievement of 120-second target headways by 2037 (previously required by 2041) is subject to impact analyses on Line 2 CEP projects and is dependent on: a) the availability of the new replacement trains, and b) the operationalization of Line 2 ATC by 2037.
| Status & Funding | |
|---|---|
| 55 Line 2 trains to replace the existing fleet | Contract awarded to Alstom in December 2025. Mobilization and project kick-off in progress. |
| 15 expansion trains for Line 1 (8) and Line 2 (7) | To be purchased by Metrolinx as part of their subway expansion projects. |
| 25 trains for growth on Line 1 | Unfunded |
| 17 trains for growth on Lines 1 and 2 | Unfunded |
Line 2 Automatic Train Control
The signal system on Line 2 dates mostly to the mid-60s when the line was built, and the technology is increasingly difficult to maintain. Even so, thanks to past deferral of the launch of this project, the old signals must remain in service until 2037 when the ATC project will be complete and a new fleet of ATC-capable trains will be in service.
ATC will allow trains to run closer together, although provision for this depends on expanding the fleet to match. This is part of the unfunded growth trains in the table above.
When ATC goes live, it will be staged westward from Kennedy Station to Kipling much as the Line 1 project began at Vaughan and worked its way around to Finch Station.
This project does not include signals for the Scarborough extension. Because of project timing, that extension will open before a new ATC-capable fleet is in place and a temporary block signal system will be required. Metrolinx has not announced their plans for signalling on the SSE.
Preliminary work such as installation of cable trays and construction of equipment rooms is underway. Evaluation of bids for the ATC system is underway with contract award in Q2 2026. One issue that has not been addressed publicly is the possibility of a separate system being installed on Line 2 from the current technology on Line 1. This affects the ability of trains to interoperate between lines, and also increases the equipment needs for the subway work fleet which must operate system-wide.
The total project cost estimate is $915.7-million of which $48.1-million has been spent, $588.4-million remains in the approved budget, and $279.2-million is unfunded.
Rogers 5G Implementation
This project, funded by Rogers, will install 5G network service throughout the subway system for shared use by all carriers. Work on Line 1 is most advanced and is projected to complete by mid-2027.
Line 2 work is also in progress with completion dates to mid-2027 for various sections. Line 4 work is planned to complete in stages through 2027.
The sections from Eglinton to York Mills, and from Lansdowne to Dundas West are delayed due to the need for asbestos abatement in the tunnels.
A challenge for this project is the availability of work cars, track time and crews due to competing demands for other critical work.
Line 2 Capacity Enhancement
The Capacity Enhancement project includes many related components. Part of this is the replacement of trains and signals both for reliability and to allow more frequent service. However, growth beyond basic replacement triggers the need for other changes including:
| Project | Status |
|---|---|
| Increased Station Capacity | |
| Expanded streetcar platform at Spadina | Contract awarded |
| New fare line and staircase modifications at Jane | Design in progress |
| Traction power upgrades | |
| Lansdowne substation | Preliminary design in progress |
| New Danforth substation | Approval for design |
| Positive and negative feeders | |
| Broadview | In progress |
| Indian Grove | Detailed design completed |
| Kennedy | Agreement with Metrolinx |
| Warden, Victoria Park, Bedford and Asquith Duct Banks | Detailed design |
| Guideway upgrades | |
| Warden Station storage track extension | Preliminary design in progress |
| Greenwood Yard | |
| Carhouse modifications | Detailed design completed |
| Overhaul shop modifications | Preliminary design completed |
| Yard Signalling | Technical Specs |
| Oakvale Substation | Preliminary design |
The total estimated cost of this group of projects is $2,630.9-million of which $57.7-millon has been spent and $953.3-million remains in the approved budget. A further $1,620-million is unfunded.
Not mentioned in this group is a new western yard in the Obico lands southwest of Kipling Station. The City acquired this property for a new carhouse, and design is now in progress. Although Greenwood Yard will no longer have to accommodate trains from the Relief/Ontario line, increasing Line 2 service plus the growth of the work car fleet will strain capacity at Greenwood.
A western yard would require a connection under the CP railway from Kipling Station, and this would be the beginning of a western extension of Line 2.
Line 1 Capacity Enhancement
Like the Line 2 set of projects, Line 1 requires much work to allow for higher passenger volumes and more frequent train service. The report warns:
The TTC is monitoring the progress by Metrolinx on the Yonge North Subway Extension (YNSE) to assess implications on the schedule for achieving Line 1 capacity and service requirements to accommodate growth in ridership demand to 2041. As a result of the revised ridership demand forecasts, the achievement of 100-second target headways by 2035 (previously required by 2037) is at risk as they are dependent on: a) funding commitment and availability of the 25 growth and 13 service maturity trains; b) funding commitment and earlier than currently forecasted (Q4 2037) availability of the new TMSF; and c) Yonge North Subway Extension opening.
| Project | Status |
|---|---|
| Increased Station Capacity | |
| King Station Concourse and Additional Exit | Detailed design |
| Tactics Implementation at Davisville (tactile strips) | Detailed design |
| St. Andrew Concourse Modification | Preliminary design |
| Traction power upgrades | |
| New substation at Highway 407 | Baseline approval |
| Positive/negative feeders and Duct Banks | |
| Yonge Street | Detailed design |
| Duncan – Part 1, Orde, Davisville, Sheppard | Detailed design |
| Granby Station (Duct Bank) | Construction |
| Negative Reinforcing Cables | |
| Sheppard West to St. Clair West | Detailed design |
| Fire Ventilation | |
| St. Clair West | Approved for procurement |
| Markdale ESB | Detailed design |
| Lytton ESB | Preliminary design |
| Train Maintenance and Storage Facility | Approval for design Site search in progress |
The total estimated cost of this group of projects is $6,702.9-million of which $104.3-millon has been spent and $970.2-million remains in the approved budget. A further $5,628.4-million is unfunded.
Bloor-Yonge Capacity Enhancement
The Bloor-Yonge expansion project has been underway since 2015, but many of the large-scale works are yet to come. The work includes creation of a new eastbound Line 2 platform south of the existing station so that eastbound and westbound riders will have their own platforms and circulation to Line 1 above. Illustrations of this project are on the TTC’s site including a presentation deck from April 2025.
The new platform and associated circulation spaces will be substantially under Bloor Street from the point where the subway veers northwest after its run from Sherbourne Station. The west end of Yonge Station is actually under the buildings on the north side of Bloor.
There will be a new entrance and substation on the south side of Bloor.
Preliminary work on site preparation and utility moves is underway, and a chiller plant in the Bay building will be moved by mid-2026. This is needed to make room for part of the station expansion.
The Progressive Design-Build (PDB) contract for the Development Phase was awarded to Kenaidan Murphy Joint Venture (KMJV), and the Development Phase is expected to be completed in 2027.
Development Phase continues, including review of validation period deliverables, continuation of due diligence and investigation activities, and refinement of the Development Phase schedule, including extension of the validation period to Q2 2026 in order for further development of Value Engineering opportunities.
Major construction will begin in 2027 and continue to 2035. No staging plan has been published yet.
The project has an estimated cost of $1,514.0-million, although this is considered “at caution” as the project evolved from the original 2021 value. Potential changes lie in property requirements and the relocation of Toronto Hydro utilities.
Of the total, $205.0-million has been spent, $1,221.2-million remains in the authorized budget, and $87.8-million is unfunded. The latter amount covers the cost of Platform Edge Doors on Line 1, provision for future PED installation on Line 2 (related to the ATC project), and Net Zero designs.
Scarbourough SRT to Busway Conversion
After Line 3 SRT closed in 2023, the original plan was for interim bus shuttles to run via local streets between Ellesmere and Kennedy Station. This was changed to a dedicated bus roadway in the former SRT corridor south from Ellesmere giving buses direct access to Kennedy Station at Eglinton.
Construction is underway and the bus roadway is expected to open on September 30, 2026. There will be stops at Ellesmere, Lawrence and Tara Avenue.
The project budget is $93.8-million of which $52.3-million has been spent and the remainder is funded.
Purchase of Wheel-Trans Buses
The Wheel-Trans bus purchase project extends over many years and is only partly funded. It includes substantial conversion of the WT fleet from gasoline to battery power over the period 2028-35, although the final mix has not yet been determined. The 2025 fleet plan foresees a total of 372 vehicles in 2028-35 of which 302 would be electric. There will be a pilot of five eBuses in 2026-27.
Funding is not yet in place for eBuses and charging infrastructure beyond 2027. The total project cost is $514.5-million of which $85.4-million has been spent to date (including deliveries between 2021-25) and $44.0-million remains in the authorized budget. The remaining $385.1-million is not yet funded.
Purchase of Buses
The TTC, with a fleet of about 2,200 buses and a 12-year replacement cycle, requires close to 200 new buses annually just to replace end-of-life equipment and provide for modest growth. This project covers ongoing purchases, including a migration to eBuses from 2024 to 2035. Only part of this project is funded creating a problem for future service if buses remain in service past their intended retirement.
Current orders are for 204 eBuses from New Flyer of which 203 have been delivered, and 136 from Nova Bus of which 134 are delivered. They are not yet all in service, and 78 are still in the commissioning stage. Flyer buses have not been reliable.
Ongoing reliability issues within the New Flyer eBus fleet have resulted in reduced fleet performance. The TTC is working closely with New Flyer to implement mitigation strategies aimed at improving reliability metrics and overall fleet performance.
The stop shipment notice, issued to New Flyer on July 30, 2025, as a result of contractual reliability and availability targets not being met, was lifted on December 19, 2025, after the defined targets were met.
To bridge the gap caused both by reliability and supply chain issues, the TTC ordered 200 hybrid buses in January 2026, and 50 additional eBuses have been ordered for 2027 delivery from Nova Bus.
Plans call for 1,445 eBuses between 2027 and 2035 along with charging infrastructure, but funding for these is not yet in place.
The total project cost estimate to 2035 is $4,573.4-million. Of this, $549-million has been spent to date, and $596.7-million remains in the approved budget. $3,427.7-million is not funded, and this represents a large gap in TTC capital plans. The hole will be even deeper if Toronto decides to follow an aggressive plan to increase bus service and/or if annual ridership actually grows to 800 million as forecast in the Ridership Growth Strategy.
Purchase of eBus Charging Systems
In parallel with the purchase of eBuses, the TTC will install charging systems at garages. These are based on overhead, pantograph-based power feeds, not the plug-in chargers used for some early eBuses. The overhead systems are safer and simpler, and can be deployed both in garages and along routes.
Between 2023 and 2026, TTC will have installed 248 charge points with varying numbers of units at each garage.
| Location | Number of Charge Points |
|---|---|
| Arrow | 10 |
| Eglinton | 21 |
| Birchmount | 10 |
| McNicoll | 27 |
| Malvern | 30 |
| Wilson | 26 |
| Eglinton | 56 (*) |
| Mount Dennis | 68 (*) |
(*) Units at Eglinton and Mount Dennis will not be in service until May 2026 due to “energization difficulties” according to the report.
The number of charge points in operation will not be sufficient to power the size of the eBus fleet. An additional 1,761 charge points will be needed between 2027 and 2035 as the fleet grows.
TTC management is supposed to be reviewing alternative charging schemes for their eBus fleet such as the ability to recharge enroute. This would reduce the need for eBuses to return to garages part way through the day to recharge, and would also reduce the power demand to recharge all buses overnight. A report on these options has not yet appeared before the TTC Board.
The estimated cost of this project is $1,565.9-million. Of this, $212.6-million is spent to date, and $352.5-million remains in the approved budget. The unfunded portion is $1,000.8-million.
Streetcar Facilities for the Expanded Fleet
With the streetcar fleet now at 264 Flexity vehicles, the capacity of Leslie, Russell and Roncesvalles carhouses is inadequate to store the fleet. This project includes:
- Purchase of 60 streetcars
- Modification of Harvey Shops at Hillcrest as a 25-car carhouse
- Overhaul of track and building at Russell to support the new fleet
The 60-car purchase is complete and all cars are now in service. The project budget was $516.1-million which includes vehicles, spare parts and warranty.
Harvey shops was designed for cars roughly 55 feet long and was built in the early 1920s. This was suitable until the 75-foot ALRVs appeared on the scene, and a special extension was built to provide a maintenance area for these cars. Now with the fleet entirely composed of 30m Flexitys, the layout no longer works. Meanwhile, there is a shortage of storage across the three active carhouses.
A portion of Harvey Shops will be modified for storage and servicing of 25 new streetcars. Details are shown in the TTC’s project page. Work is in progress with a target completion of 2029. The project cost is $158.6-million.
Russell Carhouse dates from 1913 and was built by the TTC’s predecessor, the Toronto Railway Company. Like all carhouses of its era, it was designed for high-floor cars with under-floor equipment. Modifications planned include:
- Reconstruction of the yard with all track laid in concrete. (Similar work was already done at Roncevalles, another old carhouse.) This work was completed in 2025. At the same time, the overhead power system for the carhouse and yard have been modified for pantograph operation.
- Expansion of the carhouse building to provide facilities to access roof-mounted equipment. This also parallels changes to Roncesvalles.
- Modification of the existing carhouse to suit work on the Flexity vehicles.
Work on this site is underway and will complete in 2029. The carhouse will remain active.
To reduce overnight storage requirements, streetcar routes are operating with more frequent service than has historically been the case with 10-20 minutes headways in place of the usual 30. In some cases this has generated added ridership, and it is not clear how much the service will be rolled back once the storage limits are removed.
The project cost is $170-million.
TTC Operations Facility
The existing Transit Control Centre (the David Gunn building at Hillcrest) is expected to run out of capacity in the early 2030s as the system expands. A new control centre is proposed, and the existing one would remain as a backup site.
The TTC also requires a new data centre to consolidate its IT operations, notably from the centre in its 1900 Yonge Street head office. The City plans to redevlop this site once the TTC consolidates its many satellite offices in an as-yet undecided location.
Design work is in progress, and forecast completion is in 2032, although that is subject to change based on requirements.
The estimated cost of the new facility is $496.3-million, although this too could change.
VISION Vehicle Tracking System
TTC’s “new” vehicle tracking system, VISION, has been a work in progress for several years replacing the original CIS (“Communications and Information System”) that had fewer capabilities and depended on antique technology.
VISION has provided vehicle tracking information since 2019, but it also brought improved vehicle locations for route management, information to assist planning and scheduling, support for transit signal priority, and a yard management system. Subsystems such as automatic passenger counters and video cameras report their data through VISION.
Work still in progress includes an Operator Performance module, Bus time, and SMS messaging upgrades.
The project will complete in mid-2026 at a total cost of $111.7-million.
SAP Enterprise Reporting System
TTC’s IT systems have historically been a mixture of mainframe applications, locally managed data on PCs, and manual processes. In 2014, the TTC, following the City’s lead, embraced conversion of its system and processes to SAP enterprise software. This is a large package of services that began in the financial sector, but branched out to other functions over the years.
The target end date for this project is 2029 at an estimated cost of $272.8-million. Changes in project scope have consumed contingency funds, and this cost might increase before implementation is complete.
PRESTO Upgrades
This project covers the rollout of the PRESTO fare collection system including many enhancements as that system evolved. Work now in progress includes:
- Third-party expansion of fare machine availability in priority neighbourhoods. This is intended to deal with “deserts” where PRESTO services were unavailable due to the geographic distribution of Shoppers Drug Mart stores.
- Machine readable transfers will be rolled out for streetcars, but this is delayed due to concerns about fraud prevention. TTC is working with Metrolinx to resolve this.
- Advanced fare capping, customized fare rules and e-ticketing are planned to complete in mid-2026.
The total cost of this project is estimated at $79.2-million with project completion in 2027.
There remain many issues where PRESTO has not delivered contracted functionality to the TTC. Some of these will be left until the migration to PRESTO 2.0 by Metrolinx, now in progress.
Steve Munro 