FROM THE CEO: TTC Board Highlights

At the TTC Board meeting this week, it was my privilege to introduce Commissioners to Special Constables James Bingham and Michael Magnaye, who earned the Governor General Commendation for Bravery for their fearless and selfless actions during an apartment building fire in the city this summer.

James and Michael were on duty when they saw thick smoke billowing from a third-floor balcony. They entered the building, activated the fire alarm and started banging on first-floor apartment doors. They proceeded to help nearly 40 residents out through multiple exits. When it became too dangerous to re-enter the complex, both remained on site to assist emergency responders on the scene before resuming their normal TTC duties. Their bravery that day saved lives, and is a demonstration of the above-and-beyond service Special Constables provide within our city.

At the Board meeting, Commissioners also approved multiple plans and reports, including:

• The 2024 Annual Service Plan (ASP), which contains more than 50 new or modified routes. The 2024 ASP reflects two years of engagement with TTC customers, communities and TTC frontline employees.

• A report considering our requirements for new subway trains for Line 2 and the critical need to replace and modernize assets that are approaching the end of their design life, such as our fleet and signal system, as we plan for future growth.

• A report recommending the TTC to enter a fare integration agreement with Metrolinx, which will eliminate double fares for customers transferring between the TTC, GO Transit and other GTA transit agencies by early 2024.

Rogers expands 5G network
​Last week, Rogers expanded the rollout of its modern 5G network. 5G wireless service is now available at all subway stations and the tunnels on Line 1 from Sheppard West to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre for Rogers customers. This progress allows more reliable 9-1-1 access for all cellphone users in those areas.

Line 3 Bus Replacement Plan
​Last Sunday, we launched the expanded and enhanced Line 3 Bus Replacement Plan. This included full transit priority measures, including an express corridor between Scarborough Centre and Kennedy stations, to replace Line 3 SRT train service. It also included changing a number of bus routes to provide reliable and seamless, transfer-free service directly to the new terminal at Kennedy Station, using the new transit-only lanes.

We continue to monitor these new services and gauge feedback from our customers on ways we can make further improvements. For instance, we are already looking at potential modifications to the bus bays at Kennedy Station to improve service for those needing to go only as far as Scarborough Town Centre.

Please see below for more highlights of Commission decisions approved on November 22. The next scheduled Board meeting takes place on December 7.

Stay safe.

Richard J. Leary
​Chief Executive Officer
​November 24, 2023

TTC Board Highlights
​TTC Board Meeting November 22, 2023

2024 Annual Service Plan
​After receiving a TTC staff presentation, Board members approved the 2024 Annual Service Plan (ASP) with the following recommendations:

• Approve the 2024 Annual Service Plan, its associated proposed route changes, which includes adding new transit service to streets not currently being served, and some removals of transit service on streets with existing transit service, and endorse the funding requirements noted in the Financial Summary of this report for consideration in the TTC 2024 Operating Budget and 2024-2033 Capital Plan.

• Approve routing changes resulting in service introduced and removed on roadways outlined in Appendix 5 of the report.

• Forward the 2024 Annual Service Plan to all City Councillors, the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure and Development Services, General Manager of Transportation Services, Chief Planner, as well as the General Managers of Brampton Transit, Durham Region Transit, Metrolinx, Miway and York Region Transit.

The 2024 ASP is a framework for service changes next year, creating better connections across the network and other supportive actions. There are over 50 new or modified routes in the 2024 plan, reflecting two years of engagement with our customers, communities and frontline staff. The changes incorporate early findings through the development of a new 5-Year Service Plan, which will be considered by the TTC Board next year.

Presentation from the TTC Chief Operations and Infrastructure Officer
​Board Members received a presentation from TTC staff on work underway to improve real-time communications with customers pertaining to the Public Address system and the Passenger Assistance Intercoms in the subway system.

The Public Address (PA) system in the subway is a system of speakers placed inside subway stations and trains. The primary purpose of the PA system is to broadcast audio announcements to patrons, advise customers of arrivals at stations, alerts to changes in service across the subway system, and emergency response, when needed.

The Passenger Assistance Intercom (PAI) System allows customers to connect with transit staff in case of inquiries, need for assistance or emergencies. Units are installed on platforms, at elevators and in subway trains, enabling passengers to communicate directly with station staff or Operators, and in emergencies to Transit Control.

New Subway Train Procurement and Implications for Line 2 Modernization and Future Growth
​Board members approved a report on the New Subway Train Procurement and Implications for Line 2 Modernization and Future Growth with the following recommendations:

• Direct the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to prioritize funding in the 2024-2033 Capital Budget and Plan submission to fully fund the City’s one-third share of the revised estimated cost of the 80 new subway trains estimated at a total cost of $3.2 billion.

• Direct the Chief Executive Officer, subject to confirmation of full funding for a base order of the New Subway Train procurement to:

   - Issue an RFP for a minimum of 55 new subway trains to replace the T1 trains on Line 2, and include options for a minimum of 25 Line 1 growth trains and future train requirements based on the fleet requirements outlined in this report.

   - Include with the base order the 15 expansion trains required by Metrolinx for the Scarborough Subway Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension, subject to confirmation of full funding for these trains by Metrolinx.

• Direct the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to prioritize $130 million in funding in the 2024-2033 Capital Budget and Plan submission to implement a 30-Year State of Good Repair program for the full fleet of Line 2’s T1 trains at a preliminary estimated cost of $163 million.

• Direct the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to prioritize funding in the 2024-2033 Capital Budget and Plan submission to advance in parallel risk mitigation activities for Line 2 at a cost of $4.836 million over 2024 to 2025 for:

   - An implementation planning study for a T1 Fleet 10-Year Life Extension Overhaul Program; and

   - An updated condition assessment and feasibility assessment of extending the life of the Line 2 fixed-block signalling system.

• Forward the report to the City of Toronto, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Ontario Ministry of Finance, and Infrastructure Canada to inform ongoing intergovernmental discussions for funding on new trains for Line 2 and Line 1 and associated infrastructure, and request commitment of matching funding in the 2024 Provincial and Federal budget.

• Forward this report to Metrolinx, York Region, and York Region Rapid Transit Corporation for information.

Status Update on Fare Integration
​The TTC Board approved a Status Update – Fare Integration report, as amended by the inclusion of motions from Commissioner Dianne Saxe:

• Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to enter into a Fare Integration agreement with Metrolinx (on behalf of the Province of Ontario) subject to the following principles and in a form satisfactory to the TTC General Counsel:

   - The TTC will continue to establish fare policy and set fares for TTC services;

   - The Province of Ontario through Metrolinx will reimburse 100% of eligible trips to transit systems for their respective foregone farebox revenue;

   - The subsidy provided will be based on actual transfer transactions, as opposed to a formula;

   - The Province of Ontario will commit funding to March 2026, after which the Fare Integration Removal of Double Fares program will either be extended or, alternatively, the current fare structure will be reinstated; and

   - For customers, there will be no adjustments to fares, transfer window duration, or other fare policies to offset program costs.

   - The Province and Metrolinx, in consultation with the TTC, will be solely responsible for public communications and related change management activities and costs, in event the Province does not provide ongoing full funding for the program, and that communication will clarify cancellation is not the decision of the TTC or the City of Toronto.

• Direct staff to forward this report to all City Councillors, the General Managers of MiWay, Brampton Transit, York Region Transit, and Durham Region Transit, and Metrolinx for their information.

• Direct TTC staff to work with the Province of Ontario to obtain a commitment for stable, long-term funding for this program post-2026 to fully reimburse the TTC and ensure the continuation of this program.

In early 2024, transit customers will no longer have to pay a double fare when they take the TTC and GO Transit or the TTC and another municipal transit agency when they pay with a PRESTO fare card, PRESTO in Mobile Wallet, debit card or credit card. Customers transferring between the TTC and GO Transit will be reimbursed for their single-ride TTC fare, and customers transferring between the TTC and a municipal transit agency will be able to transfer to or from those agencies using their two-hour transfer without paying a second fare.

This new customer benefit is a result of the Province of Ontario, through Metrolinx, introducing the Fare Integration Removal of Double Fares (FI-RDF) program. The FI-RDF program is expected to start in early 2024 with funding committed until March 2026, with the option to extend beyond the two-year window.

Transit Network Expansion Update
​The TTC Board received a sixth update report on the progress of transit projects to expand the TTC network. The transit projects include:

• Provincial LRT Program: Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West.

• Provincial Priority Subway Program: Yonge North Subway Extension project (Line 1 Yonge Extension); Scarborough Subway Extension project (Line 2 East Extension); Ontario Line project (which will become the new Line 3); and Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project (Line 5 Eglinton West Extension).

• City Priority Transit Expansion Projects: Eglinton East LRT; Waterfront East LRT; RapidTO – Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Surface transit priority measures; Durham-Scarborough BRT; and Multiregional Dundas BRT.

The TTC Board, after consideration of the report, adopted the following recommendation:

• Delegate authority to the Chief Financial Officer, to authorize additional positions to flexibly respond to the resource requirements of the Metrolinx Subway Program, subject to the following conditions:

   - Confirmation is received from Metrolinx for the TTC’s 2023 Annual Work Plan for the Provincial Priority Subway Projects, and Metrolinx agrees to fund all costs associated with the additional positions fully; and

   - Changes to authorized complement and gross expenses under this delegated authority are reported as part of quarterly variance reports.

Audit of TTC’s Streetcar Overhead Assets
​After TTC staff and Auditor General Toronto presentations on the TTC’s streetcar overhead system, Commissioners approved the recommendations contained in the Auditor General’s report, entitled, Audit of the Toronto Transit Commission’s Streetcar Overhead Assets: Strengthening the Maintenance and Repair Program to Minimize Asset Failures and Service Delays. The report contains a number of recommendations, including a request to the Chief Executive Officer to support continuous improvement and increase streetcar service reliability by:

• Reassessing and strengthening existing policies and procedures in Streetcar Overhead Operations to provide more criteria and clarity on the nature and extent of the root cause analysis and investigation required for service delays;

• Determining the root causes for those delays that require investigation according to the policy, in order to prevent the same issues from recurring; and

• Developing and implementing a process in Streetcar Overhead Operations to ensure compliance with the policies and procedures regarding root cause analyses and investigations of service delays.

The Board also approved a motion moved by Commissioner Dianne Saxe directing staff to report to the Audit and Risk Management Committee by the end of Q2 2024 on the state of preventative maintenance for the overhead system, and that the report include a remediation plan.

2024 Board meeting schedule
​The Board approved the 2024 schedule of meetings at Toronto City Hall as follows (held at 10 a.m. unless otherwise indicated):

Thursday, January 25
​Thursday, February 22
​Thursday, April 11
​Thursday, May 16
​Wednesday, June 19
​Wednesday, July 17
​Tuesday, September 24
​Tuesday, October 29
​Tuesday, December 3

The Board also approved the schedule of meetings for the TTC Audit and Risk Management and Human Resources Committees. Notice of all meetings is provided on ttc.ca.

Next meeting of the TTC Board
​The next scheduled TTC Board Meeting will be on Thursday, December 7.

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