TTC Board approves $550M plan to buy hundreds of new vehicles

The Toronto Transit Commission Board has approved a $550 million plan that will see the purchase of hundreds of new vehicles over the next few years.

On Thursday, the board approved the plan that also recommends the purchase of 13 more streetcars from Bombardier.

While the plan gets the procurement started, it still needs substantial funding from the federal and provincial governments.

According to the TTC, new Bombardier streetcars will cost around $140 million and will be delivered between 2023 and 2025. However, the order is contingent upon the negotiation with Bombardier that could include an option for up to 47 additional streetcars.

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The board also authorized the purchase of approximately 300 hybrid electric buses. Those buses are to be purchased from up to two contractors at a price of approximately $390 million to be delivered between 2022 and 2023.

This is part of the City’s TransformTO climate action strategy, which targets an 80% reduction in local greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“This is a positive step forward for the future of Toronto transit. Investing in new vehicles and necessary upgrades will make sure our TTC is operating at its best and moving as many people as possible,” said Mayor John Tory in a statement.

“The plan approved by the Board today starts making those investments in key areas. Now it is also extremely important that Toronto’s investments are in short order matched by the federal and provincial governments who both understand the importance of investing in transit, investing in Canadian-built vehicles, and investing in our post-COVID future.”

The plan also includes $20 million for 70 new Wheel-Trans buses to be delivered between 2022 and 2023 and $3 million to continue planning for the procurement of 80 new subway trains.

The need for the new vehicles is something the TTC deems “urgent.”

“There is an urgent need to procure transit vehicles to replace critical assets reaching end-of-life and to ensure that we have the capacity to meet customer demand,” the report says.

This is part of the TTC’s 15-Year Capital Investment plan.