About that google form (link in description) - another massive thank you to everyone who took the time to respond. It's pretty incredible to see the interest out there, and I really do want to get to everyone. I'm a little swamped until the end of this year, but fully intend to dive into that initiative in 2025. Feel free to leave your thoughts there or shoot me an email as well about anything - it's in my channel description :)
@@TheFlyingMooseCA I literally sit and make transit maps for hours, for fun, because I’m obsessed with maps and trains. I’m a freelance filmmaker, I have my own adobe suite and computer……. Hahaha hmu? 👉🏻👈🏻🥹
bro is one of the goat urbanist youtubers for actually understanding and explaining the process by which new transit actually gets built instead of breaking out the crayons for an unviable dream network 🔥 hope someday you can come out to seattle and explain the context behind link light rail- few people understand the decisions behind what led to the system we're building today
The other main reason why LRT costs so much in Toronto is cause Toronto has TERRIBLE records of underground infrastructure, pipes, sewers, footings, etc. The main reason why the Eglington LRT took forever cause every time they dug somewhere, they ran into something that wasnt supposed to be there.
@@Agentcodybanks18177 Oh man that is scary. I can see that for sure, I knew a few guys working on the LRT when it started. I did some work on it in 2021 march to the end of 2021. So all the excavation was done more or less.
Not only that. The ECLRT was completely fumbled from the get go. Crosstown Solutions (the consortium managing the eg LRT) filed a couple lawsuits against Metrolinx and there have been legal battles ever since. Also, there are a lot of technical issues aside from questionable infrastructure. Software defects, track alignment, and legal disputes have made this project a billion dollar mess.
As I was watching I had the thought; "Wow, the CBC really stepped up their game" Small independent channel?! The pacing, humor, information, production, host, just phenomenal
I live in Toronto where I follow many You Tubers that cover the GTA transit and this video was well done! Well thought out! To cover half a century of TTC/GTA transit politics within 20min is tricky. I notice how well your contents flow from one topic to another flawlessly!! This is one of the top rated and enjoyable video I have seen covering this topic! Thank you
Unfortunately our short term vision (quick ROI) and 4 year terms means that governments only have 1.5 year to do actual work and the rest of the time is campaigning and undoing previous governments progress
Yea I just commented that it’s a shame we didn’t have people like the ones who pushed for the second level in the prince edward viaduct. People with foresight who could see things would grow and it would only make it harder to build it in the future. I mean that second level wasn’t used for over 40 years, actually closer to 50 yet it sees how many of million people cross it a year now? This countries planning became a joke the further we moved away from our English/british influence imo. I’m sure that’ll get some hate but history speaks for itself
At the same time, in the US the urban core population is decreasing while suburban and small town populations are increasing. There needs to be a balance between investing in transit which serves primarily urban areas to the reality that there are less and less people using them year after year. One could argue with current trends, building transit now has a negative roi due to the population shift.
Hey, as a local Toronotonian, this was such a fascinating, informative, and well-produced video. Honestly, it was very pleasant to watch it all through!
Fun Fact: The rail sleepers (ties) used on the Melbourne (Australia) Underground Rail Loop are named ‘Toronto Sleepers’ due to their use in their name sake city. They are double ties.
It's crazy seeing how many times someone comes up with a great plan then it dies, only to be re born and die again. I hope we can start learning from the past instead of repeating it.
Government changes every 4 years. That's long enough to make everyone pay for a project, but not long enough to for them to benefit from it. Maybe no one wants to be person that costs people money--and not the person that gives people things?
@@DanSkunkyes, imagine, what private companies would become, if their executives would be changed each year? They would only try to fill their pockets as much as possible in that short period, and companies would collapse quickly. That's why strong responsible autocracy, where rulers actually treat their country as their and care about it's development for a long term is more preferable than this oligarchic plutocracy facaded as democracy. Like Russians, they consciously support that autocracy despite having open Internet and access to other countries, voices of opposition abroad and to Western media/propaganda constant criticism of Russian authorities, unlike other authoritarian and totalitarian countries with heavily restricted internet
@@mrobocop1666 Sure, but how would you ensure that autocracy is responsible to everyone if not accountable to them? At least the democracy keeps the plutocracy in check; while they push the limits of their influence, they can only push so far before people push them back. Maybe we teach people to consider their future more rather than deprive them of all agency in the hope that someone else will do it for them?
Excellent video! As an immigrant to this country, it's always good to understand a bit about the history of our city, where did we come from and where we are going. I'm glad to be living at a moment of rapid urban expansion and to be able to experience all the changes.
One thing to note, my partner works for one of the contractors the TTC regularly uses for construction, he worked on the Vaughn extension for example and they were hired by Metrolinx for the Ontario line as well. A huge blunder Metrolinx did was, not communicate well enough with the contracters, they were all used to working with the TTC thus they used Toronto-gauge sized railways for the digging and laying track. The Ontario Line does not use Toronto-gauge like the TTC does, to save costs Metrolinx or Ford decided to use standard North American gauge sized railways (meaning they can buy supplies from anywhere in the states as well instead of using the few suppliers the TTC uses). This is fine but it was not communicated so miles of track was laid in Toronto-gauge before someone realized the mistake, and then all the work that was done had to be torn up and re-done. That's all my partner and his team have been doing the past year.
One of my favorite books is The Great Society Subway because it covers the history of the DC Metro AND the political environment surrounding it. You are one of my favorite content creators for that same reason. Thank you SO MUCH for doing what you do. It’s truly unique in this space.
As a GTA-er, this video is a fantastic primer for folks on what our transit situation looks like and where it's going. I can't wait to use the Ontario Line when it's up and running.
Honestly having the Ontario Line in place might have a profound impact on the housing situation in Toronto. All of the sudden you’ll have more than half the city freeing up maybe 10-30% of their yearly income that would have gone into living costs for homes within the zone of acceptable commuting time. Imagine all that extra money being spent in our local economy - we would fix so many issues.
I live by the future Ontario line just north of the Danforth. This won’t make a big difference in commuting time. Little new housing will be built near it since this area is already full of low density housing. Housing prices will go up near the line.
@@karagi101 You’re misunderstanding me - It’s about making housing prices in typically commuter-distance living communities more affordable, not the properties directly adjacent to the line. If anything your rent will probably rise, RIP
You consistently put out great work 👍 Between you and CityNerd, I always feel a bit more confident having conversations with others on urbanism and its impacts. Thanks for keeping us educated n informed 👍
Great video! Dr English is an amazing resource for Toronto as are you. I would love to see a video diving into the Soft Costs and how they can be reduced/mitigated. Keep on keeping on!
This was a great well researched video packed with information. Lot's of missed opportunities over the past 80 years but it's great that it's finally getting built. And the regional connectivity is great, connecting to Exhibition GO and East Harbour GO stations to also relieve pressure from Union Station. This project meshes well with GO expansion, connects with the Eglinton Crosstown, and relieves capacity on Yonge to be able to build the Yonge North Extension. I love this quote. "One of the terms that you always heard a lot was making evidence-based decisions," says Steve Wickens, a transportation researcher. "And what Metrolinx ended up becoming was an agency that produced decision-based evidence."
Totally agree, transit is priceless. Awesome video, really good shots, editing, pace and information. And thanks for the links to advocacy groups. Can’t wait to see more.
Great video! Very informative and you did a great job outlining not only how far the costs for these projects have grown but also the city’s need for them.
Born and raised in Toronto and after seeing how robust subway lines are in other cities, it’s nice to finally know the history of our subway line. Sign me up if there’s more Toronto videos!
Hudson, (TFM)...this was absolutely fantastic and encapsulates the long standing issues with getting transit done. The GTA population needs to watch this to get a view of the bigger picture. Well done👍
@@faizsyed5528 That may be true, but that's not what was said. However, I can understand how they might have missed a word and meant to say "sad to see the _lack_ of public transit", which is the exact opposite meaning.
Hey great video man. As a layman, it was really nice to such an information dense video that flowed smoothly without sounding like a slideshow presentation moving from point to point. Really appreciated how you gave context to behind how metrolinx ended up being responsible our construction projects, especially after the recent news of the finch west lrt
OMG, FINALLY a video pointing out how insanely large the stations on the york extension were. Every time I mention this, how Downsview Park station, a station with almost the lowest passenger volume of the WHOLE SYSTEM, is this massive unnecessary monstrosity you get tons of people giving the pathetic "but one day it'll need that capacity" or the equally dumb "but fire regulations REQUIRE a station so big you could almost fit Skydome in the hole they dug (yes, I know that's an exageration). Lets go back to how we built Line 2, quick, efficient, spartan and CHEAP. What would you rather have, 40km or subway line with simple small stations, or 10km of subways with monster stations?
My take away from this video is that it is paramount that the Phillies win back to back world series' if SEPTA is ever going to get more funding in Philadelphia
What a great quality video highlighting things that still need to be worked on intercity while giving relief that much needed change is finally happening.
Great video! Living just a few blocks from one of the new Ontario Line stations, my main fear is that construction is going to continue for an eternity, given the fiasco of the Eglinton Line (that's now a decade overdue and no end in sight). The main issue with all these mega projects, in my opinion, is the lack of transparency. Metrolinx is anything but forthcoming with info about their projects, especially when it comes to delays/overages.
Subscribed. You are the first RU-vid channel devoted to Toronto transit that has captured the nuances of BS that were Network 2011 (1985), Let's Move (1989) and RTEP (1994). I lived through those plans in real time as a transit nerd just begging for SOMETHING to actually be built. I was a teenager at the start. I was a middle-aged man by the time anything actually happened in the 2000s.
Here's hoping the ontario line isn't going to suffer the Eglinton LRT fate. 4 years overdue and 500mil over budget and still not open. Edit: This was a really smooth watch, thank you for lifting the veil on history of Toronto transit! Subbed.
glad you enjoyed! and I know it doesn't inspire much confidence but Mx is a very young agency - hopefully the lessons from Eglinton really do translate into the OL :)
I live in Ottawa and it's so frustrating how little progress is being made here. I'm just glad that at least some cities in Ontario are making progress and hopefully there will be a future in which Ottawa has better public transport infrastructure.
Earned a new sub, high quality content, good explanation in a nice long form that I can just share little timestamps to friends when I nerd out about transit.
Moose I can’t get enough of your well researched, well presented content. Recommend your channel to all my previously yimby and numtot friends. Your analysis is something of an antidote to the increasingly disgruntled habit of millennials as we become sour middle-aged transit riders who reflexively bemoan the lack of progress instead of pursuing advocacy.
Great video. Toronto has been suffering too long for lack of transit, glad we're starting to catch up. The best time to build these lines was 40 years ago. The next best time us now.
4:33 you state "we dont do this stuff anymore" at the timestamp, but fun fact, the new ACCE building at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario reserved a large portion of space underneath their building for an anticipated subway station. 13 years later, its finally getting used.
Lots of people argue that "you can't build x train line because there are houses in the way." One way to avoid that criticism is to reserve routes as soon as you realise they are necessary, so you don't have to surprise people later. Even if someone does build a house or other property, they should know that that route may well be used for a trainline in the future. Best time to do that was 40 years ago, but the second best time to do that is now, to prevent anything else being built and to give people a chance to prepare that things may change in their neighbourhood, or even to their property.
toronto native here, they've been building another line across eglinton for over a decade and still no news on when that'll ever be completed even though all the infrastructure is already done. it was supposed to be complete in 2013 and has cost over a billion dollars. i'll be very surprised if this ontario line isn't a similar story
im studying abroad in athens , greece right now and your videos actually got me excited to look into the public transportation here and do some research. Its actually a very interesting case and I never would have thought twice about what goes into building a metro system if not for ur videos so thx :D
How much do you want a bet within a year of Line 5 opening, it’ll be suffering from overcapacity issues. Biggest mistake they made was not build a subway….
This is interesting history! And it shows just how fragile progress can be in public transit. It sounds like planning and scoping needs to be planned right away so that in case money gets available, shovels can be gotten in the ground right away. Feeling these difficulties just across the border!
thank you so much for doing this. I've been calling out everyone that thought LRTs are better and cheaper and now they are eating their own shorts. god bless rob ford.
As an old American who has visited Toronto since teenhood, I now understand why I thought Bloor and Yonge was the center of the city when it looks like a random city intersection. I also wonder if the early emphasis on Yonge was influenced by the whole "longest street in the world" claim that Gordon Lightfoot sang about until it was deflated in 1995. Coincidentally, my daughter had university housing right there in 2015. She told me that the Toronto subway was both the most expensive and most overloaded in North America. She told me that the very short relief line proposed then would help only wealthy neighborhoods, so I'm glad to learn the Ontario Line has regional thinking. My biggest memory is walking on Yonge sidewalks at rush hours. Thousands of people walk the three stops down Yonge from the crosstown line at Bloor to the downtown financial district because the transfer for the three short stops favors sardines with sharp elbows. I learned to avoid walking on Yonge sidewalks during rush hour. It felt like the longest street in the world.
I know the York Extension was expensive… but god damn I was so impressed and happy to see it as someone who travels to Asia often and in awe of their transit hub designs.
Epic video, this my be my favourite video. You really go in depth with all the research and production in these videos. One of these days you could check out some of Canadas other transit such as Translink (the broadway subway and the funding shortage they are going to have), Calgary Transit Green line delays, Montreal's transit system and how it has grown quite a lot.
Awesome video, very interesting and really mich effort clearly is put in it and it pays off, was entertaining to watch all the way and great coverage of the topic, keep up the great work
Hi! Chilean here who, if everything goes well, is looking forward to move to Toronto pretty soon (*for a bit of time only Canadian Immigration Services). Now, we Chileans have missed out on a lot of things (including what would've been History's most Progressive Constitution, SIGH), but one thing we have managed to keep on the right track (SORRY) in our middle income country growing pains is our love for Public Transportation. And here's what a subway can do for you: In Santiago, a city with the same population of Toronto Metro, that should be as catastrophically disfunctional as any other metropolist in Latin America, the only thing that keeps it together is the fact that We. Always. Be. Building. Subway. Lines. and putting resources on the bus system. The subway is so integral to keeping the social fabric of the city together that it is both a rallying point, the one cross-party thing every side of the political system wants a hand in and... the flashpoint for social unrest whenever issues show up. But overall, if they can do that for Santiago, a city that technically shouldn't work, imagine how it can transform a more coherent place like Toronto. Ironically, for whatever reason (probably to pocket himself favors and money), Doug Ford might be building the exact opposite city that he intends.
This was really helpful! I just started reading a fantastic book called 'How big things get done' by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner. I think you might have come across their work, but if not, wow, the amount of bad ideas, bad decisions and most importantly really good ways of avoiding those, is a priceless and invaluable read.
This was an amazing video - I moved here a year ago from a developing country that somehow managed to build transit faster, for a more comprehensive network, at a lower cost, and I’ve consistently been shocked by how inefficient and just generally shitty the TTC is compared to my developing country. This helps explain things! Thank you for your great work.
the Ontario and Toronto subreddit is literally melting at the thought that the Ontario line is even remotely good! SUBWAYS SUBWAYS SUBWAYS! GOD BLESS ROB FORD!
Congrats Hudson on this excellent production - doing justice to Toronto’s story. Incredible storytelling that makes understanding the complex tradeoffs, politics, and decision making behind transit projects easy!!
Excellent video. Its very unfortunate that we actually have lost a line (line 3, also known as the Scarborough Rapid Transit line/Light Rail Transit [LRT]) due to government mishandling while gaining nothing. Line 3 was supposed to use CLRV's which were manufactured by UTDC (same ones they used on the downtown network) and the line and its tight curves were designed for them. This would have also made procurement faster and cheaper as tooling already existed to manufacture CLRV's in Canada as well as the TTC's ability to maintain them (this will come back later in a big way) The provincial government got involved and their "friends" had this new rapid transit design that used linear traction motors and the provincial government pressured the TTC to switch over to this new system. The curvature of the track which was designed with CLRV's in mind were too tight for the new rapid transit system the TTC was forced to use. Which mean the loop at Kennedy was closed and they had to use a switch instead to switch directions and the curved tunnel near Progress where the line went East towards Scarborough Town Center and McCowan caused a lot of wear and tear on the cars as their bogies were not designed to be able to handle tight curves light that. The TTC was unable to properly maintain the line and equipment, resulting in a train derailing in 2023, sending many people to hospital but fortunately not resulting in any fatalities. This derailment resulted in the line being closed while the TTC inspected it and came to the realization that if they tried to repair and reopen the line it was practically guaranteed another derailment would occur which resulted in the line being permanently closed. If the TTC got its way originally and was able to use the line as a light rail line then they would have been able to replace the aging equipment and fleet with Bombardier Flexities, the derailment almost certainly would not have occurred, and the line would still be open today. I lived in Scarborough since i was born there in 2002 and it is a severely underserved part of Toronto. With Line 3 gone it is going to be at least 6 years before Scarborough see's any sort of transit infrastructure as the Bloor-Danforth extension isn't supposed to open until 2030. And please don't bring up the Eglinton LRT, we both know that's never going to open as long as Metrolinx execs are more than happy to do nothing while still being on the sunshine list.
the jays, the jcc, the spidina streetcar ok you really repping our city, core fr homie , this vid made me chuckle at some parts thx youtube for recommending >:)
I am an almost 40 year resident of Toronto who took the TTC every day for 25 years. I live in Scarborough, 50% of the time I worked downtown, so the subway or GO was very sufficient. The problem arises when your destination is reasonably North East or North West of Bloor/Yonge. Anything south of Bloor is a half hour by bus, so I fail to see the usefulness of a Queen line. An Eglington, Lawrence, Ellesmere, Finch or Steeles line, now that would have made more sense, especially if they looped down to Bloor/Danforth at either end. They kinda had that idea with the Sheppard line, but they failed to connect it to Kennedy, so it was like this useless appendage just hanging there.
