Riders and transit advocates are welcoming a decision by city council to approve a motion from Mayor Olivia Chow to speed up the Finch West LRT and streetcars, a move aimed at cutting commute times.
Council passed the motion at its meeting on Tuesday without any amendments.
The motion, introduced by Chow and seconded by TTC Chair Jamaal Myers, directs city staff, the TTC, and Metrolinx to implement more “aggressive” transit signal priority along surface sections of the Finch West LRT and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
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Council is expected to receive an update on the progress by the end of the first quarter of 2026.
In addition to the LRTs, the motion calls for a review of streetcar speed and reliability, including the costs and staffing requirements needed to improve service across the network.
Measures under consideration include adjusting signal timings, adopting a more aggressive transit signal priority policy, deploying traffic agents at key intersections to prevent blocked streetcars, and recommending the removal of on-street parking and restrictions on left turns during peak periods on key streetcar routes.
The motion was brought forward following public backlash over the newly opened Finch West LRT, with many riders, including Chow, reporting slow travel times.
Some riders have said a full trip on the line can take as long as an hour, despite Metrolinx estimating a 34-minute end-to-end journey.
A local man even ran against the train recently to see who would be faster, and he beat it by 18 minutes.
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Transit advocates are now celebrating the motion’s passage, including local advocacy group TTCriders, which launched a campaign earlier this year calling for transit signal priority on LRT lines.
“Less waiting around at red lights and more fast and reliable commutes are coming,” the group wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to [Mayor Chow] and [Jamaal Myers] for working to speed up our transit.”
The group also launched a petition as part of the campaign, which received more than 3,000 signatures.
Online, some Torontonians are also applauding council for the swift decision.
“Amazing. This is how you do it. You have to strike while the moment is right. Hopefully this is a quick rollout,” one Reddit user wrote.
“This will benefit a lot of transit riders who have long deserved reliable and faster transit in the city,” another user said.
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The Finch West LRT opened on Dec. 7 and runs 11 kilometres from Finch West Station to Humber College Station.
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT, which also includes surface sections in its eastern portion, is expected to open in the new year.
