The revival of Transit City inched closer to a point of no return Wednesday, when the Metrolinx board unanimously endorsed the light rail network Rob Ford thought he cancelled in 2010.
“I’m ecstatic today,” said Councillor Maria Augimeri, who serves on the TTC board and sat in on the meeting. “Priority communities are going to be fully engaged members of the transit community.”
The $8.4-billion plan to build four LRT lines along transit-starved corridors on Eglinton, Finch West, Sheppard East, and the current path of the Scarborough RT will now go to the provincial cabinet for approval. Shortly after the Metrolinx vote, transportation minister Bob Chiarelli issued a statement affirming his support for the projects and asserting the government’s priority is “getting shovels in the ground.”
A final decision from Queen’s Park is expected within a matter of weeks, at which point Metrolinx and the city would enter into negotiations on a master agreement to deliver the four projects. While Mayor Ford hasn’t wavered in his opposition to the LRT lines, a signed commitment between the two parties would likely make it impossible for any administration at City Hall to undo the LRT project without incurring huge economic penalties.
J Robert S Pritchard, Metrolinx chair, said he was confident the work can go ahead, even if the mayor runs against LRTs in the next election.
“There will be elections and priorities will shift as elections take place,” he said. “But our advice is proceed full speed ahead with all four projects.”
Still, given the twists and turns of transit planning in Toronto, one councillor says it’s too early to declare Transit City’s resurrection a done deal.
“It was a great man who once said, it ain’t over til it’s over. But we’re getting closer to that point than we ever have been,” said Councillor John Parker, who also sits on the TTC board.
Parker said he won’t be happy until “people start writing cheques and start laying track.”
Toronto’s transit plans have taken a winding path to get to this point. Metrolinx first endorsed the four rail lines in 2010, but Ford cancelled the plan his first day in office and promised to build subways instead. That sparked an intense debate at City Hall that culminated with two council votes in February and March that essentially revived Transit City.
Metrolinx has come under fire from some quarters for going along with Ford’s demands without first waiting for council approval. For at least one of the lines, that decision proved costly. Metrolinx VP Jack Collins revealed Wednesday that the agency stopped all work Sheppard LRT and dismissed its project manager as a result of Ford’s edict. That move contributed to a four-year delay that won’t see the Sheppard line completed until 2018, instead of before the Pan Am Games in 2014 as originally intended.
The other three lines are roughly on schedule, and all are slated for completion by 2020.
Pritchard defended the agency’s inconsistency Wednesday, arguing that it would be irresponsible take politics out of transit planning completely.
“Changing our minds, accommodating different circumstances, yes that’s part of our job,” he told reporters. “But our job is [also] to build projects that make good sense and contribute to the realization of the regional transportation plan. We’re consistent in that.”
“I’m proud of Metrolinx’s work as being a steady voice for the regional transportation perspective,” he added.
The Metrolinx board has promised to minimize the costs to the city of delays caused since Ford took office. Toronto taxpayers could be on the hook for redrawing the contract with Bombardier for 182 light rail vehicles, as well as preliminary design work on the tunnel for the eastern section of the Eglinton Crosstown line, which council has since voted to bring above ground over the mayor’s objections.
The penalty for pushing back the LRV delivery is not yet known, and Collins estimated the sunk Eglinton design costs in “the single-digit millions.”
