Premier Doug Ford and Canada’s largest private sector union issued a joint statement Wednesday calling on the federal government to kick in the cash needed to replace the TTC’s aging Line 2 subway trains.
“Thousands of workers in Thunder Bay, where the subway trains are made, and millions of transit riders are depending on the federal government funding its share of the project,” Ford and Unifor President Lana Payne said in their statement.
The province has already pledged, as part of its new deal with the city, to spend $758 million to buy the trains, but has made that contingent on the federal government picking up part of the tab as well.
“The province and city reached this deal over seven months ago, but the federal government has yet to announce its commitment,” Ford and Payne said.
Less than two weeks ago, outgoing TTC CEO Rick Leary said he’s concerned that the TTC is still hundreds of millions of dollars short of the amount needed to replace the trains, which are set to reach the end of their design life in 2026.
“It is very serious. We have seen what happens when you extend the life of vehicles beyond their useful life,” Leary said.
The TTC has pegged the cost of buying 55 new trains for Line 2 and 25 new trains to expand capacity in Line 1 at some $3.52 billion.
-With files from Chris Fox