Northwest Toronto’s newly-opened light-rail train is a major milestone for the city’s transit development, but many riders are disappointed by just how slow the train takes to get from one station to another.
According to a transit equity report done by the advocacy group A Voice for Transit, Toronto’s long been lacking rapid transit options, lower-income and marginalized neighbourhoods are not well-connected, facing long wait times at stops, lengthy commutes and limited availability.
Met Radio took a trip up to Finch West Station where most commuters are opting out for trusted bus routes instead amid rising complaints about the line’s leisurely pace.
“If it’s going to take you half an hour longer then I don’t mind the bus ’cause I’d get there on time,” says R. Maclean, a transit rider who lives at Jane and Finch.
Meanwhile, a heated meeting for Toronto councillors who sit on the Toronto Transit Commission board this week as the city considers ways to speed up performance on the line, including discussions about removing speed caps and turning on transit signal priority, which would give trains the right of way over cars at green lights.
Fact-checking done by Kinza Zafar and Gabriel Hilty.