The Glaring Problem With Toronto's Waterfront Streetcar

Toronto has the largest streetcar network in North America. It is also the slowest in the WORLD. This video explores all the reasons why by deep diving the flaws in one of the city's premier lines, the 509 harbourfront. If you want faster and more reliable streetcar service on Toronto's waterfront, consider sending the template below to the TTC, your City Councillor, and Waterfront Toronto. Find your councillor: https://www.toronto.ca/city-governmen... City of Toronto project email: [email protected] TTC project email: [email protected] Waterfront Toronto email: [email protected] Hello ____________ I am writing to express my support for the Waterfront East LRT (WELRT) project and to encourage all stakeholders to ensure that its design prioritizes fast, reliable, and efficient transit service for future riders. Today, passengers on the 509 Harbourfront streetcar experience unacceptably slow travel times due to a combination of factors, including poor track geometry, single point track switches, limited transit signal priority, and poor stop spacing. These issues undermine the effectiveness of dedicated transit infrastructure and reduce the attractiveness of public transit along the waterfront. As plans for the WELRT move forward, I encourage you to pay close attention to the small details that have a significant impact on day to day operations. I also implore you to use this opportunity to address legacy issues on the existing 509 corridor wherever possible. By improving transit priority, optimizing stop spacing and enhancing track infrastructure so that the waterfront can become a model of fast and reliable surface transit in Toronto. Thank you for your time and consideration. I appreciate your commitment to improving transit and helping create a more connected waterfront. Thank you, [Your name] _______________ [Your postal code (this helps councillors know you're in their ward)] Videos Clipped: [B] Toronto Raptors Pronounce Toronto Streets - Sportsnet    • We Asked The Toronto Raptors How To Pronou...   [C] Best Transportation for Cities - Not Just Bikes    • The Absolute Best Transportation for Citie...   [D] Automatic Bollard - UPARK    • automatic bollard control the car flow.   [E] Waterfront Transit Funding Announcement - CBC News    • Toronto's long-planned waterfront transit ...   Sources [0] Toronto's Streetcars are slow - Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contr... [1] Peer review of TTC rail system - Steve Munro https://stevemunro.ca/2025/11/07/the-... [2] TTC Street car speeds over time - Steve Munro https://stevemunro.ca/2026/03/06/the-... [3] TTC Service Summary - TTC via Steve Munro https://stevemunro.ca/wp-content/uplo... [4] Car stuck in streetcar tunnel - City News https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/02/0... [5] A surfeit of streetcars - Steve Munro https://stevemunro.ca/2025/12/23/a-su... [6] Getting to know new streetcars - National Post https://nationalpost.com/news/toronto... [7] Waterfront East LRT Announcement - CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront... [8] Waterfront East LRT Update - Steve Munro https://stevemunro.ca/2023/04/06/wate... [9] Waterfront East LRT April 5 2023 Presentation - City of Toronto, TTC and Waterfront Toronto https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/upl... [10] Metrolinx out of the way - Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contr... [11] Not so rapid Finch - The Grind https://www.thegrindmag.ca/not-so-rap... [12] Transit signal priority - CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront... [13] TSP now active - Now Toronto https://nowtoronto.com/news/olivia-ch...