TTC CEO Andy Byford says he pitched PM on downtown relief line
The TTC’s chief executive says he pitched Prime Minister Stephen Harper this week on the merits of a downtown relief subway line, and that he plans to travel to Ottawa and Queen’s Park in search of funds to build it.
“He was hugely engaged. He was well-informed. He knew his facts and we had a great conversation,” said Andy Byford, the TTC’s CEO, speaking to reporters Friday at Bloor-Yonge Station to unveil a list of customer service commitments to be met in 2014.
Byford pointed to the federal government’s multibillion-dollar “Building Canada Fund” as his preferred source of funding to build the downtown relief line in Toronto, which he described as a vital piece of infrastructure for the future of public transit in the city.
“He gets the point on funding,” Byford said of the prime minister, with whom he spoke Thursday while touring the Spadina subway extension. “That’s good, because I intend to go get some of that money for Toronto.”
Alongside TTC chair and Toronto mayoral candidate Karen Stintz, Byford outlined some of the 39 promises the transit commission aims to fulfil this year. The commitments range from new uniforms and pledges to polish floors, to the rollout of new buses, streetcars and “route supervisors” who will oversee and improve the flow of transit pathways.
The list of promises follows those in last year’s “TTC Customer Charter,” part of what Stintz and Byford described as the commission’s ongoing pivot toward an improved rider experience.
“I don’t want to sugarcoat this. There is a lot more to do,” said Byford, who added that the most common complaints the TTC gets are about employee “discourtesy” and service delays. When asked whether a list of commitments about cleanliness and customer service is a distraction from more pressing issues, Byford said improving the efficiency of the transit system shouldn’t preclude efforts to spruce up the rider’s TTC experience.
“I think we can do them both at once,” he said. “I’m still focused on the main things, which are punctuality and reliability.”
Stintz said she would soon step down as TTC chair to focus on her mayoral run. If elected, she said, the relief line, meant to ease pressure on the overcrowded Yonge line, would be “the next line” she would support.
“That’s where we need to turn our attention,” Stintz told reporters.
Metrolinx has already launched a joint study with the city and TTC of relief line options. The TTC is also looking at potential routes that would connect the east end of the Bloor-Danforth line with the south end of the core.
But the provincial agency’s study is broader than just a new subway, said Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig.
“We’re sifting through a long list of options that includes everything from building infrastructure to better fare integration to building more GO versus more local transit infrastructure,” he said.
“In the end we’re probably not talking about a single project. We’re probably talking about a series of things that, collectively, Metrolinx, the TTC, York Region Transit, others have roles to play in achieving,” said McCuaig.
Public consultations on the Metrolinx Yonge Relief Network Study will be held March 1 and 3 in Toronto and March 5 in Richmond Hill.
It will take at least 10 years to build a relief subway line, said Metrolinx chair Robert Prichard.
So far, however, there is no funding for it. The Ontario Liberal government is still considering whether to levy a gas tax or other revenue tool to fund the next wave of transit expansion in the Toronto region. It has already committed funds to LRTs on Eglinton, Sheppard East and Finch West, as well as a replacement to the aging Scarborough RT.
As to the next TTC chair, Stintz said Friday that the decision is “up to (city) council,” while Byford said he wanted someone who will provide clear direction without “micromanaging” him.
