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TTC won’t operate Eglinton LRT


September 19, 2012

By Tess Kalinowski

Read More: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tran...e-eglinton-lrt

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The provincial agency sent TTC executives and city manager Joe Pennachetti a letter Wednesday confirming that Metrolinx would be pursuing an alternative financing and procurement (AFP) model for the provincially funded projects, including a private partner for the operation and maintenance of the Eglinton, Sheppard and Finch LRTs. Metrolinx says the decision is based on getting better value for money.

- “Under the AFP model, we protect taxpayers by building in strict penalties for any cost and schedule overruns. If the project is late, the private sector pays. If project is over budget, the private sector pays,” said a statement late Wednesday from Metrolinx. It also said the two transit agencies will continue to work together. However, TTC chair Karen Stintz says the TTC’s input will now largely be restricted to the design of the interchange stations where the subway intersects with the LRT at Eglinton West, Yonge and Kennedy.

- But the decision raises many questions about what happens to commuters if the Crosstown runs GO green instead of Rocket red. Among them: Will commuters have to pay two fares? And who sets the Crosstown fare? If it is higher than the TTC fares, what happens to riders who can’t afford to pay more, since the Crosstown is supposed to replace the Eglinton buses? There are also questions about how riders will transfer between the subway and the Crosstown given that the two will be separate operations in the same location. “(Is the province) now going to take on the full cost of operating the line?” wondered Stintz, who noted that neither GO nor the TTC recover their operating costs through the fare box.

- Nevertheless, she called it a clean, net gain for the TTC. The savings from bus operations on Eglinton would have been funneled back into the Crosstown. Now the cash-starved TTC will probably be able to channel that money into its other expenses. There won’t be room to run buses on Eglinton because the bus lanes are being removed to make way for the LRT, she said. “If there’s ever an issue on that line, how are they going to move people?” Stintz said it’s not clear what’s driving the decision. If Metrolinx is hoping to build an integrated regional transit system, bringing another operator into the equation doesn’t make sense, she said.

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