Province slagged TTC unfairly

And, sadly, the city’s top political leader was absent on the issue because, as he reminds us often, he is not in favour of these “damn streetcars down the middle of our roads.” He’s not sold on the projects and will do nothing to enhance their viability. According to TTC boss Andy Byford, it took extensive negotiations to reverse the disastrous direction. But why the missteps on this critical issue? History explains. The TTC has done all the grunt work — design standards, conceptual plans, broad thinking about city-building and environmental enhancement — required to deliver a transit plan for the city. They called it Transit City. Then a new sheriff came to town and started ripping up the rails. Meanwhile, the funders up the street adopted a new mantra. The provincial government bought into the privatization vision. As a prerequisite to funding the four LRT lines in Toronto, the province imposed a rule that the projects must be privately designed, built and maintained. And, possibly, operated. To bolster their claims of certainty around project costs, the province cited cost overruns on the St. Clair streetcar line, in effect, blaming the TTC for running a shoddy project. This claim — repeated erroneously by anti-light rail forces — has erected the political cover to insert privatization of the city’s transit system. Budgeted at $65 million, the St. Clair line cost about twice as much. But though the TTC has shown that millions of dollars were added to the project by decisions from city council and Toronto Hydro and others to change the scope of the project (upgraded street lighting alone cost $7.5 million and water main upgrades added $11.5 million), critics intent on diminishing the TTC kept saddling it with the spectre of incompetence in managing construction projects. Not content to sully the TTC’s image, some elements within Metrolinx and the province moved to disembowel the TTC. The idea to turn over operation of the LRTs — along with the design and build functions — to the private sector after the TTC’s work on them was like ripping away their baby. Commuters don’t care, as long as service is seamless and safe and Toronto Transit Commission chair Karen Stintz cracked a sly smile Wednesday as she discussed her latest victory: the contract to operate the city’s coming LRT lines.

Stintz has been battling Metrolinx over whether the TTC would run the four LRT routes being built with $8.4 billion of provincial funding. A Sept. 19 letter indicated Metrolinx would look for a private partner to operate and maintain them.

But negotiations have now secured a 10-year contract for the TTC to operate the LRTs, while a private contractor maintains them. The routes, an upgraded Scarborough line and new Eglinton, Sheppard and Finch LRTs, are expected to be complete in about nine years.

“If there would have been two operators, it would have been much harder to manage and have a seamless operation,” said Stintz. “The important part for us is that there’s only one control system.”

Stintz announced the contract with Ontario Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli. He later conceded the province “wanted to send a message” to city council with the letter and “that we were working seriously on a solution.”

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a former TTC board member, criticized the latest development in the ongoing LRT saga. “I think it’s a big mistake. The TTC has not demonstrated, nor have they earned, the right to operate these lines.”

Minnan-Wong said a private contractor would have been more efficient and cheaper.

Under the deal, the TTC must determine the cost of running the lines two years before they launch. With files from Robert Benzie doesn’t hit them with more costs.

On Wednesday, all parties assured commuters that the lines will be built on budget, on time, and will run safely and fully integrated with the current system. Peace in our time? There’s still the sizeable matter of dealing with operating costs — another battle for another day. Royson James usually appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: rjames@thestar.ca