The Transport Strategy Centre is very pleased to announce that Toronto TTC has now officially joined BOLTS, and we would like to warmly welcome them to the community.
Toronto TTC was already a member of GOAL, the North American Light Rail Group, which is also managed by the TSC. The characteristics of Toronto’s streetcar system share similarities with BOLTS systems – particularly in Europe – due to the system’s higher proportion of mixed-traffic tracks (shared with other road users), slower speeds, shorter distances between stops, and station infrastructure that more closely resembles bus stops than typical light rail stations.
In this context, Toronto TTC has now joined BOLTS as well, becoming part of both TSC tram/light rail groups (BOLTS and GOAL). As a member of both BOLTS and GOAL, Toronto TTC will benefit from benchmarking North American systems while accounting for their own contextual specificities, such as slower post-pandemic ridership growth, as well as from benchmarking BOLTS systems with peers that share more similar network characteristics.
Toronto’s streetcar network currently spans approximately 85 km, making it the third-largest system in the BOLTS group, with around 80% of the network operating in mixed traffic. The fleet is relatively new, consisting of 233 Flexity M-1 tram vehicles, all less than ten years old.
We look forward to collaborating with Toronto TTC, integrating them into BOLTS, meeting them at upcoming events, and learning more about Toronto’s streetcar system.
