Yesterday (March 7),Toronto City Council approved the City’s 2007 capital budget.

This budget favoured transit and transit initiatives.

Highlights:

Beginning design work towards purchasing 204 low floor accessible Light Rail Vehicles. These vehicles will replace the current streetcar fleet but also increase the fleet by 10 cars. Manufacturers will start to deliver the new cars in 2010 ($0.600M).

Purchasing 220 new buses to replace older buses currently in the fleet and another 100 buses to expand the fleet and increase service under the Ridership Growth Strategy.($222.054M) The City will purchase a total of 1,225 new buses by 2016.

Purchasing 234 new subway cars (39 train sets) to replace current subway cars and also increase capacity by 8 per cent ($103.676M)

Starting to develop an inter-regional bus terminal, with GO Transit and Mississauga Transit ($9.844M).

Completing the 250-bus Mount Dennis garage this fall to house the larger TTC fleet ($30.842M).

Continuing work on the St. Clair West dedicated transitway, to be completed in 2008 ($19.805M).

Beginning to develop two bus rapid transitways (BRTs): one from Downsview Station to York University; the other along Yonge Street from Finch Station to Steeles Avenue($8.614M).

Making York Mills, St. Clair and Lawrence West subway stations accessible ($8.330M).

Replacing more than 30,000 double-track feet of surface rail on Fleet Street, Dundas Street and the Queensway ($44.541M).

Installing state-of-the-art signalling systems on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line ($64.724M).

Other capital projects having impact on transit

Increasing transportation service, safety and capacity – by replacing streetcar track, constructing the North Yonge Centre Service Road, reconstructing St. Clair Avenue West and constructing the Simcoe Street underpass ($75.225M).

Completing the Morningside Avenue / Finch Avenue East grade separation to improve safety and reduce delays to traffic at the railway crossing ($12.959M).

Constructing an underpass to eliminate the Dufferin Street jog, creating a regular intersection to facilitate existing and future area traffic operations ($12.941M).

Other initiatives

Constructing a south entrance to Union Station.

Starting to develop mixed-use, transit-friendly communities such as the East Bayfront and West Donlands.

Greening the parkland portion of Wychwood Barns site.

Improving the City’s website to make it more user-friendly.