The head of the TTC is pushing back against his provincial counterpart’s suggestion that it would be easy to upload the city’s subway network to the Ontario government. In a memo sent to all of the Toronto transit agency’s employees Monday, TTC CEO Rick Leary described the rail network as “a valuable and complex asset” that couldn’t simply be flipped to the province. “The suggestion that its rolling stock, yards, carhouses, tunnels, signals, stations, ventilation, electrical, drainage and all other interdependent systems can somehow be easily transferred or uploaded is simply not the case,” Leary states in the memo.The letter is an apparent response to comments made last week by the CEO of Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency responsible for the GTHA. Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Metrolinx board Friday, Phil Verster asserted it would be “quite straightforward” to implement the Ontario PC government’s controversial proposal to have the province take ownership of the subway network. “This is not difficult to see how this can be done,” Verster said.He noted the $5.3-billion Eglinton Crosstown LRT, which is currently under construction, will be owned by the province but operated by the TTC.“It’s exactly the same model that will be required for the TTC upload,” Verster said.Premier Doug Ford has said his government intends to take ownership of Toronto’s rail lines, while allowing the TTC to continue operating the subways and collecting the fare revenue. The TTC would also retain ownership of the bus and streetcar fleet. City councillors, transit advocates, and the opposition NDP have all criticized the proposal to split ownership of the TTC system as overly complex and potentially damaging to transit service. The largest TTC workers union claims the province intends to privatize work on the subway lines. Metrolinx is the likeliest organization to ...
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