What is the Toronto streetcar system?
Q: What is the Toronto streetcar system?
A: The Toronto streetcar system is a network of eleven streetcar routes in the Canadian city of Toronto, Ontario. It operates as part of the Toronto Transit Commission's public transport network and shares a common fare system with buses and subway services.
Q: How does it operate?
A: Unlike modern light rail systems that are becoming more commonplace in North America, streetcars runs on city streets and call at frequent bus-type stops, where the passenger waits on the sidewalk for the next streetcar and pays his or her fare on board the vehicle.
Q: How many stops are there?
A: There are 685 stops, eight of which are shared with and connect to the subway system.
Q: Where does it mainly serve?
A: The system mainly serves the downtown and waterfront areas of the city, and acts as feeder routes to the subway.
Q: When was it opened?
A: The system was opened in 1861 as a horse tramway. It was bought by the Toronto Railway Company in 1891 and electrified in 1892.
Q: What type of tracks do vehicles run on?
A: Vehicles run on 82 km (51 mi) of tracks with a non-standard gauge of 1495 mm and collect power from overhead lines at 600 V DC using trolley poles mounted on each streetcar.
Q: How many people ride it per day/year?
A: More than 300,000 people ride the system on an average weekday, and about 100 million annually, making it among one of busiest systems in world.
