CANADA: Vintage trams were brought out for a ceremony on June 18 to inaugurate the first extension to Toronto’s tram network since 2000. Regular services on the 514 Cherry route started the following day.
The route follows a newly-built 400 m alignment along Cherry Street running south from King Street to the Distillery Loop. This branches off from the existing east-west route 504 at Sumach, with 514 services running to Duffering Gate Loop in the west. Services run every 8 to 9 min at peak times, and at least every 15 min off-peak.
Construction was funded by the province of Ontario, the city of Toronto and the federal government. It forms part of the regeneration of the waterfront area, which includes West Don Lands, described as the first ‘Transit First’ neighbourhood in Toronto. Toronto Transit Commission expects all residents in this area to be within a 5 min walk of public transport. Cherry Street has been redesigned to prioritise public transport and pedestrians.
