Skyline of downtown Toronto - where residents want shorter transit journeys prioritised
May 13, 2025 06:00 BST
“Can we make this quick?”, ask Toronto
transit users
3 in 4 people say shorter journeys is the top priority for public transit in Toronto
To encourage more people to take transit – and avoid the road congestion
that costs the region C$44.7 billion annually[i]- Torontians would most like to
see ‘shorter journeys’ on public transit prioritised (72%), a global
transportation survey revealed today.
Toronto is still a city dominated by car travel, with 70% of people commuting
by car, compared to 33% in Paris and 41% in London. Prioritising shorter
journeys (72%) came top of the wish list for people across Toronto, beating
‘avoiding crowding’ (69%), ‘reliability’ (65%), and ‘affordability’ (57%) as
reasons to use transit more often.
The findings come as part of international report into attitudes to
transportation commissioned by Hitachi Rail, a global leader in rail. The
company has a large presence in Toronto with more than 1,200 employees
working on major projects, like the Ontario Line, and delivering important
urban rail resignalling projects across Canada and in major cities around the
world.
The global research was conducted by independent polling agency Savanta,
which collected the opinions of a representative sample of 1,026 Toronto
residents who used all modes of transportation. Worldwide, more than 11,000
people were interviewed in seven global cities - London, Washington DC,
Paris, Dubai, Copenhagen, Berlin and Toronto.
The focus on ‘shorter journeys’ has been a consistent theme for Toronto
transit users, coming top for three years in a row, the data shows.
“Toronto resident expectations for transit continue to grow – and providing
shorter journeys is top of their wishlist. They want transit to offer faster more
convenient ways to cross the city as an alternative to driving”,said Arnaud Besse,
Chief Operating Officer of Urban Rail Signalling at Hitachi Rail, speaking from
Toronto.
“It falls on us as leaders in the rail industry to offer the advanced technology and
deliver the important projects that can make journeys faster and make transit
more appealing.”
A range of factors impact the length of journeys on subways and rail within
cities. Core components of any transit systems are the capability, reliability
and speed of the trains, signalling and infrastructure, while service frequency,
the time it takes for passengers to board at stations and other operational
factors all have an impact.
While transit and congestion are hot topics in the city, the good news for
time-sensitive Toronto residents is that there is an unprecedented level of
investment underway across the region that will cut journey times and make
transit the logical choice.
The largest new project is the new Ontario Line, which will dramatically cut
the length of transit journeys from 70 minutes to 30 minutes to get across
the city. Its modern signalling technology will also allow trains to pass
through stations every 90 seconds during rush hours.
In the shorter-term, programmes like the Finch LRT line and Hurontario LRT
line (both supported by Hitachi Rail), and the regional GO Expansion, will cut
transit journey times, increase travel options and connections, and improve
reliability across the region. While upgrades to the TTC subway system, with
the use of new signalling technology, will allow for faster journeys, more
services and greater reliability, plus the ability to reach more destinations via
transit.
Initiatives such as Ontario’s newly introduced One Fare Program - that
enables transit users to pay just one fare across the region’s different transit
organizations – has made transit more convenient, integrated and affordable.
All aspects that transit users, and potential transit users, value according to
the report.
Hitachi Rail’s survey also finds that there is support for better funding for
public transit. People in Toronto would use a better connected system more,
even if it cost more (40% in favour vs. 37% against), despite the majority of
respondents using a car to commute to work or study (70%).
ENDS
Media Contacts
Notes to the editors:
Hitachi Rail’s Better Connected report is available here. For more detailed
information specific to about the polling for Toronto, please reach out the
media contact below.
To find images associated with the release please go here.
Hitachi Rail’s growing presence in Toronto includes:
• Its global competence centre for Urban Rail Signalling in North
York from which it is delivering important urban rail signalling
projects across Canada (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal & Ottawa)
and in major cities around the world.
• Delivering major projects like the Hurontario Line and Ontario
Line. For the Ontario Line, as well as being the lead consortium
partner, it will have a long-term involvement once the line is in
service that will involve support for the operations and
maintaining the trains at a newly built facility in Thorncliffe Park.
The global transportation attitudes survey was carried out by independent
polling company, Savanta. 1,026 residents of Toronto were surveyed and
people interviewed representative of the population in terms of age, gender
and region. In the global survey, 11,162 respondents were interviewed
around the world. This is the third year in a row that the research has been
carried out.
[i]Link to cost of congestion data source
About Hitachi Rail
Hitachi Rail is committed to driving the sustainable mobility transition and
has a clear focus on partnering with customers to rethink mobility. Its mission
is to help every passenger, customer and community enjoy the benefits of
more connected, seamless and sustainable transport.
With revenues of over €7bn and 24,000 employees across more than 50
countries, Hitachi Rail is a trusted partner to the world’s best transport
organisations. The company's reach is global, but the business is local - with
success built on developing local talent and investing in people and
communities.
Its international capabilities and expertise span every part of the urban,
mainline and freight rail ecosystems – from high quality manufacturing and
maintenance of rolling stock to secure digital signalling, smart operations
and payment systems.
Hitachi Rail, famous for Japan's iconic high speed bullet train, draws on the
digital and AI expertise of Hitachi Group companies to accelerate innovation
and develop new technologies. Hitachi Group is present in 140 countries with
over 270,000 employees and global revenues of €54.55bn / ¥8,564 bn.
For more information, visit hitachirail.com
Contacts
Ed Brown
Global Media Relations
[email protected]
+44 7850 071287
Adam Love
Media contact – Group & Global
[email protected]
+1 (437) 234 4024
