New TTC streetcars are failing sooner than they should

It's the streetcar saga that never seems to end. Toronto's new streetcars should all be delivered by 2019, but each of the 30 new vehicles we do have are having more problems than expected, reports City News today.

According to a TTC report, the streetcars have a target of 35,000 kilometres between failures. However, right now, the streetcars are failing after 5,696 kilometres. The most common issues is with the new streetcar doors.

However, the report suggests that this number might be insignificant right now.

"As the TTC awaits the delivery of more new low-floor streetcars from Bombardier, this key performance indicator will become increasingly relevant," the report reads.

"With so few of the new streetcars in service today, the performance indicator does not yet truly reflect just how well the new streetcars are performing. Even a low number of defects can have a significant impact on the mean distance between failures," it continues.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross reiterated this to City News, saying, “It’s far too early yet to say that the new streetcars are not reliable. This is part of growing pains that you have with a new vehicle like this.”

We'll just have to wait and see what happens as more of the new streetcars arrive on Toronto streets.