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Kimia Afshar Mehrabi
Posted 3 months ago
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Viral thread compares Toronto's transit system to New York

City
Kimia Afshar Mehrabi
Posted 3 months ago
Report Inaccuracy
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Between a wave of high-profile security incidents, the Scarborough RT derailment, and endless diversion thanks to construction projects, it's pretty easy to forget that the GTA boasts one of the best transit networks in North America, and even more expansion is on the horizon.

A new thread on X (formerly Twitter) by @macsquirelera compares the TTC and GO Transit to the continent's top rapid transit system by ridership, the New York City Subway. The thread has amassed over 2.6 million views and approximately 12,000 likes in just two days. 

The thread begins by comparing the two city's buses, noting that New York manages to "do less with much much more." The original poster explains that while buses are notably slower and less reliable in New York, Toronto's dependable bus network is slowed down by the TTC's streetcars. 

When it comes to regional rail, the X user and avid transit rider writes that New York's systems are currently better than GO Transit, although the latter does have expansion plans for the future and all-day service. 

In comparing subway networks, he says that the TTC has a smaller network but still manages to move many commuters.

Despite its vast network, New York does have "dirtier stations," but according to the thread, its screen and train times are more reliable than the TTC's. 

The original poster noted that TTC bathrooms top those of the New York subway, while drawbacks of the MTA include its "terrible weekend service." 

"Trains are rerouted, stations skipped, lines canceled and service is generally not frequent enough for demand. The TTC wasn't amazing but weekends felt much more cared for than the MTA," the transit rider wrote. 

"Wayfinding: New York blows Toronto out of the water. In-train screens are better in NYC and the on-platform screens aren't full of ads but actually show things like stopping patterns and accessible stations. Bus wayfinding is also way better than the TTC which is very bad," he continued. 

When it comes to fares, the poster noted that the TTC's and MTA's cost about the same, although "NYC has a messy system," and OMNY (contactless fare payment system) is "missing so many" features. 

"At least open payment is everywhere. But the lack of integration with the regional services in NYC is a huge drawback and is very confusing/annoying," the thread continues. 

"Overall, New York is better, but Toronto will be better than it as the LRT lines and GO expansion hit all over the region," the thread concludes. 

"New York is too city-centric and has much more worse suburbs than Toronto." 

How would you compare two transit systems? 

Lead photo by

LouiesWorld1/Shutterstock and EQRoy/Shutterstock
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