Metrolinx versus TTC: a public-private partnership for the Eglinton Crosstown?
The Toronto Star reports that Metrolinx is considering snubbing the TTC on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, opting instead for a public-private model to build and operate the $8.2 billion project that wouldn’t involve the city’s transit authority. Apparently, if Metrolinx does go the private partnership route, it will create the biggest public transit project in the province, one that’s administered by Infrastructure Ontario (the government agency that handles alternative financing and procurements). And, according to the Star, the TTC isn’t interested in that approach. Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli says the model would ensure that cash for Ford’s beloved Sheppard subway extension doesn’t disappear into the Eglinton line—so you can guess how the mayor feels about the idea. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
It would be wonderful if a private company ran the LRT line. Corporate bureaucracies are much better for profit margins than government bureaucracies, so I’m sure it will be much more profitable if it is handed to a corporation that will run it like a business, without focusing so much on providing adequate services. The success of the 407 is proof – citizens don’t care who owns what, or who profits from government contracts, they only care about the trains running on time!