Latest news with #streetcar
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
‘Long overdue': Toronto City Council approves dedicated transit lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst
Dedicated transit lanes are coming to Dufferin and Bathurst streets. Toronto City Council approved on Wednesday the installation of dedicated bus lanes on Dufferin Street and dedicated streetcar lanes on Bathurst Street—both of which will be located south of Bloor Street. Before the vote, Mayor Olivia Chow told councillors that big cities have bus lanes and it's time for Toronto to do the same, noting that the RapidTO surface transit network plan to enhance bus and streetcar service has been in place since 2019. 'We will move forward on these long overdue RapidTO bus lanes, dedicated bus lanes,' Chow said. On Dufferin Street, the curbside lanes will be converted to priority bus lanes, while on Bathurst Street, the centre lanes will be changed to priority streetcar lanes. The city said construction for the transit lanes would begin in the fall and is expected to be finished before the start of the World Cup. According to staff, the implementation of the transit priority lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst is expected to cost $8 million. Staff initially recommended putting dedicated transit lanes on both streets as far north as Eglinton Avenue West, but that plan was scaled back after several businesses and neighbourhood groups pushed back. During her remarks, Chow acknowledged the concerns of some communities, saying they're legitimate. 'They do have some concerns. They talk about on-street parking. Where are we going to park, especially if I'm disabled? Who's going to pick me up? Where are they going to pick me up? And what about loading? If I have a small business, where will I load? All of these need to be worked out,' Chow said. The motion approved during Wednesday's meeting includes an item directing staff to report back after the World Cup with recommendations for the next steps for future implementation of dedicated transit lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst between Bloor Street and Eglinton Avenue. A Toronto transit advocacy group praised the approval of dedicated transit lanes, saying it is a huge step forward. 'Implementing these lanes will make transit more reliable and encourage more people to take a bus or streetcar instead of driving,' said Andrew Pulsifer, the executive director of TTCriders. 'Transit users will continue to speak up and fight for common-sense solutions like dedicated transit lanes.'
NHK
17-07-2025
- General
- NHK
Children in Hiroshima learn about atomic bombing aboard restored streetcar
Children in Hiroshima have taken a ride on a streetcar damaged by the 1945 atomic bombing to learn about what happened to the city then. A total of 31 third-grade students from Hiroshima University Elementary School took part in the annual event ahead of August 6, which will mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic attack on the city. The students boarded the restored street car, which is still in service, and toured the city. An official from Hiroshima Electric Railway, which operates the streetcar, told them that the train's wooden parts had been burned in the bombing. But its metal parts remained, making it possible to restore the train and keep it in use. The children also compared the landscapes they could see from the train's windows with photographs taken shortly after the atomic bombing. A boy riding the train for the first time said he was amazed to realize that the once-devastated city has transformed into a beautiful place where people live happily in peace. A girl said the trip helped her understand how strong the atomic bomb blast was.
The Independent
16-07-2025
- The Independent
Inside America's budget-friendly, BBQ-obsessed World Cup city
My first time seeing Kansas City 's streetcar roll by was a little like watching Doc Brown's DeLorean from Back to the Future suddenly appearing in 1955. The American Midwest, with its wide, valley-like streets and cartoonishly huge cars, feels like no home for such a jarringly European sight. But Kansas City isn't like most Midwest cities. Not only has this sleek tram been trundling through downtown KC (as locals call it) for almost 10 years, its 2.2-mile track is in the process of being extended (almost doubling in length) and – best of all – riding is completely free of charge. Sure, it's not the New York subway, but this is also no white elephant. And while it won't put Kansas City on the map in the same way Taylor Swift's appearances at Kansas City Chiefs NFL games have, it's a sign of a surprisingly progressive city on the rise and one that will be hosting six matches at the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Straddling the state line between Missouri and Kansas, the city was a vital trading post and frontier crossroads on the mighty Missouri River when it was founded in the 1830s. A century later, the city developed an anarchic reputation under mob boss Tom Pendergast as prohibition gripped the US and its smoke-filled jazz clubs and brooding speakeasies attracted celebrities, politicians, misfits and deviants. Today, KC is a sprawling metropolis of 500,000, with its stocky skyline a hodgepodge of featureless glass towers and gorgeous Art Deco skyscrapers under a dome of great Midwest sky. Bright blue mornings at my riverside hotel are often pierced by the distant horn of incoming freight trains. It's a nostalgic sound, like the howl of a lost America as it thunders past languid cornfields and lonely telephone lines. The grandiose Union Station, completed in 1914, welcomed its last passenger train in the late 1980s and has since been converted into an airy gathering space with a science museum, cinema, restaurant and other attractions. But this repurposed station is just one of many reasons for visitors to attend games in budget-friendly Kansas City, away from the eyewatering prices found in other notoriously expensive host cities like New York, Miami and Los Angeles. My own personal fascination with this city starts with the flame, however. 'BBQ may not be the road to world peace, but it's a start,' once said the iconic food and travel raconteur Anthony Bourdain. And in this city, it's over hearty slabs of beef brisket, tender burnt ends and glistening pork ribs where people bond. The Kansas City metro area has over 100 BBQ joints, so if there's one place to be a little looser with the wallet, it's at one of these distinctly American restaurants. Opened back in 1908, the OG is Arthur Bryant's in the historic 18th and Vine neighbourhood. Like all good BBQ joints, I can smell the smoke-charred aromas as I cross the street, and inside there's a reassuringly long line to the counter. The same succulent ribs I eventually savour a little later on had also been enjoyed in the past by the likes of presidents Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter, such is the fame of Arthur Bryant's. But as legendary as this place is, it's independent modern spots like Chef J BBQ, Q39 and Slaps BBQ that have truly mastered the craft. And since life is short, make sure to order the most gut-busting, indulgent platter on the menu for a true taste of KC. In fact, so intensely does this city worship at the altar of the flame that in April 2025 it opened the world's first Museum of BBQ (entry $10). Located in the sprawling Crown Center near the National WWI Museum and Memorial (entry $19.50), it's a playful meander through BBQ's regions, wood, sauces, people and every other flavour component imaginable. Later that evening in downtown KC, I head over to another local culinary institution. Town Topic Hamburgers' no-nonsense, wallet-friendly burgers are the antithesis of the messy, sky-high sandwiches often found at trendy food trucks in the UK for upwards of £12. A standard hamburger here will set you back just $5.35, but I choose the $9.25 double cheeseburger. It's a greasy but tightly packed nirvana of beef patties, melted cheese, onions and mushrooms which, crucially, can be held in just one hand (something of a lost art these days). Back at 18th and Vine, this neighbourhood was once Kansas City's jazz mecca, where the art form flourished in the 1930s and 40s and where local virtuosos like Charlie Parker got their break. Once a Beale or Bourbon St of the Midwest, the area fell into dilapidation but still holds onto its distinct character and is home to the colourful American Jazz Museum (entry $10). Next door is the Blue Room jazz club, with quality acts at the weekend and free jam sessions on Monday nights. A five-minute stroll south on Vine St, you'll find Vine St Brewing Co, which is truly breathing new life into the area – as Missouri's first Black-owned brewery, their distinct blend of craft beer, bold art and hip hop is a joy to experience. There's talk of a streetcar line to 18th and Vine one day, but for now the focus is on extension from KC's burgeoning riverfront district all the way down to the University of Missouri-Kansas City at the southern end of downtown, where the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art form a free-of-entry double act. Along with the Kansas City Art Institute, they'll make up the 'Arterie', an art-themed walk between all of the galleries starting at the Art Museum's streetcar stop. At the Missouri riverfront, the streetcar extension is already paying dividends in a once-neglected area, with my slick new Origin Hotel and the waterside beer garden of Two Birds One Stone making for a breezy atmosphere as the milky orange sun dips beneath the river every evening. A stone's throw away is CPKC Stadium, home of the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League and the first stadium purpose-built exclusively for a professional women's soccer team. And in downtown, the soon-to-open The Dub will be the city's first bar devoted entirely to women's sports. Soccer isn't the only sport in town here. When the World Cup is on at Arrowhead Stadium, tickets for neighbouring Kansas City Royals baseball games can often be found for as little as $20. And even if you're not enthralled by the action on the field, the cavernous stadium is also home to an outpost of arguably the most celebrated of all KC's BBQ restaurants - Joe's Kansas City BBQ. The flame can't be avoided in this city, so order in Joe's famous Z-Man Sandwich, embrace it, devour it and thank me later. Getting there There are no direct flights between the UK and Kansas City. Instead, connect to Kansas City International Airport (MCI) via Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) or Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). Flight time from both of these is under two hours and numerous flights operate on American Airlines. Opened in 2024, the smart 118-room Origin Hotel faces the Missouri River and its on-site restaurant Show Pony dishes up farm-to-table American fare. With the streetcar station opening soon, the hotel's great waterfront location is enhanced further by the hotel offering free bikes for cycling along the Riverfront Heritage Trail.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Toronto city staff scale back proposal for priority transit lanes lane on Dufferin, Bathurst streets
Toronto city staff are curtailing proposed plans for dedicated public transit lanes on Bathurst and Dufferin streets north of Bloor, according to a report to be considered by council's executive committee later this month. The report, which will be discussed on July 16, recommends bus-only lanes be installed on Dufferin Street from King Street W. up to Bloor Street W. Originally, staff had proposed that the lanes extend up to Eglinton Avenue W. It similarly recommends streetcar-only lanes be installed on Bathurst Street from Lake Shore Boulevard W. north to Bathurst station, except for a stretch between Nassau Street and Dundas Street W., where construction is ongoing at the Toronto Western Hospital. Originally, staff had proposed priority bus lanes from Bathurst station to Eglinton Avenue W. At the committee meeting, city staff will suggest that they report back after Toronto hosts six FIFA World Cup games next year. Staff could make recommendations then on whether or not to extend the priority transit lanes on Bathurst and Dufferin from Bloor Street W. to Eglinton Avenue W. WATCH | Reaction mixed over proposed bus lanes on 2 major Toronto streets: City staff have said the priority lanes would help meet the city's needs during the games, with both Bathurst and Dufferin serving as "critical routes to get people to and from the games." Both proposals sparked mixed reaction from residents in the spring, who raised concerns at virtual town halls over the loss of parking spaces and impact on local businesses. Coun. Dianne Saxe, who represents University-Rosedale, said constituents have told her that they would like to see significant improvements in bus service on Bathurst Street north of Bloor Street W. but also they want to preserve local businesses. "There's about, variously 50, 60 well-loved local businesses, a lot of them owned by people who also live in the immediate vicinity. And they have been really frightened about the prospects for their businesses if people can't park anywhere," Saxe said. Saxe said there is a big problem with the northbound bus in the later afternoon but not with the southbound bus. "We don't have a problem with the bus 24/7. We have a huge problem with the bus, the northbound bus, in the afternoons from about two until seven. Those are five very important hours, but they're not 24 hours," Saxe said. Saxe said she will move a motion at a city council committee meeting in September that the city needs to "unblock the bus" when it is stuck. She said one potential solution is to expand the hours that parking is not permitted on the street to match the hours of heavy traffic. Transit riders 'deserve to have priority,' TTCriders says Andrew Pulsifer, executive director of transit advocacy group TTC Riders, said the group is "really disappointed" that the priority transit lanes will not go all the way to Eglinton Avenue W. Bathurst and Dufferin streets both need dedicated bus lanes north of Bloor, he said. "Well, 35,000 people use the Bathurst line every day, 40,000 use the Dufferin line every day and and they deserve to have priority," he said. Pulsifer said the city has an opportunity to fix the problems but they are not acting on that opportunity. Making dedicated transit lanes will make transit more reliable and make the streets less congested, he added. According to the city staff report, the priority lanes would see 75 parking spaces removed along Dufferin Street and 277 parking spaces on Bathurst Street. Installing priority transit lanes would require an estimated $8 million in capital funding, the city staff report says. If approved by the executive committee, the proposal for the lanes would go before city council. If approved by city council, the report suggests construction on both projects would begin this fall with an estimated completion in the spring of 2026.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Toronto city councillors discuss streetcar service disruption due to construction
Video City councillors Josh Matlow and Dianne Saxe speak with CP24 about congestion building up on Adelaide St. without the streetcar.
