SmartTrack cost hikes provide a chance to reconsider plan: experts

It was once John Tory's signature election promise — SmartTrack.

A "surface subway" with 22 stations to be built in seven years. 

But that was 2014, when the soon to be elected mayor envisioned the project using existing GO lines and providing more transit options in Toronto.

Now in 2023, city councillors have reached a new crossroads with Tory's plan a month after his resignation. SmartTrack construction has barely started and the costs to build it are rising.

The plan to establish it as an independent transit line of its own was scrapped long ago. Tory negotiated with the province to change SmartTrack into five new stations on existing GO lines. Those talks meant the city is on the hook for the $1.463 billion price tag.

But with Tory gone, city councillors are faced with a difficult, and potentially costly, choice to determine the future of SmartTrack. In a report before executive committee Tuesday, staff say the price to build the stations is up by at least $243 million. They're asking council to turn to the province to pick up that bill. 

Should the province decline to pay, council will face some uncomfortable decisions if it wants to push forward with Tory's plan. 

It all has some transit experts urging city council to view both the report and Tory's departure as a chance to re-evaluate spending on the transit station plan and ensure it's worth the money.

Time to rethink goal of SmartTrack

Transit advocate Steve Munro said asking questions about the utility of those five stations is key.

"What will they serve? What will they do? Are they worth the investment compared to other things we might spend the money on?" he said.

"We don't see that kind of discussion at council and frankly, given the role of SmartTrack that played as part of the Tory mythology, it's not a discussion that he would have entertained. But I think it's a discussion that now that he's gone, the council should certainly entertain."

Design work has begun at four of the SmartTrack stations and utilities are already being relocated at one site. It's not clear what the city has spent to date on the project.

But the city report says a key design/build contract for the Bloor-Lansdowne is scheduled to be signed by early April, so if any change is made to the plan, it will need to be made urgently. 

"Slicing a station off of the SmartTrack project and redirecting that money to other projects that are more needed really is something the city should look at," Munro said. "Unfortunately, I think the pressure is going to be 'we have to approve it'."

Stephen Wickens, a Toronto freelance researcher and journalist who specializes in transit issues, said when SmartTrack was first conceived there was a "germ of a good idea" at its core. Toronto commuters could benefit from having more stations on existing GO lines, he said. 

But Wickens said Tory's plan became a "mishmash of unnecessary commitments" that have resulted in the city picking up a lot of costs and losing time without improving transit. And with the cost per surface station now averaging around $340 million, it's time to rethink the goal of SmartTrack.

"It looks like they're being asked to massively overpay for something that doesn't maximize the real worth of the investment," he said.

Last week, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie defended the SmartTrack station plan, saying the staff report notes that it is a significant investment to improve transportation choices in Toronto.

On Monday, she said it's too early to say if the province will help the city and cover the cost gap on SmartTrack.

"We're asking the province to enter into a discussion with us about the funding so that we can continue forward on that," she said.

A spokesperson for Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said Monday that conversations with the city about SmartTrack continue.

"We are still reviewing the City of Toronto's report," Dakota Brasier said in a statement. "Our office has been in discussion with Deputy Mayor McKelvie and will have more to say as these conversations progress."

Council critics slam SmartTrack plan

But critics of the plan, and the former mayor, say the city has been saddled with a bad plan and this is evidence of it. 

"I refuse to call this SmartTrack," Coun. Gord Perks said. "This is provincial transit infrastructure. It's GO Transit. And John Tory made a terrible deal to make us pay for GO Transit, which is a regional service."

Perks said the talks about the project need to be part of larger discussions with the province to address the city's fiscal state. The province needs to contribute more, he said.

"We got us snookered into a deal where we're paying for provincial infrastructure when they're refusing to meet our basic bills," he said.

Coun. Josh Matlow slammed the concept of SmartTrack, saying "it was never real." And while he supports having more GO stations in the city, the province should pay for them.

"The city is spending one heck of a lot of money for a political rebranding exercise to turn [GO Regional Express Rail]  into SmartTrack," he said. "I think it was reckless. I think it was stupid."

The report also calls on the city to tell Metrolinx that Toronto will not proceed with that station until the province has agreed to provide the extra funds needed for all five stations, which means development of the stations could grind to a halt.

If the province declines to provide the extra funds, the report asks city council to direct the city manager to report back to the executive committee as soon as possible to outline options.