Are subway barriers a 'waste of money'? Councillor says funds better spent on platform doors, TTC defends move

Mandeep Lali says platform doors the ultimate goal, but barriers a step in the right direction

Toronto wants to make the TTC safer. Here's how

The Toronto Transit Commission’s plan to install platform edge barriers at TMU station faced criticism at the agency’s board meeting Wednesday, with one councillor calling for the plan to be scrapped so the money can be used for full-length doors.

The barriers set to be installed at TMU will be steel guardrails positioned close to the platform edge. A report to the board said the plan is to install safety barriers at 10 high-priority stations, at a total cost of $20 million. Right now, there is only funding for the work at TMU.

The waist-high barriers with gaps for people to enter and exit trains are modeled after a program that TTC CEO Mandeep Lali previously worked on in New York City. The TTC board chair said the measure would be bolstered by an AI-powered track intrusion system.

But Coun. Josh Matlow said while the barriers might make people feel safer, platform doors that act like walls that open when a train arrives, are what the city needs.

He would rather see the $2 million it will cost to install the barriers at TMU put towards achieving that much costlier goal, which a staff report says provide the highest level of protection.

“I think it’s a waste of money,” he said of the guardrails.

The board wasn’t voting on whether to install barriers or not, but rather getting an update on the work from staff.

TTC would like platform doors eventually: CEO

Lali acknowledged the TTC would eventually like to have platform edge doors.

The ultimate goal, platform edge doors, have long been desirable and cost-prohibitive for the TTC. The update presented to the board pegs them at $500 million total, $50 million per station.

But detailed design hasn’t started yet, leaving the door open for costs to be lower.

Lali said it’s not only about preventing people from accessing the tracks, but items too. He said platform edge doors would probably be more effective, but the barrier proposal is a step in the direction of a solution.

“The barriers that they have now, I was involved in all of them,” Lali said of the New York barriers. “Speaking to the customers thereafter, they were greatly appreciative of the fact that they had something between them and the approaching train.”

Inside the TTC's new safety plan: Safety barriers, AI cameras

Preventing things and people from entering the tracks not only makes the subway safer, it also protects the system from delays. In 2024, trespassers on TTC tracks caused 90 hours of subway delays.

Along with the barriers at TMU, there are also plans for an AI system that aims to predict when someone may be thinking about jumping on the tracks, then alerting transit control workers.

The safety of riders standing on TTC platforms and the resulting delays caused by trespassers will almost certainly become a central debate in this year’s municipal election.

Two days after announcing she was seeking re-election, Chow announced the platform edge barriers would be coming to TMU on May 27. Making TTC-related announcements is nothing new for the mayor, who has done so throughout her term.

However, her media event about the barriers followed a campaign-style announcement in March by mayor-hopeful Coun. Brad Bradford about TTC safety. At that announcement, Bradford called for platform edge doors to be under construction by the end of the next year.

Lane Harrison is a reporter with CBC Toronto who primarily covers municipal and provincial politics. Born and raised in Toronto, he joined CBC in 2022 as a Joan Donaldson Scholar after an internship with the Globe and Mail. You can reach him at lane.harrison@cbc.ca

With files from Alina Snisarenko