The last of the TTC’s "bendy" streetcars will be taken off the roads on Monday but not before Torontonians are given a final chance to say goodbye to the decades-old vehicles.
The Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV) streetcars have been in service since 1988.
At one point there was as many as 52 of them on the roads but in recent years many of them fell into disrepair as they exceeded their intended lifespan.
On Monday, the TTC will officially retire the final two ALRV streetcars in its fleet but first commuters will be offered free riders on the vehicles to commemorate their years of service along some of the TTC’s busiest routes.
The TTC says that Car 4204 will depart the Russell Carhouse at 2 p.m. and travel east to Wolseley Loop and back until 5 p.m. Car 4207, meanwhile, will participate in the Labour Day Parade along Queen Street and then then depart Wolseley Loop at approximately the same time, making the trip to the Russell Carhouse and back until 5 p.m.
In a news release on Thursday, the TTC said that the streetcars “were considered a landmark achievement” in their day and were instrumental in allowing the “the TTC to increase capacity on its busiest routes at a time ridership was increasing.”
The TTC, however, said that the vehicles have now largely been replaced by its new low-floor streetcars.
Once the final two ALRV streetcars are taken out of service, the TTC says that it will select one to preserve alongside its other legacy vehicles.
