Back, by popular demand no less:.A report on the soaring costs of subway building in Toronto. It got lost in the spring 2020 COVID news cycle but shows how out of control the next 4 subway projects were well before the pandemic and supply-chain issues etc.

Yes, there are other big news stories in the Middle East, but the persistent record-breaking heat waves this year deserve more coverage.

Eglinton, in my view, could justify subway after a wide U-shaped line was built thru the core. Levy and I discussed how Eglinton might work best as the closing piece across the top of a Queen-Relief loop that could serve as a hub/distributor for suburban Elevateds or LRT.

RT @extremetemps: ‼️HISTORIC HEAT IN JAPAN. Most extreme heat wave in history:.39C in Hokkaido,almost 40C in Northern Honshu. 57 stations h….

RT @ACCIONA_EN: Once declared biologically dead, the Thames tells a story familiar to many urban rivers 💧. Now, New York is rewriting the s….

Lots of people will also be watching how well the surface portion will work with its far-side stops and 'passive' signal priority.

RT @AnthonyFarnell: Sauble beach as the storm approached. From Andy Straughan. #onstorm

I think so.

Ex-TTC chief David Gunn asked this question about the Eglinton-Crosstown plan in the Globe and Mail in 2011, before the construction began. #Eglinton

Is it #Yankees or #Yankeeeeeeeeeeees?.

RT @donnelly_b: Toronto’s “traffic czar” is doomed to fail. It’s a car-centric solution to a much broader mobility problem.

And why are we waiting for a foreign company to do this work?.

And if the fare police become known as the Grey Shirts, might the #TTC have an even more awkward 'communications issue' on its hands than #POOs.

I hope they have a mascot named 'Winnie'.

This puerile senior is still trying.to unsee these bike-rack signs. #poo #ttc

If Metrolinx were wisely upgrading/electrifying GO, a few extra rudimentary stops on the Lakeshore E and Milton lines could do much to reduce unavoidable inconvenience when TTC eventually upgrades the Bloor-Danforth signal system. Even makes permanent transit sense with OneFare.

RT @RM_Transit: My latest in UrbanToronto on the sorry state of the TTC Subway (still somehow) and the madness that is politicians ignoring….

How do our politicians feel about costs? How can the Star publish a news story without mentioning that building the TTC's Line 2 subway fleet in Canada comes with a mysteriously high price tag? Are we afraid to ask tough questions in this city?

The fact the TTC board passed that report without debate is just the latest evidence that we need to take another stab at creating some serious accountability. We urgently need commissioners who ask tough and intelligent questions and politicians don't seem to want that.

RT @SwanBoatSteve: After the TTC Board rubber stamped the Green Bus report in spite of its clear documentation of project mismanagement, I….

Meanwhile in Vancouver .