Toronto plans ferry fleet replacement strategy
Visual rendering of the proposed full electric Toronto Island ferry (Source: City of Toronto)
The City of Toronto is recommending a plan to replace its current, aging fleet of passenger/vehicle ferries with fully electric vessels. Although further cost estimates will be undertaken as the project advances, current estimates for the completed designs range between C$23 million and C$25 million (US$18.1 and US$19.7 million) per vessel.
This shift to full electrification supports the City’s commitment to accelerate climate action to achieve net-zero city-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The city’s target is to transition 20% of the city’s ferry fleet to zero emissions by 2025 and 50% by 2030.
A new report recommends a plan to replace four existing primary ferry vessels over a 15-year period. Toronto Island Park is served by a ferry fleet of four primary vessels and one heritage vessel, which together transport over 1.4 million passengers and 5,000 vehicles annually to Toronto’s largest park. The vessels are between 50 to 100 years old, well be yond the industry average lifespan for similar ferries. The report, submitted by City staff in Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR), recommends an increase in funding for the additional design and construction of support services required to advance a fully electric design for the ferries and the required shore-side infrastructure.
