TTC maintenance, asbestos cleanup delaying parts of Rogers’ 5G subway network build
Global News
Asbestos cleanup, tight work windows and other TTC delays have slowed the build out of 5G cellular service in Toronto's subway system.
Asbestos cleanup, tight work windows and other TTC delays have slowed the build out of 5G cellular service in Toronto’s subway system, and TTC staff now say they don’t expect Rogers Communications Inc., will be able to meet a federally imposed deadline that looms at the end of this month.
A new report detailing updates on the transit agency’s major projects, which is set to go before a Toronto Transit Commission board meeting next Wednesday, says Rogers’ 5G implementation is at risk of missing targets.
But the document cites issues related to the transit system itself, rather than Rogers’ efforts.
While service has been activated in large chunks of the subway system already, including the busiest stretch of the network located downtown, the two-and-a-half-year project remains ongoing and progress lags in other tunnel sections.
In 2023, the federal government imposed conditions on Rogers and other carriers offering coverage through the Rogers-owned network, which required that voice, text and data services be turned on in 80 per cent of subway tunnels by December 2025, and the entire system a year later.
The TTC report’s updated projections say 70 per cent of tunnels will be completed by the end of this year and 88 per cent by the end of 2026. The commission expects the project to be completed by the second quarter of 2027.
The report attributes the hold up to a variety of maintenance issues, such as the TTC having to reprioritize workcars and other resources for “state-of-good-repair activities.”
It also highlights the “constrained” windows in which Rogers can carry out its work.
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