Volume 7, Issue No. 29
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . .
Our latest as of Thursday, December 11, 2025
~ The opportunity was missed to join provincial and city officials in the inaugural run of Toronto's newest transport system - the Line 6 Finch West Light Rail Transit. So on our own, we ventured to see what's the big hullabaloo was all about. On Tuesday, Dec. 9, we took the train from Finch West to Humber and back in under two hours. One's got to enjoy the leisurely pace by which the ride took us to Toronto's northwest region.
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LINE 6 FINCH WEST - NEW WAY TO RIDE
The Leisurely Midweek Jaunt
Aboard Light Rail Transit
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“You can't understand a city without using its public transportation system." – Erol Ozan
TORONTO - A good two hours before the forecasted light snowfall and subzero temperatures on Tuesday, December 9, I ventured out of the house fully bundled in four layers of clothing carrying three cameras in my backpack.
I had missed the Dec. 7 grand opening of the city's latest transit route - Line 6 Finch West - the new gateway to Humber College in the northwest, and wondered why this time I didn't get an invitation to cover it. (Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd87hZPkhh0).
I like to be there for events such as this for its significance to the bigger community than to Filipinos alone. Besides, where it takes place, progress affects everybody and should be recorded. That would be something to look back to. (Related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mk1I0UfRRA)
Provincial officials led by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow officiated the Dec. 7 ceremony and even took a ride aboard a gleaming LRT (light rail transit) from Finch West station.
“The opening of the Finch West LRT is terrific news for commuters, delivering a fast, reliable and affordable way to travel across Toronto’s northwest,” said Ford in a press statement. For her part, Chow stated: “Line 6 Finch West is here and it belongs to the people who will ride it every day.”
So, having been passed over the news coverage, I decided to see for myself and traveled to Finch West LRT station where Line 6 originates. Not being here before, I thought the station was impressive, smelled new and looked new.
After a few minutes of waiting, the train, almost empty at past 10 a.m., started to budge. First stop was at Sentinel. Negotiating the next six stops - Tobermory, Driftwood, Jane and Finch, Norfinch Oakdale, Signet Arrow, Emery - felt like the LRT was lumbering off.
In fact in one stop, at Emery, I believe, the LRT came to a halt for five minutes without explanation. A guy who said he was a city employee remarked that he was so disgusted it felt what was happening was so unbelievable.
We were clueless. I mean the train was moving leisurely, at a pace tourists would surely love, for it gave them unexpected opportunity to take pictures of the areas, except that the view from the train wasn't meant for photo albums.
Maybe I'm so used to subway trains whizzing through different stations loading and unloading passengers in seconds. In downtown Toronto, if speed be a measure, the streetcars and buses would be preferable than the LRT.
First-time LRT rider Gaelle Burce would give more time for the LRT to improve its performance. "The first two weeks is understandable, quite slow, but who knows, in the next few days, we'll feel the right speed for this train," she says.
Metrolinx said the LRT can carry a maximum of 336 passengers. During this trip from Finch West to Humber and back, there's hardly two dozen riders. It may be because it's not rush hour, or due to the weather, or customers are not aware of the LRT yet since it was inaugurated only two days earlier.
Well, whatever it was, I enjoyed the midweek jaunt if only for the fact that I came to know the northwest end of the transit system through this unhurried train ride. By the way, for our French-speaking riders, the LRT experience would be a delight. (Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved).
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