Toronto's first electric ferry is on its way, expected to arrive in December
The Lady of the Quays, which holds 650 passengers and 14 vehicles, has been towed from a Romanian shipyard to Istanbul and will travel across the Atlantic, arriving on Toronto's waterfront in December.
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Toronto's first electric ferry has been towed from a Romanian shipyard to Istanbul and will travel across the Atlantic Ocean to arrive in the city in December, Global News reported on November 5.
The City of Toronto confirmed the ferry, called the Lady of the Quays, holds up to 650 passengers and 14 vehicles, according to Global News. The City's project page says it will replace the Ongiara, the only vehicle ferry in the fleet certified for icy winter waters. All four existing ferries are between 61 and 90 years old.
Abi Thomas, the City's General Manager of Fleet Services, told Global News in an emailed statement that the completed vessel will be loaded onto a ship in Istanbul and transported across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic Ocean and up the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario. Thomas told Global News that residents will be able to track the journey online once it begins.
Aging fleet on a busy route
Global News reported that "about 1.4 million passengers are carried across the city's inner harbour" by the current fleet.
The second new ferry, the Toronto Islander, will replace the William Inglis, which struck a wharf in 2023 after losing propulsion. In 2022, a second ferry, the Sam McBride, also struck a wharf and injured several passengers, leading the Transportation Safety Board to rule that the City's safety protocols had been lacking at the time, Global News reported.
A second new vessel called the Toronto Islander is due for delivery in early 2027, though Global News reported that the City provided no details on its construction status.
A delayed procurement
The procurement process to acquire new ferries began more than a decade ago, with several delays caused by council changing design requirements, Global News reported. In 2018, council voted to switch to hybrid diesel-electric propulsion, then changed to fully electric models in 2022.
The City also discovered that staff had not accounted for charging infrastructure at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, Global News reported. That discovery led the city to move oversight of its ferries from parks and recreation to its fleet management division.
Once the Lady of the Quays arrives, lake trials and crew training must be completed before passengers can board. Global News reported it is unclear how long that testing will take. Residents who want to follow City Council decisions about the ferry service and other transit commitments can track the mayor's promises at /on/toronto-2026/tracker.
Questions this story answers
When will Toronto's new electric ferry arrive?
Global News reported on November 5 that the Lady of the Quays is expected to arrive in December 2026. The ferry has been towed from a Romanian shipyard to Istanbul and will travel across the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean and up the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario.
How many passengers can the Lady of the Quays carry?
The City of Toronto confirmed the Lady of the Quays has capacity for up to 650 passengers and 14 vehicles, according to Global News. The City's project page gives the same figures and adds that the ferry can carry up to 1,300 passengers when it carries no vehicles.
What is the route the ferry will take to reach Toronto?
Global News reported that the City's General Manager of Fleet Services, Abi Thomas, said the completed ferry will be loaded onto a ship in Istanbul and transported across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic Ocean and up the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario.
Why is Toronto getting new ferries?
All four ferries in Toronto's current fleet are between 61 and 90 years old, Global News reported. It wrote that "about 1.4 million passengers are carried across the city's inner harbour" by those four ferries.
Will the new ferries replace all existing ferries?
No. The two new vessels will replace two of the four existing ferries. The City of Toronto's project page says the Lady of the Quays will replace the Ongiara, and the Toronto Islander will replace the William Inglis, which struck a wharf in 2023 after losing propulsion.
When will the second new ferry arrive?
A second vessel called the Toronto Islander is due for delivery in early 2027, Global News reported. The City's project page lists its arrival in the second quarter of 2027 and its entry into service later that year, and says the schedule is subject to change.
When can passengers board the new ferry?
Global News reported that once the Lady of the Quays arrives, lake trials and crew training will need to be completed before passengers can board. It is not yet clear how long the testing period will take.
Who can track the ferry's journey?
Abi Thomas, the City's General Manager of Fleet Services, told Global News that once the Lady of the Quays begins its journey, residents will be able to track it online. The City has not announced when that tracking will go live.
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