World Cup host cities urge residents to ditch cars during tournament

People line the platform as they wait for the SkyTrain at Metrotown station in Burnaby, B.C. on May 11. The FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, with seven games in Vancouver.Jennifer Gauthier/The Globe and Mail

People in Vancouver and Toronto will find more buses, clearer bike lanes and a little less construction as hundreds of thousands of visitors begin arriving to Canada’s two host cities for the FIFA World Cup this week.

Both cities are urging residents to ditch their cars in favour of public transit, walking, rideshares and cycling, as there will be little to no parking near the stadiums and fan festivals.

The World Cup kicks off on June 11, with six games in Toronto and seven in Vancouver. Between the two cities, some 650,000 visitors are expected to flood in.

FIFA World Cup road closures in Toronto, Vancouver

Toronto, which has battled traffic congestion for years and was ranked in a 2023 study as the world’s 17th most congested city, is especially braced for the surge. The city has gone all in on a “transit first” approach, in the words of Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of Toronto’s FIFA World Cup 2026 host committee.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and Metrolinx are confident both transit services will be able to handle the increase in ridership.

The TTC says it estimates 3.8 million boardings during the four weeks that World Cup games will be played in Toronto. Details of the cost of running increased service will only be released after the tournament, said TTC spokesperson Stuart Green.

Andrew Posluns, Toronto’s deputy manager of infrastructure services, said the city expects congestion to be higher than usual.

“Checking routes in advance, allowing extra travel time and following updates from the City and transit agencies will help ensure smoother trips,” Mr. Posluns said in an e-mail.

There will be no designated parking for spectators at BMO Field (called Toronto Stadium during the World Cup for sponsorship reasons) or the FIFA Fan Festival at Fort York.

Metrolinx says it will be co-ordinating with Toronto Police, the TTC and the City of Toronto, as well as adding staff to manage crowds.

“We will be monitoring crowd levels at stations, adjusting train times to support safe travel, and installing more fare payment devices to reduce lineups,” Metrolinx spokesperson Lyndsay Miller said in a statement.

Transit in the city was sorely tested last fall after the Blue Jays’ extra-innings World Series loss and FIFA planners say they’ve learned from that experience.

Aside from severe congestion, traffic and bottlenecks downtown after the Jays game, fans waited hours for transit. Subways and GO trains did not extend their service, shutting down at around 1:30 a.m.

Since then, city staff have spent months co-ordinating with the TTC, Metrolinx, Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation, the Toronto Police Service and Toronto Emergency Management to ensure the disruptions to businesses and residents during the World Cup are manageable.

GO Trains will be running every 15 minutes on the Lakeshore East and West lines, adding 3,000 trips a week – 30 per cent more than winter volumes, Sean Fuller, chief operating officer at Metrolinx, has said.

There will be increased streetcar frequency, extended TTC hours and improved signalling at intersections to ensure public transit moves more efficiently. The transit commission will also deploy significant numbers of staff along transit routes to help move crowds along.

Still, TTC user Anuram Thavarasa remains pessimistic about his ability to get to his classes George Brown Polytechnic this summer.

He takes the subway and streetcar every day, which can end up taking 30 to 40 minutes during regular rush hour.

“The trains are fully packed, so I have to wait for a couple trains to pass by to even hop on,” Mr. Thavarasa said. He currently begins his commute at 8 a.m. but he suspects he will have to leave earlier this month.

“Our subway is currently already at capacity, so with more tourists and people travelling, it won’t be able to handle more passengers,” he added.

There is similar apprehension in the Vancouver area.

Salik Khan, a local transit user in the suburb of Surrey, B.C., is concerned about his commute on the Expo Line to get to work in Vancouver each day.

“I come in from King George in the mornings to Main Street-Science World, so I rely on the transit system to get to work,” Salik Khan said, referring to the station that TransLink is directing World Cup spectators to on match days.

Mr. Khan’s normal commute takes just under an hour both ways. He expects it will take longer during the tournament and said he will either drive to work or catch an earlier train.

TransLink spokesperson Anita Bathe said Metro Vancouver’s transportation authority will be adding 600 additional bus trips each day, more frequent SkyTrain service on local match days, as well as increasing SeaBus sailings and adding weekend West Coast Express commuter rail service.

Vancouver outlines police deployment, road closures as it gets set for FIFA World Cup

Most streets around BC Place, where the tournament’s games are being held, and in the nearby False Creek neighbourhood will be either fully closed or open to local traffic only on match days. Taxi and rideshare lots, and bike valets, will be open near Science World. Visitors are advised to check the host city’s website to plan their trips.

TransLink spokesperson Dan Mountain added in an e-mailed statement that there will be similar levels of bus service to the city’s FIFA Fan Festival, located at the PNE Grounds at Hastings Park, as there were to special event venues during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. There will also be a dedicated taxi and rideshare pick-up and drop-off lot at the PNE.

The City of Vancouver says steps have been taken to reduce congestion during the World Cup by limiting major construction on busy streets and adjusting traffic signals.

Officials urge people to take transit or work from home to avoid World Cup congestion