Toronto’s new streetcars look more like spaceships. They’re 30 meters long, complete with 4 flexible articulations, air conditioning, and panoramic windows. 251 people will fit comfortably, 70 sitting, with face-to-face seating to encourage them to make new friends. The finished product was unveiled on Thursday at TTC’s Bathurst St. Hillcrest complex, and to join the existing cars will be an entire new fleet on Toronto’s streets over the next five years.

Spadina and Bathurst have been selected as the first landing streets for the vehicles because of their right-of-way access to Spadina and Union Stations. Following their introduction sometime in 2014 will be new cars on Harbourfront, Dundas, Queen, Lakeshore, King, St. Clair, Kingston St., and Carlton.  Electronic Presto readers will be affixed in the cars to make for efficient boarding, while non-Presto users will be able to use a new proof-of-payment system with vending machines onboard for cash tickets. 

The spacious new design and breezy payment system have been expensive to implement: altogether, the new cars, Leslie St. storage and maintenance facility, and street and platform modifications have cost over $2 billion. According to TTC chief vehicle engineering Stephen Lam, the cost of the new “go-anywhere” cars that’ll quietly whip around Toronto’s tight turns and hills? Priceless.

[via CTV]