If they are so extremely well-known, surely there must be something official they could release to put this debate to rest. So average people like me would not have to rely on partial back-of-the-napkin charts made by random people, or on comments made by other redditors, who may or may not be knowledgeable.

The fact that this has not happened, means there is no up-to-date study, and nobody knows for sure the details of the variables. Maybe the chief of maintenance knows the variables for maintenance, the chief of supply knows variables on fuel etc., and some other people know other bits and pieces, but nobody has pulled it all together in quite some time.

I worked at pearson, and i know a little something of gov't bureaucracy. Rule number 1 is nobody does anything until they are ordered to do so. and kicked in the proverbial arse a few times to reinforce the order. Probably the only study they have is the original study of the Queen streetcar proposal in the archives.

its a useful exercise to do. Variables change with time, and this sort of comparison should be run every 5 years or so, not just for one route, but for every route. There should be a unified database, and various departments plugging in updated numbers should re-calculate route costs automatically along with alternatives.

Dont grow attached to street cars, they are just a vehicle. Bus, streetcar, its all the same, just a method of getting from A to B. if Queen is better off with a bus, then so be it.