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When you consider the bickering that has dominated Toronto’s transit debate in recent years, you can understand the political bliss that accompanies the unveiling of new vehicles.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Air-conditioning and more! Take a look inside the new TTC streetcars Back to video

Step aside, rancor, and let everyone get a good look at the shiny new streetcar.

The strategy works, for a time.

Long, bright and futuristic, the much-debated Bombardier vehicle offers a range of new features, from low floors to all-door boarding to greater capacity, all of which will matter less during a hot July rush hour than the promise of air-conditioning.

But a cool day in November, in a barn at the Toronto Transit Commission’s Hillcrest yard, offered the perfect opportunity for Karen Stintz, chair of the TTC, to generate some positive energy.

“We’ve had a lot of discussions about transit — I think that’s fair to say over the last 12 months — but I think the one thing that hasn’t really emerged is that Toronto is a leader when it comes to streetcar technology and what we don’t actually celebrate as much as we should is that American cities look to us,” she said. “They look to us because we have the largest streetcar network in all of North America and a successful streetcar network.”