TORONTO, May 14, 2026 – The City of Toronto announced on May 14 that its two new electric ferries will officially be named Lady of the Quays and Toronto Islander. The city said these are Toronto’s first new ferries in more than 60 years and that they will gradually replace some of the oldest vessels in the fleet, some of which are up to 90 years old. For families planning summer trips to the Toronto Islands, seniors, people with mobility challenges, and island residents, this upgrade is important for future ferry capacity, waiting experience, and accessible travel. However, the new ferries will not enter service this summer, so residents and visitors still need to confirm ticketing, lineups, schedules, and boarding arrangements in advance.
The city said Lady of the Quays is expected to arrive by the end of 2026 and will carry both passengers and vehicles, while Toronto Islander is expected to arrive in 2027 as a passenger ferry. The two vessels will eventually replace older ferries and will have more than triple the passenger capacity of the boats they are replacing. The city also said they will include improved boarding procedures, better accessibility features, and more modern equipment. Toronto added that the new electric ferries will operate with zero emissions, supporting the city’s waterfront sustainability goals.
This announcement is especially relevant to three groups: families taking children to the Toronto Islands during the summer, island residents who depend on ferry travel, and seniors or people with mobility challenges who need accessible waiting and boarding arrangements. Many residents may see “new ferries” and assume that lineup pressure will ease immediately this summer. Some families may also assume that once they buy tickets on their phone, they will be able to board quickly, without realizing that weekends, long holidays, and summer peak periods may still involve long waits.
The city also announced several customer experience improvements for this summer at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and related Toronto Island areas, including clearer queuing zones, electronic information displays, accessible waiting areas, priority boarding arrangements, bike-share stations, and mobile ticket payment options. For newcomer families who are not comfortable with English-language signs, checking the ticketing method, schedule information, and terminal location before leaving home is still safer than trying to sort everything out on site.
At the same time, the naming of the new ferries and progress on procurement does not mean capacity has already increased. The first ferry is expected to arrive at the end of 2026, and the second in 2027. After that, charging infrastructure installation, testing, and service launch arrangements will still be required. The city said that early terminal infrastructure work has already been completed, and the final charging infrastructure is expected to be installed by the end of 2026, followed by testing of the new ferries. In other words, for trips to the Toronto Islands this summer, residents should still plan based on the current ferry system.
In real travel situations, one of the easiest mistakes is underestimating wait times. For example, a Chinese family taking children to Centre Island on a weekend may assume that buying tickets in advance on a phone means fast boarding, but they may still face long lines, crowd control, or schedule waits at the terminal. If the group includes seniors, babies, or people with mobility needs, family members should check the accessible waiting area, priority boarding rules, washroom locations, and the time of the last return ferry in advance, rather than only discovering late in the day that the return line is too long.
For island residents and people who regularly travel to the Toronto Islands for work, the new ferries may improve long-term capacity and reliability, but in the short term they still need to watch for service impacts from repairs to older ferries, weather, holiday crowds, and terminal construction. For visitors and families, the practical step this summer is still to check the city’s ferry webpage before travelling, confirm ticketing, schedules, queuing arrangements, and accessibility services, and save ticket confirmations and terminal information in advance if needed. For residents who are not comfortable using English-language websites, asking family members or travel companions to help check this information may reduce confusion, waiting, and last-minute schedule changes on site. (LJI by Yuanyuan)
