Updated: Wed Jul. 26 2006 7:08:46 PM

CTV.ca News Staff

Summertime in a crowded Toronto streetcar can be a hot and uncomfortable experience for commuters. But the TTC is offering some relief with a newly installed air conditioner.

Streetcar number 4041 is the transit system's first and only one to be fitted with an air conditioning system.

Passengers like the cool change for their daily commute.

"It's a really wise decision," one passenger said Wednesday, adding that it should have been done sooner.

Streetcar operator Stanley Memrha has been driving the vehicles for six years. On Wednesday he was given the chance to drive number 4041. He says the difference is dramatic compared to spending all day in a normal streetcar.

"Oh, it's like being in an oven," Memrha said.

Air conditioning is slated to be installed on many more of the TTC's streetcars. One hundred of the transit system's 196 streetcars will undergo a refit, including the addition of air conditioners.

A total of $5 million is being spent to cool the air on board the vehicles. It is part of a much larger fleet refurbishment project that will also make the red rocket's propulsion system more reliable.

A contract for the work will be awarded in August and is expected to take at least three years to complete.

A group of 15 streetcars will be the first to become summer weather friendly. But don't expect your next ride to be in air conditioned comfort. Those vehicles are set to hit the rails by Christmas, ready to make next summer's commute a little cooler.

With a report from CTV's Janice Golding