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Eglinton East LRT | Metrolinx

W. K. Lis

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There is an official Eglinton East LRT at this link. All the images come from that website. You can place your comments in this thread, but correspondence should be sent to either their contact page at this link, or via e-mail to EglintonEastLRT@toronto.ca

Of interest to me, is the Kingston Road—Lawrence—Morningside intersections. This intersection is one of the top 10 most congested locations in Toronto.

They are looking at 5 options.

Legend-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-Tunnel-2-300x288.png


Option 1:
Kingston-Morningside Single Stop
  • Closest to the approved 2009 EA concept
  • Consolidation of stops due to platform extension and proximity of stops; and need for
    track work
  • Improved transfers between LRT and buses
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-2.png



Option 2:
Lawrence-Morningside Single Stop
  • At-Grade via Kingston – Lawrence – Morningside
  • Single stop on Lawrence
  • More flexibility to transfer to local buses
  • Direct pedestrian connections to station and surrounding context
  • Reduced speed for transit due to additional LRT turning movements
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-3.png




Option 3:
Lawrence – Morningside Two Stops
  • At-Grade via Kingston – Lawrence – Morningside
  • Stop 1 on Kingston, south of Lawrence
  • Stop 2 on Morningside, north of Kingston
  • Most flexibility to transfer to local buses
  • Most pedestrian connections to stops and surrounding context
  • Further reduced speed for transit due to additional stop
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-4.png


Option 4:
Kingston Tunnel
  • Grade separated (tunnel) through both intersections to avoid LRT turning conflicts
  • Single below-grade stop below Kingston Road
  • Minimize impacts to travel times and increase safety for transit and general traffic
  • Increase in costs and construction impacts
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-5.png


Option 5:
Lawrence – Morningside Tunnel
  • Grade separated (tunnel) through all intersections to avoid LRT turning conflicts
  • Single below-grade stop below Morningside Ave (closer to potential redevelopment compared to
    Option 4)
  • Better connections to surface transit routes compared to Option 4
  • Further increase in costs and construction impacts compared to Option 4
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-6.png
 
A shame to see Brampton get the jobs after the Main LRT fiasco.

From this link comes information on the
Kennedy Station and Crosstown Integration


Not sure where their claims about the previous plans not having an underground connection at Kennedy are coming from. The LRT was to have an underground stop here, with an underground connection to the subway station, and there would have been nothing stopping a connection of the tracks to the Crosstown LRT.
 
There is an official Eglinton East LRT at this link. All the images come from that website. You can place your comments in this thread, but correspondence should be sent to either their contact page at this link, or via e-mail to EglintonEastLRT@toronto.ca

Of interest to me, is the Kingston Road—Lawrence—Morningside intersections. This intersection is one of the top 10 most congested locations in Toronto.

They are looking at 5 options.

Legend-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-Tunnel-2-300x288.png


Option 1:
Kingston-Morningside Single Stop
  • Closest to the approved 2009 EA concept
  • Consolidation of stops due to platform extension and proximity of stops; and need for
    track work
  • Improved transfers between LRT and buses
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-2.png



Option 2:
Lawrence-Morningside Single Stop
  • At-Grade via Kingston – Lawrence – Morningside
  • Single stop on Lawrence
  • More flexibility to transfer to local buses
  • Direct pedestrian connections to station and surrounding context
  • Reduced speed for transit due to additional LRT turning movements
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-3.png




Option 3:
Lawrence – Morningside Two Stops
  • At-Grade via Kingston – Lawrence – Morningside
  • Stop 1 on Kingston, south of Lawrence
  • Stop 2 on Morningside, north of Kingston
  • Most flexibility to transfer to local buses
  • Most pedestrian connections to stops and surrounding context
  • Further reduced speed for transit due to additional stop
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-4.png


Option 4:
Kingston Tunnel
  • Grade separated (tunnel) through both intersections to avoid LRT turning conflicts
  • Single below-grade stop below Kingston Road
  • Minimize impacts to travel times and increase safety for transit and general traffic
  • Increase in costs and construction impacts
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-5.png


Option 5:
Lawrence – Morningside Tunnel
  • Grade separated (tunnel) through all intersections to avoid LRT turning conflicts
  • Single below-grade stop below Morningside Ave (closer to potential redevelopment compared to
    Option 4)
  • Better connections to surface transit routes compared to Option 4
  • Further increase in costs and construction impacts compared to Option 4
Kingston-Road-%E2%80%93-Lawrence-%E2%80%93-Morningside-6.png
The Subways! Subways! Subways! crowd would choose option 4 or 5.

Option 1 would be most sensible in my opinion.
 
The Subways! Subways! Subways! crowd would choose option 4 or 5.

Option 1 would be most sensible in my opinion.

I travel through here often, option 1 will be just fine, there is no need for a tunnel here, it would not be worth the cost.
 
Looking at Google Maps because I don't know the area, the land use patterns look like Option 2,3 or 5 are the best options.

My assumption is that the Lawrence/Morningside intersection should get priority because of the combination of the hospital, school and junction of two mall blocks.

Because I expect that usage on this line will blow past expectations and the TTC is terrible at managing service I think the underground option here is sensible.

What do the people who frequent this area think?
 
First of all, we need traffic study data. Gotta base one's opinion on something other than opinion.

Intuitively I prefer the options that go straight along KR and turn north, because they only have one turn rather than two. Gut feel says that minimises trip time and improves velocity. But the traffic data might challenge that, particularly if the light cycle for the left turn was problemmatic for either LRT or auto.

And, I don't know off the top of my head how many riders turn south on Morningside, or might benefit from the shortened walk if the LRT makes that wee jog.

We have enough money in this city to afford a couple duckunders on a surface LRT line. I'm definitely of the mindset to say err on the side of spending the extra money in a few judicious locations, to avoid traffic headaches and to make LRT faster (subjectively and objectively). Again, we need data to figure out if this is a priority lication for that.

- Paul
 
University of Toronto Scarborough Campus and Morningside-Ellesmere

I’d say if Humber College gets a underground (trenched) LRT “station”, then UTSC also should have one. The difference is, one is on Highway 27 which is barely in the campus, while the other is on Ellesmere Rd which is right in the heart of campus.

Any of the revised options for the UTSC sections would work, EXCEPT for the Morningside direct route, which is very inconvenient (basically Humber College’s LRT station but at grade).

Having the LRT in the pedestrian path (of the converted/realigned Military Trail) actually makes a lot of sense to become a “Transit Mall” :eek:, but not having a stop south of Ellesmere might be an issue.
 
UTSC should have one if and only if it merits one. Humber College is irrelevant to the discussion.
I’m not trying to bring the “Scarborough Deserves A Subway” idea into the thread, but I’m comparing the FWLRT vs EELRT termini to the present bus routes.

Is there is 198 bus equivalent? (36, 186, 191?)
 
UTSC should have one if and only if it merits one. Humber College is irrelevant to the discussion.

While there is no absolute requirement to build an underground station at UTSC just because there will be one at Humber College, factors that led to the underground Humber College station may be present at UTSC as well. I guess, that has to do with the boarding / unloading volumes, and maybe space at the surface level (or lack of it).

Let's wait for the detailed analysis.
 
For the Kingston / Lawrence / Morningside triangle, Option 1 (straight on Kingston and then north on Morningside) seems to be most reasonable. That route avoids the most congested Lawrence / Morningside intersection.

Furthermore, at the Kingston / Lawrence intersection there are no left turns from Kingston. Thus, there would be fewer conflicts between the LRT and the general traffic.

Tunneling sounds like an overkill in this case; Eglinton East is designed primarily as a local line, and will operate mostly on surface (with the exception of the Kennedy connection, and possibly the UTSC station). Don't see a reason to put the Lawrence stop underground.

On the other hand, Options 2 and 3 (with a detour along Lawrence) are less desirable as they would increase the travel time and reduce the reliability. A few residents and a few shoppers may benefit from the better stop location(s), but the majority of LRT riders would be put at a disadvantage.
 
Last edited:
According to this link, the Eglinton-Kingston intersection was originally designed with two stops.

14.png

  • The 2009 approved concept had two stops:
    • Eglinton/Kingston and
    • Kingston/Scarborough Golf Club Road
  • There is not enough space for lengthened platforms and required track work
Emerging Concepts
  • Consolidation of Eglinton/Kingston stop and Scarborough Golf Club stop, due to proximity of lengthened platforms
  • Pedestrian access to platforms still to be determined
    • Signalized surface crossing or stairs/elevator to a pedestrian overpass
  • Traffic analysis is currently underway


Option 1: Approved 2009 ‘EA’ Plan with extended platform
  • Most closely matches the approved 2009 concept
  • Fragments open space / place-making opportunities
  • Longest pedestrian crossing distance to LRT stop from north side of Eglinton/west side of Kingston
    Eglinton-Kingston-Stop-1.png


Option 2: Optimized ‘2009’ Plan
  • Pulls westbound Eglinton away from north-side residential buildings
  • Simplified intersection at Kingston and Westbound-Eglinton / Kingston Road
  • Increases setback between Eglinton Ave and residential buildings on the north side
    Eglinton-Kingston-Stop-2.png


Option 3: Straighten
  • LRT platform is in the centre of the right-of-way
  • Greater placemaking opportunities by minimizing impact on green space
  • Reduces the number of signalized intersections for Kingston – Eglinton
    Eglinton-Kingston-Stop-%E2%80%93-Emerging-Concepts-3.png


Option 4: Platform Access
  • Similar to Option 2, with LRT alignment and westbound Eglinton shifted slightly north
    Eglinton-Kingston-Stop-%E2%80%93-Emerging-Concepts-4.png
 
According to this link, the Eglinton-Kingston intersection was originally designed with two stops.

14.png

  • The 2009 approved concept had two stops:
    • Eglinton/Kingston and
    • Kingston/Scarborough Golf Club Road
  • There is not enough space for lengthened platforms and required track work
Emerging Concepts
  • Consolidation of Eglinton/Kingston stop and Scarborough Golf Club stop, due to proximity of lengthened platforms
  • Pedestrian access to platforms still to be determined
    • Signalized surface crossing or stairs/elevator to a pedestrian overpass
  • Traffic analysis is currently underway


Option 1: Approved 2009 ‘EA’ Plan with extended platform
  • Most closely matches the approved 2009 concept
  • Fragments open space / place-making opportunities
  • Longest pedestrian crossing distance to LRT stop from north side of Eglinton/west side of Kingston
    Eglinton-Kingston-Stop-1.png


Option 2: Optimized ‘2009’ Plan
  • Pulls westbound Eglinton away from north-side residential buildings
  • Simplified intersection at Kingston and Westbound-Eglinton / Kingston Road
  • Increases setback between Eglinton Ave and residential buildings on the north side
    Eglinton-Kingston-Stop-2.png


Option 3: Straighten
  • LRT platform is in the centre of the right-of-way
  • Greater placemaking opportunities by minimizing impact on green space
  • Reduces the number of signalized intersections for Kingston – Eglinton
    Eglinton-Kingston-Stop-%E2%80%93-Emerging-Concepts-3.png


Option 4: Platform Access
  • Similar to Option 2, with LRT alignment and westbound Eglinton shifted slightly north
    Eglinton-Kingston-Stop-%E2%80%93-Emerging-Concepts-4.png

I love how all the ideas I espoused in the other thread are slowly coming to fruition : first the consolidation of stops into a single station at the West Hill triangle and now Golf Club and Eglinton / Kingston are getting merged. There too is a good spot for grade separation.
 

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