I am aware of the 2041 plan, however for various reasons I typically don't factor them when I'm discussing what active plans are for specific projects are because most of the time they're basically just saying "yes, we will have this very obvious addition to our network, and we're not going to worry about feasibility and technical issues because its 25 years from now, ANYTHING can happen by then!".
While it is true master plans are aspirational, and things gets added/bumped/removed, I need to lightheartedly scold you on complete dismissal of master plans. They aren’t fantasy maps, but have a purpose.
Refurbishments includes change for compatibility. Dozens of overpasses in Metrolinx’s network have been raised to accomodate minimum catenary heights along masterplanned routes.
I can name quite several construction projects that made things “masterplan compatible” just in case for future government administrations.
Metrolinx literally (on a smaller scale) has HUNDREDS of underrated versions of those “1918 Prince Edward Viaduct That Made 1960s Bloor Subway Possible” situations. That is one of the most famous well known masterplanning, but the Metrolinx network is full of hundreds of years-preemptive masterplanning hidden within.
Whether it’s the massively overbuilt Centennial Parkway overpass near the Confederation GO station (
more info), the occasional ghost station like Garage Mahal (Bloomington) or other mostly uncelebrated build, that may become pretty prescient 25 years in the future.
Line-item accelerations beyond master plans occasionally happen: West Harbour GO. Even West Harbour was a ghost station (mostly) until roughly late 2019 when over a hundred people disembarked a single peak GO station, and now post-pandemic all day service should keep it reasonably well utilized in Hamilton’s emerging transit boom ($370M HSR, $3.8B LRT, *and* All Day GO, all announced this year).
Some of this was a side effect of some of the master planning preparations, that was then politically line-item accelerated, but at least the Liberals and Conservatives are singing off the same song sheet (without us knowing about it, or being the wiser for it). If this wasn’t happening, it would be far bigger chaos, and mindbogglingly much more expensive.
Some dissapointments like loss of Transit City over a decade ago, were resurrected by subsequent administrations, so the Transit City was already, part of the master plan, so Transit City is still happening — just more piecemeal and more slowly — but with relatively minor revisions. Ironically resurrected by the parties against Transit City, non the less!
Getting government funding successfully from multiple levels of government. The UPX and Georgeown Corridor megaproject were formerly part of long-term master plans;
We certainly can shake an Angry Monkey Fist at some prioritization bloopers that create ghost infrastructure for years, but sometimes those 1918 Prince Edward Viaduct moves work out brilliantly — like the all-day 2way coming to (slightly overbuilt too early) West Harbour GO. It’s messy, inefficient, but far less messy/more efficient than having zero master plan.
Routes from a master plan are cherrypicked and accelerated as a buffet-pick by Liberals and Conservatives. That way, both are still working off the same sheet, even though they disagree on specifics, they are at least (mostly) working off the same master plan; Whether be Smarttrack or electrification or RER or GO Expansion, sometimes there’s rebranding antics, but all of them are just all the same long-masterplanned stuff. The parties tend to be forced to sing off the same songsheet partially because the masterplan contains the obvious/cheapest routes that are quicker to get to shovel-readiness, because of all the minor moves over the years/decades that made these routes a little more ready than others.
Master plans of all kinds (city, roads, trains, transit, etc) helps guide shorter term city planning.
It is fine not to factor them short-term for the current generation, but it’s important to understand the purpose and role of master planning.
I have a
TTC / Metrolinx Masterplanning Megathread here, if you want to see them, weep at them, or cheer at them — very interesting history pictures including 1980s master plans.