Let me get it across right now: I'm not anti-LRT. I've liked the Eglinton crosstown LRT and Don Mills LRT proposals for quite some time, and Mammoliti's idea of a subway down Jane instead of an LRT is absurd. Also I think the DRL line, whenever it comes, is cool but a bit dodgy and it needs to be fine tuned. I do however support both the Yonge and Spadina extensions and a possible B-D eastern extension replacing the SRT.
In defense of my map proposal, I too am in favor of Don Mills and Jane LRTs north of Eglinton and so naturally thought that some transfer points could be eliminated via linking the two stubs together via the Eglinton LRT subway. Creating one line line vs. several shorter lines makes travel continuous. And in that vain having the DRL extends west and east though Richview and the Golden Mile could fulfill the goal of a subway right across Eglinton only requiring 2 cross-platform transfers en route from Kingston to Commerce.
But if linking Scarborough to Mississauga directly via Midtown is a
must, I would support a true Eglinton subway from Wynford Hts to ACC for now. The TTC pledging to one day upgrade the LRT line to subway "in the distant future as its warranted" is an empty promise. Just look at what's become of the promised Sheppard extensions and dismantling the SRT. The possibility of building at- and above-grade west of Mount Dennis substantially lowers the cost. Remember that the elevated guideway for MarkII Skytrains (of the exact same diameter as the TTC's Orion T1s) cost as low as $190 million per kilometre in 2008 dollars. TYSSE in a complete tunnel bore is costing $304 million/km. Above-grade stations also minimize the potential to wastefully aggrandize the station layout with a reduced number of features. Not since the original Spadina Line has the TTC been able to reign in its penchant to build larger than needed facilities at subway stops but the SRT ROW by contrast is minimalist yet practical and user-friendly.
Furthermore, a city of Toronto's population size with the 29th busiest international airport in the world should not be without a metro link to it. Building a subway grade line to the airport from now is advantageous should the DRL be extended to Eglinton/Weston because of the potential to interline train trips along the Richview ROW to/from Pearson and the downtown core. Every second train of course continues east along Eglinton to Wynford. People may say that the Union-Pearson AirLink is better but it will be very limited in its catchment (virtually useless to the downtown outside of Union and Dundas West), will lead to road closures in Weston and could see the re-alignment of a presently very fast and direct railway into Brampton, Georgetown and Guelph. Not to mention the substantiated cost to ride, not even fare-integrated with GO. And there's little time advantage over a DRL-Richview subway even with fewer stops, given the out of the way alignment swinging two kilometres southwest from 27/Bethridge. So the money saved from one project can contribute towards more worthwhile ones.
And meanwhile, dedicated bus lanes down the median of Eglinton east of Don Mills cost substantially less than LRT and will still have a practical use/purpose even after the subway's extended eastwards (given the large spacing gaps involved). Building LRT now, at its higher price tag, will undoubtedly make the TTC more reluctant to undo all that spending by then building a subway beneath. So one modal mistake hoists sub-par service onto generations to come.
Anyway, just thought I'd defend the Eglinton as heavy-rail metro position because for the life of me I don't understand why it's always being put on the chopping block when Sheppard West extension by contrast will move far fewer people and does nothing to alleviate the Bloor-Danforth Line nor intercept inbound commuter traffic coming from 905 West.
With the way the TTC is going about things right now, though, I'm not sure if the quality of either subway or LRT will be all that great.
On this, we can both agree. Our existing stations are literally crumbling apart while the TTC invests $140 million in pork on the most absurdly excessive station renders for TYSSE that I've ever seen. I did not realize the function of the TTC had shifted from providing efficient public transport to being art gallery/museum curators.
