mdrejhon
Senior Member
It is either insane or brilliant, depending on how it is executed, IMHO --
But not as quickly, not on as much on Toronto voter terms (since they voted it in), and not with as good integration/co-operation with TTC. Metrolinx and TTC has been historically poor at co-operating, and SmartTrack is a big step in fixing that, and I think would be a genesis for future improved integration. Toronto's population essentially voted to provide almost $3B to accelerate a preferred GO RER plan, under the brand name of SmartTrack.
An excellent argument, and they suggestively might decide to do so (top of page 4 of SmartTrack report keeps that door open, a very sensible report that even transit acitivist Steve Munro liked) though the same amount of taxpayer money would have been spent anyway on a GO RER resembling SmartTrack (without Eglinton spur, GO RER and SmartTrack would be Metrolinx spending of roughly equal amount, but constructed over a longer timespan, and Toronto may still be arguing over DRL for another decade or two -- it is still difficult for voters to agree on DRL).
So this isn't necessarily redundant taxpayer expense at the end of the day, just spent by different levels of government at different times instead, on a different schedule. The voters have decided, and still I think many elements of the SmartTrack is good, and will be an overall benefit GO RER + TTC in the next 10-15 years, thanks to improved TTC-Metrolinx integration financially encouraged by this project. For the first time, we can get true, genuine interchange stations between TTC and GO services. I can see Toronto essentially voted for all of that. So there can be a silver lining by this voter-triggered event of de-siloing/re-siloing taxpayer dollars between Metrolinx vs Toronto, creating long-term side effects such as better network integration, new TTC/Metrolinx culture, etc.
But I agree, it can also be a boondoggle, if they keep it political boilerplate and build the Eglinton spur for the sake of politics (without a long term plan for the spur, to make it worth the money -- e.g. reaching Square One within a generation, like 20 years -- then it becomes, in my opinion, justifies the spur, rather than a Sheppard stubway). If there is intelligence, about 10% of the SmartTrack plan will be modified for cost effectiveness (e.g. trade the portion of monies originally going to be spent on an expensive underground Eglinton spur, to be used instead for a cheaper Eglinton CrossTown LRT all the way to Mississauga downtown/Square One). Or that the Eglinton spur's future is put to a referendum later once scary cost estimates arrive, giving voters a chance essentially veto the Eglinton spur, one way or another.
And I live in Hamilton, whereupon I have no SmartTrack bias -- and where the risk of doing SmartTrack may theoretically delay Lakeshore West electricification. (or may not, if they package Lakeshore West electrification with the prioritized Lakeshore East electricification they need to their future facility) The Lakeshore East electricification is needed for GO RER too, so monies spent on that is very likely separate of the SmartTrack budget (using Metrolinx dollars only) even if SmartTrack trains will need to transit this, enroute to the maintenance facility.
Many elements are Metrolinx's own upcoming spending, hopefully unrelated to SmartTrack as it should not be "incremental" (Bullet item 4f; something they're determining: What expenses are SmartTrack "incrementals" and what is not) -- that question has not yet been answered, until the Winter 2016 report to City Council.
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