http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/612954
Go-ahead for LRT sparks excitement, worry on Eglinton
TC asks for patience, says construction start at least 14 months away
April 03, 2009
TESS KALINOWSKI
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
There was excitement along Eglinton Ave. yesterday amid news of the province's promise to pay for a $4.6 billion light rail line from Kennedy station to the airport.
But there were also flourishes of skepticism and plenty of questions from people who work and live along Eglinton.
Officials from the TTC and the province asked for patience.
Some questions, particularly around construction timelines, are still pending further study, said TTC chair Adam Giambrone.
It will be "at least six months" before the TTC can say exactly where and when the shovels will go into the ground, but that's not unusual, he said.
The 32.5-kilometre Eglinton light rail line was part of an almost $9 billion transit funding package announced by Queen's Park on Wednesday. It is the cornerstone of the city's Transit City plan, which includes seven LRT lines.
Construction is expected to begin next year, with an anticipated completion date of 2016.
Another line on Finch West also received support, along with a plan to refurbish and expand the Scarborough Rapid Transit line.
The three projects are expected to create 86,000 jobs, according to the Ministry of Transportation.
But what's planned as the first Transit City line, on Sheppard East, has not been funded yet, even though groundbreaking is anticipated this fall for completion in 2012 or 2013.
"We're 14 months out from the earliest construction on Eglinton," said Giambrone. "But (construction) will not just start from one end and go to the other. It will have multiple points."
Work will be taking place at the east- and west-end portions of the line and the central underground stretch at the same time.
Several options are being considered for how Eglinton will run to the airport. "I've seen six possible routes," Giambrone said.
York Eglinton Business Improvement Area chair Nick Alampi admits he is excited about what light rail could do for the neighbourhood on Eglinton near Oakwood Ave., where he and his sister own a tuxedo shop. But he's also apprehensive that the subway will take business off the street.
"We want an assurance the development is also going to allow business owners to prosper. Not only is it putting subway stations in the key locations ... but that there will be some return for businesses."
KEY DETAILS
Q. Why isn't the city building a subway along Eglinton Ave.?
Anticipated ridership for the line doesn't justify a subway, according to the TTC. It expects a demand for 5,400 passengers per hour in one direction by 2031. About 10,000 people per hour is considered the threshold for a subway; 8,000 people per hour is the level at which the TTC considers the technology used by Scarborough Rapid Transit.
Q. Then why is about one-third of the Eglinton line being tunnelled between Leslie and Keele Sts.?
The street isn't wide enough to accommodate the streetcar right-of-way and two lanes of traffic travelling in both directions.
Q. Why are LRT stops located farther apart than existing bus stops?
Simply put, more stops slow down the LRT. On average, stops on street-level sections will be about 500 metres apart.
On the 13-kilometre underground section, stations will be 850 metres apart.
