Team Me
Active Member
I think the tendency is to oppose railway alignments for the same reason that people oppose hydro right-of-way alignments (it puts the service where the people aren't), but in this one case it makes perfect sense since the railway is such an ugly scar running right through our core.
We also happen to be at a VERY unique moment in our city's development where most of our downtown construction and growth is converging EXACTLY where that railway line runs. Queen East, Portlands, Distillery, Cityplace, Wellington Place/King West, Liberty Village, Parkdale...these areas are all going through massive changes and would absolutely flourish with the addition of a new subway. If anything, we can finally connect the waterfront to the rest of the city.
As for running the subway a long King or Queen, it would turn too many stations into the kind mess that Yonge/Bloor is in. For example, if people have to get off at Union, transfer onto the subway, take it one or two stops and then transfer to another subway, these stations (King/St. Andrew or Queen/Osgoode) will need to be expanded. It will be so much work and each station will likely cost along the lines of what people are projecting for Yonge/Bloor. Why not just work these improvements into the current Union redevelopment?