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Toronto council set to approve downtown East Bayfront LRT stop

From Metronews.ca, at this link:

Politicians are ready to spend up to $2 million on platform for anticipated transit line.

City council has yet to find money for the East Bayfront LRT line, but councillors are ready to reserve space that could become a platform for one of its stations.

The GO bus station at 45 Bay St. is being redeveloped with a 48-storey tower, and the developer has agreed to include a structure within the underground parking area that’s expected to someday serve as an LRT platform, Coun. Pam McConnell said.

With the development expected to happen soon, councillors are facing a time crunch to get the deal in place.

Council secured $2 million to make it happen, though the project is expected to cost less than that, McConnell said. A full report is expected at the Toronto East York Community Council meeting on Sept. 8.

“This is very important for us, and it’s been a good year in the making,” McConnell said.

“As far as I know, there are no barriers” to approval, she added.

The East Bayfront LRT has been among council’s transit priorities for years. Earlier this year, politicians approved a motion to expedite it, but the money still hasn’t been secured.

As the waterfront east of downtown is being developed, there’s more urgency for the line to be built, McConnell said.

“We are actively pursuing funding for the East Bayfront LRT as we speak. When that occurs is anybody’s guess, but sometimes it happens faster than you think,” she said. “And sometimes slower.”

She considers reserving space for the LRT platform downtown is a step in the right direction.
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See this PDF from Toronto and East York Community Council, at this link.
 
I really don't know about this option for the new platform. It's nearly a 600 foot walk, almost the same as the link from Spadina on the 1 line to the Spadina streetcar, 2-3 minutes walk. 6 times the distance of the "too far" transfer at Kennedy would have been. 2 million is cheap, but when people realize it's a third of the distance to Queen's Quay and will involve the streetcar going all the way up to Front, turning around, and going back after they get on, will it still seem like a bargain?
 
CapitalSeven said:
I really don't know about this option for the new platform. It's nearly a 600 foot walk, almost the same as the link from Spadina on the 1 line to the Spadina streetcar, 2-3 minutes walk. 6 times the distance of the "too far" transfer at Kennedy would have been. 2 million is cheap, but when people realize it's a third of the distance to Queen's Quay and will involve the streetcar going all the way up to Front, turning around, and going back after they get on, will it still seem like a bargain?
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I think (not sure) this would be the first stop/station after Union instead of serving as a terminus for the East Bayfront line - and it will probably capture the Southcore crowd and leave Union proper for the area north of the track.

AoD
 
This would be the only stop. Somewhere or other there is a city document showing this as one of the cost-saving options. A second stop up beside the Dominion Public Building would only be 400-500 feet upstream - it wouldn't be economical to build and operate both. This is a way of getting something built cheap in order to get something built sooner. I am not criticising anyone for considering it, but I'm afraid they're not going to think it through. Then again, it could always be built and then repurposed if it doesn't end up as a station, since it's an extension of the parking garage.
 
Is the platform going to be viewable but not in use once it is done? Also, wouldn't this conflict with the far in the future bremner streetcar - it seems lined up for where the T will be.
 
CapitalSeven said:
This would be the only stop. Somewhere or other there is a city document showing this as one of the cost-saving options. A second stop up beside the Dominion Public Building would only be 400-500 feet upstream - it wouldn't be economical to build and operate both. This is a way of getting something built cheap in order to get something built sooner. I am not criticising anyone for considering it, but I'm afraid they're not going to think it through. Then again, it could always be built and then repurposed if it doesn't end up as a station, since it's an extension of the parking garage.
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Is that confirmed? I thought the existing line will continue eastward using the Union loop - in other words, you'd have to operate both in any case.

AoD
 
There's no confirmation of anything in the posted report - it's just "decide in two days if you want to buy a box." But the drawings (very hard to read) show there's not enough room for a pedestrian crossover between the tunnel and the road, so this is a station on one side of the street only, not accessible from the Air Canada Centre side. As there's no pedestrian crossing between Front and Lake Shore, this would be a one-way station for northbound cars only. That might be a small relief during the afternoon rush hour, but I am not sure who would wait 5 minutes to take a streetcar 500 feet to change to the subway.

One thing you can (barely) see in the drawing is that the platform seems to be on a siding off of the main northbound track. That may be a remnant of the 2007-09 scheme to have 2 platforms on each side of the loop with turnouts to operate them separately. I think the plans I saw (which I have looked for and not found) suggested a platform in the 45 Bay location, or underneath the railway tracks. Perhaps they could be thinking of both, even.

Surely they will be prepared to discuss the overall station plan and operating plan before asking Council to decide. Won't they?
 
TheTigerMaster said:
If this plan goes forward, the East Bayfront LRT would have two underground stops on Bay Street: Queens Quay Station and the new 45 Bay Station, correct?
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That is my understanding and there will also be a pedestrian (PATH) link joining the new 45 Bay building and bus station to Union Station. (I think the current streetcar tunnel runs directly under Bay Street and this will be on east side of Bay so the track will, eventually, have to be slightly moved over. I assume it will be built without interfering with the existing tunnel and will not be visible until they open up the wall (if the platform is ever opened.) Frankly I think it's a 'no brainer' to reserve this space now as 45 Bay will be a very busy place and the cost is not great when you look at the whole project.
 
DSC said:
That is my understanding and there will also be a pedestrian (PATH) link joining the new 45 Bay building and bus station to Union Station. (I think the current streetcar tunnel runs directly under Bay Street and this will be on east side of Bay so the track will, eventually, have to be slightly moved over. I assume it will be built without interfering with the existing tunnel and will not be visible until they open up the wall (if the platform is ever opened.) Frankly I think it's a 'no brainer' to reserve this space now as 45 Bay will be a very busy place and the cost is not great when you look at the whole project.
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As it stands now they are just leaving space on the P2 parking level (open to P1 above) for use as part of an LRT station - if they do utilize this as part of QQE a third track will be added along with demolition of the west foundation wall (they have designed this area with columns and knock out panels). Access to this "station" appears to be from the north side of the building structure which will connect with PATH and a bridge to the ACC (and to PATH). The existing streetcar tracks being to diverge at this location (to make the loop at Union) - i haven't heard anything about moving the existing track layout.
 
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