Toronto's and Province's New 12.4B Eglinton/SRT/Sheppard Plan

[Eug]

The only real "news" here is that the Eglinton LRT will run underground as far as Kennedy and that Finch will be some kind of "improved" bus. The money isn't any different from before, except that the McGuinty government greenlighted Ford et al to try to get private funding for their Sheppard subway. Good luck with that.

Well, yeah...

Anyways I'm just impressed Ford was able to push this through. Sheppard seems like pie in the sky, but personally I think this is a good thing. I was always very uncomfortable with his rah rah pro Sheppard stance. Perhaps he finally saw the light... given that an Eglinton subway will probably win him more votes than a Sheppard one.

Oh and I would be perfectly happy to see this not go to council for a vote.

 

[Filip]

I just can't wait to hear the details tomorrow.

Hudak stands a good chance of getting votes in Scarborough. One of his promises could easily be 'partial' funding of the Sheppard extension with the city picking up the rest; this of course at the detriment of the fully underground Eglinton line.

Remember, he stands to gain votes in Scarborough and North York - not so much where Eglinton is going.

 

[Towered]

So as an extension of the Eglinton line, will the section that replaces the SRT also be underground?

 

[jje1000]

I just can't wait to hear the details tomorrow.

Hudak stands a good chance of getting votes in Scarborough. One of his promises could easily be 'partial' funding of the Sheppard extension with the city picking up the rest; this of course at the detriment of the fully underground Eglinton line.

Remember, he stands to gain votes in Scarborough and North York - not so much where Eglinton is going.

How so? I doubt Hudak wants to be seen as the second Conservative premier to cancel Eglinton. The only area I could see being cut is the western end, the eastern end is connected to the Scarborough RT, so that's likely untouchable.

Stintz, as useless as she seems to be at the moment, will likely not let Eglinton go down without a fight. After all, this is her ward, and she promised better transit for them.

I think if Hudak gets in, he'll swallow the pill and also fund Sheppard, as foolish as it may be.

 

[Eug]

So as an extension of the Eglinton line, will the section that replaces the SRT also be underground?

No.

I think if Hudak gets in, he'll swallow the pill and also fund Sheppard, as foolish as it may be.

Possibly, but I wouldn't bank on it.

 

[GraphicMatt]

Hudak isn't going to commit more than 4 billion dollars to anything, especially a transit project. He might make a big deal about announcing his support for the Sheppard P3 though.

 

[Filip]

Hudak isn't going to commit more than 4 billion dollars to anything, especially a transit project. He might make a big deal about announcing his support for the Sheppard P3 though.

Don't underestimate Ford's election to the psyche of both the federal and provincial Tories.. They finally see they stand a chance at being elected within the city that has shut them out for decades.

We might see a slew of lovely funding announcements because they're hungry for vote-rich Toronto. I think all of you remember the recent article in the Globe and Mail showing that Hudak's support is quite high in North York and Scarborough. That's where he stands a chance to gain 416 votes. The Sheppard subway is basically a subway for those two boroughs, he will probably offer to fund part of the extension. What happens to Eglinton remains to be seen, but I don't think it will get cut this time around.

 

[Eug]

Anyone who cuts Eglinton now would be committing political suicide.

 

[Dan416]

I'm disconcerted by the lack of Eglinton reaching the airport. But hopefully they will add that later. I still think the SRT replacement with subway makes much more sense than having the Eglinton line swing way north for no reason.

 

[typezed]

Eglinton east of the Don is a horrid street, especially around the Smart Centres near Warden. Modern efficient surface transit would humanize the area. There's plenty of room for LRT above ground without having a great impact on auto traffic - there are already medians along much of the path. There is no reason for such expense burying it, except to satisfy the distaste some people have for anything that doesn't directly serve themselves. Transit is public investment that needn't always be hidden away. The visible streetcars downtown add to the character of the city. If there's money to bury it all the way, instead spend some of that diving under (or elevating above) major intersections so that transit isn't delayed tangling with cars at those spots, and maybe there will be a little left over to get closer to the airport on the west side, where there is also plenty of room to run the trains in the street.

 

[lafard]

I'm disconcerted by the lack of Eglinton reaching the airport. But hopefully they will add that later. I still think the SRT replacement with subway makes much more sense than having the Eglinton line swing way north for no reason.

$$$ .

Most of the SRT budget was tied up in the extension to Malvern, not the conversion. Cancelling the extension but keeping the guideway is one of those ways they're paying for tunneling Eglinton east.

 

[TonyV]

The way that I am looking at this: "it's a start".

As much as I don't like the political gamesmanship involved here, we've got to see these two big new developments actually take shape. Let's not allow these lines to fall victim to whims of future decision makers. There's no time to waste.

When I say "it's a start", I really mean that. More is needed in terms of comprehensive, medium- and high-capacity transit. This city is going to keep growing; if we allow Toronto to become more car-dependant we will commit urbicide.

Finally, I relucatantly accept the death of the Transit City ideas, with a caveat: these newly-devised Sheppard and the Eglinton lines are just not enough. We at least need the DRL, and a strong connection into these new lines from northwest and northeast portions of the city. There is some big thinking going on here, but guess what, we have to think even bigger. Transit is #1 issue - transit affects everything.

 

[accura407]

Here's the official news release...
http://www.news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2011/03/ontario-and-toronto-moving-forward-on-public-transit.html

Key Notes:
> "Along Eglinton Avenue from Black Creek Drive in the west to Kennedy Station in the east. It will run largely in a tunnel except for sections in the Don Valley and in the approaches to Black Creek and Kennedy Stations."
> "Metrolinx may contribute up to $650 million to the costs of the Sheppard project. The first priority for the provincial funding is the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown LRT line."

So the question is...what will this Black Creek Drive Station look like?

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Yeah, the press release elaborates a bit.
The LRT will have:
up to 26 new stations, vehicles, maintenance and storage facilities, and rail and signal systems. The cost estimate for the project is $8.18 billion.


They describe Sheppard as a "city of Toronto" project. The eastern extension includes:
seven new subway stations, subway cars, maintenance and storage facilities, rail and signal systems. The cost estimate (excluding a new yard) is $2.75 billion.


...and the west:
two new subway stations, subway cars, maintenance and storage facilities, rail and signal systems. The cost estimate is $1.4 billion.


And the official map...

 

[nfitz]

Here's the map from the government website:

So Black Creek Drive to Jane on Eglinton is cancelled. Also McCowan station will be removed, and the extension to Centennial College and Sheppard/Markham are also cancelled. Not to mention Bellamy and Malvern Town Centre.

Wow, lose/lose for Malvern.