Think how fast it would be to have GO running service from Markham Rd to the airport using the crosstown line.
Again, how do you justify class one service from Pickering to the west side of Toronto for 5% of the total ridership of TTC while 75% of them get 3rd class service using the bus?? This is for TTC service.
To some who live in the far east reaches of Toronto, service sucks 100% today and I agree with you.
Obviously, I have picked an egregious example. But it shows how limited the travel time gains are from Transit City. If you pare back my example, and consider for example the travel time gain from Kennedy station to the Yonge line (ignoring whether its Yonge-Bloor or Yonge-Eglinton), the Eglinton Crosstown provides little to no benefit at all. I am not suggesting that there should be even better service for the 5% of crosstown commuters with no benefit for the other 75%. I am suggesting that network improvements should be targeted at improving travel times for all. A bus can be comfortable and quick. Ottawa's Transitway is a great example of this. And the upcoming York U-Downsview BRT is another decent example. Mild BRT through the use of curbside bus lanes would dramatically improve the quality of bus service along the proposed Transit City routes for a fraction of the price. The increase bus speeds, though not as much as LRT, would then complement the riders onward journey from a faster and more comfortable subway.
I Still say the BD needs to hit STC now and for get the SRT.
It takes me 2 hours to get to STC from the west end and I can deal with it.
To do what been said on this board, you will need $150 Billion to build the subway system you want.
Now where is that money going to come from and how do you do it in our life time???
Given the 10-12 billion (and rising) already budgeted for Transit City it seems the money is already there. It' about how it's being spent. Here's how I would reconfigure Transit City:
1) Change Eglinton to a subway.
2) Extend Sheppard to Agincourt GO. Build curbside bus lanes for the rest of Sheppard East and boost Rocket service to STC.
3) Use curbside bus lanes for BRT along Morningside, Kingston, Jane and Don Mills.
4) Extend the Bloor-Danforth subway to Scarborough Town Centre.
5) Replace the SRT extension from STC with LRT along Progress and the Hydro Corridor to Malvern Town Centre.
6) End Finch West LRT at Yonge. Build curbside bus lanes on Finch East.
7) No change to Waterfront West LRT
Given that a third of Eglinton is already a subway, it's quite obvious that all of the above could be achieved using the current TC and SRT Upgrade/Extension budget. Beyond this I would commence work on the DRL with the goal of extending the line along the Don Mills all the way to Finch.
Down the road (2025 onwards), some of the BRT routes (Sheppard East past Agincourt, Jane, Finch East, Kingston, Morningside) could be converted into LRT if there is demand for it (if additional capacity is required). I would also add new routes such as McCowan North, Vic Park and maybe even Kennedy in Scarborough. I dunno as much about the rest of the city but I am sure there are other valuable candidates in the west end that would also offer the same potential as these routes in Scarborough for LRT. And, of course, finish the Sheppard subway at STC.