The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Yeah - I think they'd have to go that way here given the new Cherry St streetcar tracks running over the top of the station.

Although judging by his tweets earlier today - the Mayor is saying the DRL is 15-20 years away so .....................

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

Although judging by his tweets earlier today - the Mayor is saying the DRL is 15-20 years away so .....................

15 years away if they start construction right now. This will be a monster job, building subway stations under downtown Toronto in 2020, will be a nightmare to say the least. this project should just be "ongoing" because starting and stopping is just not an efficient way to build a subway in a built up area.

[swimmer_spe]

Will they be using Lower Queen?

[Beedok]

So, why does the east end need the relief line so much more than the west? Is it the streetcars in the west? The two transfer stations? Or are there just more people out Scarborough way than Etobicoke way?

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Beedok

So, why does the east end need the relief line so much more than the west? Is it the streetcars in the west? The two transfer stations? Or are there just more people out Scarborough way than Etobicoke way?

I think it more has to do with Bloor-Yonge station being the busiest.

[swimmer_spe]

In a few years, the subway extension in Toronto will be finished. Next year, Vancouver's Evergreen Extension will be completed.

Montreal is planning an LRT to the Airport as well as a Blue Line extension.

Toronto wants to replace the SRT and to build a DRL.

Vancouver wants to build a line to UBC.

With the federal government announcing that they want to invest in transit, It would make logical sense that once the current projects in the respective cities end that the new projects start up almost immediately.

Ottawa's Confederation Line Is doing just that. Once Phase 1 is done, Phase 2 will start up.

None of our major cities have enough rapid transit. Maybe this will help them catch up.

[ssiguy]

Edmonton's Valley LRT line has officially started construction and Calgary's 40km Green line will also be starting soon which will include a downtown tunnel.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Will they be using Lower Queen?

From what I read on UT the plan is to tunnel under Lower Queen as it's not a suitable size anymore. However they would use part of it as a mezzanine for the future station.

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

I think it more has to do with Bloor-Yonge station being the busiest.

The west will also be better served by whatever RER / Smarttrack turns into based on the geography of the existing rail lines. It's likely that phase 2 of the DRL will continue north of Danforth and the westward expansion wouldn't be until phase 3.

[rbt]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Will they be using Lower Queen?

Absolutely not. We need stations larger than a pedestrian tunnel; the current pedestrian underpass uses the majority of lower-queen.

That space will likely be demolished, greatly enlarged, and rebuilt at some added expense as the supports will be moved. With luck this line is designed with platform doors on day 1, making supporting the overhead structure much easier (verticals next to track).

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

15 years away if they start construction right now. This will be a monster job, building subway stations under downtown Toronto in 2020, will be a nightmare to say the least. this project should just be "ongoing" because starting and stopping is just not an efficient way to build a subway in a built up area.

With that timeframe, you seem to be anticipating that they will be using a teaspoon for the excavations!

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

With that timeframe, you seem to be anticipating that they will be using a teaspoon for the excavations!

Look how long the Spadina line extension is taking, and that is being built in the boonies, where it should be relatively easy to build. Try building a subway station under King and Bay or Queen and Bay in downtown Toronto and see how long that takes. Tunnelling and Subway Station construction downtown under all that built up infrastructure is going to be a nightmare. Anyways, the province has given the city/Metrolinx $150 million dollars to start planning the line, so it's actually already ahead of the Scarborough line, which has no plan and no fixed funding (I hope) or if it does, maybe can be transferred to the more important line.


www.urbantoronto.ca


Downtown relief line gets new funding and a route
Province announces $150 million for design one day after public consultation reveals proposed map and more details.

[Innsertnamehere]

subways take around 8 years to actually build once construction starts. A couple of years of design needs to be done as well.

Right now the DRL is at the same stage that the spadina extension was in around 2005. So I expect it'll open sometime in 2027 or 2028 if things go smoothly.

[caltrane74]

from the the article above

A report recommending the relief line alignment is expected to go before Tory’s executive committee on June 28. City staff has estimated that the relief line could take $3.2 billion and more than 13 years to build.

[caltrane74]

Another 55 million from the province to do the planning of Yonge Subway north of Steeles.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Another 55 million from the province to do the planning of Yonge Subway north of Steeles.

This is great news. Hopefully once the other subway extension is done, the shovels get put back into the ground. Whether it is the SRT, DRL or this, it seems like we have the right government support for it.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

This is great news. Hopefully once the other subway extension is done, the shovels get put back into the ground. Whether it is the SRT, DRL or this, it seems like we have the right government support for it.

No, this extension cannot be built without the DRL.. the Yonge Line cannot handle this extension with current capacity issues.

Mr. Tory repeated his previous assertions that the relief line was a “precondition” before demands that the overcrowded Yonge line be expanded northward into York Region could be contemplated.

Globe and Mail

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

No, this extension cannot be built without the DRL.. the Yonge Line cannot handle this extension with current capacity issues.


Globe and Mail

So, next project is either SRT replacement or DRL.

How much longer can the SRT trains last before they become as bad as the Streetcars?

It would be nice if they were done concurrently. Then, once the DRL opens for revenue service, they can begin on the extension to Richmond Hill.

[MalcolmTucker]

I imagine the SRT has part commonality with the first generation Sky Trains, so will never get as bad. Also, they don't have onboard motors.

[hipster duck]

I'm generally very happy with the DRL alignment and stations.

One opportunity that I think would have been worth the extra money would have been to extend the first phase at least as far west as Spadina. There are a lot of employment and trip generators around the Spadina and Queen area and the existing transit lines are overloaded.

[caltrane74]

Some of the land use proposed around the new DRL / Smarttrack / GO RER lines....