I’m a little disappointed that this announcement is happening on a Sunday afternoon, where it’s likely to be ignored, but…I’ll take it.

Now let’s get a western leg built.
 
Now let’s get a western leg built.

I would rank that well down the priority list of investments.

When I look at rapid transit investments, I want to see a connection to one or more major employment centres not previously linked to rapid transit; or a major residential node, or a post-secondary institution.

As well, of course, as relieving existing over-taxed transit; and/or creating a very substantial improvement in commute time for a large number of people.

When limiting oneself to the City proper, and looking where the are large gaps that might be served by pending projects.........

1) Serving Pearson with the EWLRT and/or Finch West LRT probably comes out number one, because its a massive employer, as is the surrounding area.
2) Connecting UTSC to rapid transit would rank highly, presumably via EELRT
3) Extending Sheppard east to VP ranks highly due to the large node of employment and increasingly residents at that location.
4) The Ontario Line north would rank more highly to me than west for its added value Line 1 relief, and also for connecting people to/from the Don Mills node; but would score better still making it up to
Seneca's campus at Finch.

There's also the myriad GO investments to be made; and a long list of improvements to existing stations from accessibility features to second/third exits, to capacity expansion to platform edge doors.

Thereafter there are a host of suburban GTA investments from Hamilton's A Line to Hurontario to DT Brampton to Brampton Queen Street BRT that would all rank more highly to me than O/L west.
 
You’re right: those are much higher priority projects. Personally my top two projects would be in order:

1. EELRT because it runs through so many NIAs
2. EWLRT to Pearson (but, to truly change the modeshare for employees I think you need to drastically improve frequencies for Mississauga and Brampton transit)
 
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I guess we'll know soon enough but I wonder what location they are using for the announcement. Maybe near Exhibition since buildings are being demolished so it looks like visible progress?
 
I guess we'll know soon enough but I wonder what location they are using for the announcement. Maybe near Exhibition since buildings are being demolished so it looks like visible progress?
Probably at Exhibition GO.

 
a handful of the new renderings - there are many more in the press package:

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I would rank that well down the priority list of investments.

When I look at rapid transit investments, I want to see a connection to one or more major employment centres not previously linked to rapid transit; or a major residential node, or a post-secondary institution.

As well, of course, as relieving existing over-taxed transit; and/or creating a very substantial improvement in commute time for a large number of people.

When limiting oneself to the City proper, and looking where the are large gaps that might be served by pending projects.........

1) Serving Pearson with the EWLRT and/or Finch West LRT probably comes out number one, because its a massive employer, as is the surrounding area.
2) Connecting UTSC to rapid transit would rank highly, presumably via EELRT
3) Extending Sheppard east to VP ranks highly due to the large node of employment and increasingly residents at that location.
4) The Ontario Line north would rank more highly to me than west for its added value Line 1 relief, and also for connecting people to/from the Don Mills node; but would score better still making it up to
Seneca's campus at Finch.

There's also the myriad GO investments to be made; and a long list of improvements to existing stations from accessibility features to second/third exits, to capacity expansion to platform edge doors.

Thereafter there are a host of suburban GTA investments from Hamilton's A Line to Hurontario to DT Brampton to Brampton Queen Street BRT that would all rank more highly to me than O/L west.
True, but what do you think will be built out of all of those if Ford wins. Sheppard, O/L north. The City will build the EELRT. So OL West is up there.
I’m a little disappointed that this announcement is happening on a Sunday afternoon, where it’s likely to be ignored, but…I’ll take it.

Now let’s get a western leg built.
Agreed.
 
Commentary on new stations:

1) Better than I expected from Mx after what they've done with Eglinton Crosstown. That is to say, they aren't all the same; and some even show some pretty good context sensitivity.

2) Several of these absolutely need to have housing/some other use on top of them, 1S would just be a real waste.

3) The Danforth-Pape one sticks out in a bad way to me, I get the idea of widening the sidewalk, the setback there seems excessive. I'm also inclined to think that for the $$ involved here, removing the adjacent office complex would make a world of sense. Anyone whose ever used Pape Station knows that the EB Platform Mezzanine is lower than the rest of the station, and the capacity access to/from the Line 2 Platforms is very constrained. When it was built, the station went under the then Palace Cinema at Pape/Danforth and left the landmark standing, but the mezzanine had to be on two levels so it could get over the tracks. Seeing as the landmark in question has been lost to history, correcting that design flaw would seem wise.

4) The Gerrard Station design is my favourite hands down, that will be iconic.
 

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