[toronto647]

The McCowan & Sheppard Station is close to the CP line to the north of it. From link.

View attachment 457797

If they ever build a GO Midtown corridor train line, instead of a "Markham" GO Station, they should go with a "Sheppard & McCowan" GO Station. The train tracks are just one block north of Nugget Avenue, 2 blocks north of Sheppard Avenue East. Since the Line 2 station ends just before Nugget Avenue, a GO train station can be set up between Nugget and the train tracks. See link.

From link.

I don't believe the mid town go line will happen in our lifetimes... Won't be on the radar of politicians till 2050+. You still have so many priority transit lines for Toronto still to be funded...

The below will be built before the mid town line will even be thought of imo

Eglinton LRT extension to Airport
Eglinton East LRT
Ontario Line North Extension
Ontario Line West Extension
Scarborough Subway Extension more North into Scarb
Bloor Line Kipling more West
Waterfront East and West LRT
Ontario Line West Extension

 

[W. K. Lis]

I don't believe the mid town go line will happen in our lifetimes... Won't be on the radar of politicians till 2050+. You still have so many priority transit lines for Toronto still to be funded...

The below will be built before the mid town line will even be thought of imo

Eglinton LRT extension to Airport
Eglinton East LRT
Ontario Line North Extension
Ontario Line West Extension
Scarborough Subway Extension more North into Scarb
Bloor Line Kipling more West
Waterfront East and West LRT
Ontario Line West Extension

Don't forget the high-speed rail station does not have to be downtown. Could be in the McCowan & Sheppard neighbourhood?

High-Speed Rail In Canada: Everything We Know About The Push To Finally Make It Happen ​

.From link.

It looks like the stars are aligning for high-speed rail in Canada. And this might be the time to make it happen. As the federal government advances its plan to establish a "high-frequency" rail link between Quebec and Ontario, politicians at the provincial and municipal levels are pushing Ottawa to dream bigger.

And at least one federal official has signalled the government is open to the possibility.

Here's everything we know about the push to finally bring high-speed rail to Canada.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626610903033446401

Canada is moving forward with its plan to bring high-frequency rail (HFR; or TGF in French) to the Quebec City–Toronto corridor, including Ottawa and Montreal. The goal of high-frequency rail is to bring faster, more reliable train service between Quebec and Ontario.

VIA Rail currently only operates on CN tracks, meaning it's subject to schedule and speed constraints imposed by freight traffic.

The biggest goal — and biggest challenge — is to find a place to construct new, dedicated tracks for passenger rail between and through Canada's largest cities. That could be especially difficult in Montreal, where, federal Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra has said, the goal would be to bring HFR to the Gare Centrale in the middle of downtown Montreal.

The federal government has already taken steps to lay the metaphorical foundation for HFR. In December 2022, it founded a VIA Rail subsidiary to lead project planning. And Alghabra announced in February 2023 that the government had launched what's called a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify companies that could become candidates for construction contracts.

Transport Canada expects to begin evaluating project construction proposals in the summer of 2024.

Alghabra has promised the HFR project will see trains reach top speeds of 200 km/h, compared to VIA Rail's current range of 60 to 120 km/h. HFR could therefore reduce the current rail travel time between Montreal and Toronto by 55 minutes.

Who's calling for high-speed rail in Canada?​

To achieve high-speed rail (HSR; or TGV) service, a network generally has to have trains going over 200 km/h, according to the U.S.-based Environmental and Energy Study Institute. On newer networks, the institute says the expectation is more like 250 km/h.

The prospect of HSR in the Quebec City–Toronto corridor received renewed attention in early 2023 after French manufacturer Alstom, which produces high-speed trains for France, began floating the idea.

Since then, politicians at the municipal and provincial levels in Quebec have been pressuring Ottawa to go further than its HFR project. Both Quebec Minister of Transport Geneviève Guilbault and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante haveexpressed at least some support for high-speed rail.

And two Montreal city councillors, Craig Sauvé and Serge Sasseville, have introduced a motion for the city to officially advocate for HSR.

"The enthusiasm is palpable for high-speed rail in the Quebec-Toronto corridor," Sauvé said in a February 16 press release. "It would be a huge legacy for quality of life and for the environment."

Could Canada actually get high-speed rail?​

Yes. At least according to Minister Alghabra.

He said on February 17 that the government is "open" to HFR trains going faster than 200 km/h, but said that it will depend on what prospective private-sector partners propose following the Request for Qualifications (RFQ).

But, he promised, "if there is a proposal to increase speed" beyond the planned 200 km/h maximum, "we will consider it."

 

[NoahB]

Don't forget the high-speed rail station does not have to be downtown. Could be in the McCowan & Sheppard neighbourhood?

High-Speed Rail In Canada: Everything We Know About The Push To Finally Make It Happen​

.From link.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626610903033446401

Alstom's pitch seems to show that Toronto's station will be at Union.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Please keep HFR/HSR discussions in the Via thread for now, unless directly related to this project. Thanks!

MoD

 

[asey20]

Yes I agree, but I think you yonge extension is even better for elevation as that road is so wide 6 lanes all the way up with huge setbacks. But they are deep bore tunneling it

And it would be so much more cost effective.

There are some hilly sections on Yonge Street north of Steeles Ave. Not sure if this is a factor that would affect placing elevated guideways.

First dip | Second dip

It appears steeper when driving north of Steeles Ave than google maps would indicate.

 

[dullturtle06]

There are some hilly sections on Yonge Street north of Steeles Ave. Not sure if this is a factor that would affect placing elevated guideways.

First dip | Second dip

It appears steeper when driving north of Steeles Ave than google maps would indicate.

you can always make columns shorter or longer to straighten the grade out, if its too steep for the rolling stock.

 

[afransen]

There are some hilly sections on Yonge Street north of Steeles Ave. Not sure if this is a factor that would affect placing elevated guideways.

First dip | Second dip

It appears steeper when driving north of Steeles Ave than google maps would indicate.

I really don't think the grade would be a problem. Elevated doesn't mean fixed elevation height. It would certainly be simpler than digging underneath river valleys and building deep stations.

 

[officedweller]

That they start tunnelling way before station construction starts is part of the problem. Especially as the stations take longer. Once again, actual station construction mighty not start until after the tunnelling is complete.

If you look at the new subway in Vancouver, they've been building stations for near a year (or more?) and haven't even received the tunnel boring machines yet!

Just a correction on the status of the Vancouver Broadway Subway reference.
While stations and road decks have been under excavation for quite a while,
the TBMs were delivered some time last year and the first of the twin bores has already reached
Mt. Pleasant Station on January 23rd.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1617980544700104704

PS - Note the cars on the traffic deck above the station excavation:

 

[nfitz]

Just a correction on the status of the Vancouver Broadway Subway reference.
While stations and road decks have been under excavation for quite a while,
the TBMs were delivered some time last year and the first of the twin bores has already reached
Mt. Pleasant Station on January 23rd.

Thanks for the correction!

I am perplexed why the stations are built so much later in the process in Toronto.

 

[smallspy]

I am perplexed why the stations are built so much later in the process in Toronto.

There may be funding implications to it as well, but it does allow for final design/engineering for the stations to be a little less constrained, timing-wise.

Dan

 

[whydidimakethis]

Yes I agree, but I think you yonge extension is even better for elevation as that road is so wide 6 lanes all the way up with huge setbacks. But they are deep bore tunneling it

And it would be so much more cost effective.

*almost 6 lanes all the way up. Thornhill's historic district at Yonge/Centre would be a chokepoint with already relatively narrow sidewalks.

 

[afransen]

*almost 6 lanes all the way up. Thornhill's historic district at Yonge/Centre would be a chokepoint with already relatively narrow sidewalks.

View attachment 458138

You could sacrifice the continuous left turn/suicide lane for an elevated guideway. Of course, that historical district is worth billions to protect.

 

[dullturtle06]

*almost 6 lanes all the way up. Thornhill's historic district at Yonge/Centre would be a chokepoint with already relatively narrow sidewalks.

View attachment 458138

The pillars wouldn't take p much space. Space would only be an issue if they wanted to place a station there. If you want a station placed could be where the gas station is or to the left just before the blue building.

 

[Northern Light]

SSE updates as part of the TTC's Transit Network Expansion Update to next week's Commission Mtg:

https://ttc-cdn.azureedge.net/-/media/Project/TTC/DevProto/Documents/Home/Public-Meetings/Board/2023/February-28/7_Transit_Network_Expansion_Update.pdf?rev=a675c9df704946afad364fbb9b8aee19&hash=D07E53E6B23D3A5C93A779AA4C87172C

'
From the above:

 

[Rainforest]

^ It is notable that DRT wants to use the Sheppard / McCowan terminal, rather than STC terminal. If their buses serve UofT Scarborough and then use the Ellesmere bus lanes, then the STC terminal is the closest one.

Does that mean they expect the Sheppard line extension to Sheppard / McCowan, and want to go there so that their riders can continue west using the Sheppard line?