[smallspy]

And I would assume that a similar situation would exist in the west once the line is extended there, hence my suggestion of 'mirroring' the terminus stations.

Except that the original EA had half of the trains turning back at the west end at Keele with a pocket track west of the platform - passenger levels dropped off significantly west of there. Considering this EA amendment only covers the section west of the portal (and thus west of the pocket track), I think that it is safe to assume that those plans have not changed.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Been to the meeting for the Mt. Dennis Mobility Hub and the MSF on Wednesday.

Looks like they will be dropping the "Weston" name and using "Mt. Dennis" only.

Seems, from the people answering my questions, that "Mt. Dennis" could be the western terminal for phase one of the Crosstown because of the use of 15 bus bays. "Jane" may no longer be the terminal, but I need to see better clarification on that.

The 15 bus bays at "Mt. Dennis" looks like it will be split into two hubs, one large and one small, but the trip to them may have to loop around a block to reach them. There will be a "Kiss-and-Ride", which looks like it also to will be a trip in itself. Didn't see "Park-and-Ride" parking. The entrance to the No Frills from Eglinton could become the bus entrance and exit from Eglinton with bus only traffic lights (automobiles will still be able to turn right to and from Eglinton, but will have to use Black Creek Drive to turn left to and from Eglinton).

The powers-that-be would like to redevelop the Eglinton-Black Creek triangle (No Frills) into a more walkable, street store front, pedestrian-friendly shopping area, hiding the parking in the process.

The "Great Wall" on the north side of Eglinton will be set back and they will create a new green sloping wall and more generous sidewalk. Personally would like to see "hobbit-holes" for windows or entrances to light up the station.

The Scotiabank at Weston & Eglinton could be replaced with the western entrance to the station.

 

[gweed123]

Except that the original EA had half of the trains turning back at the west end at Keele with a pocket track west of the platform - passenger levels dropped off significantly west of there. Considering this EA amendment only covers the section west of the portal (and thus west of the pocket track), I think that it is safe to assume that those plans have not changed.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

Hmm interesting. I would venture to say though that once the Mt. Dennis mobility hub is in place, that the ridership will gravitate more that way. Once the electrification of the Georgetown line is complete, there are going to be almost as many trains heading through that GO station as there will be subway trains passing through Eglinton West.

What I'd also like to see is the Jane bus detour via Weston and stop at the Mt. Dennis hub, then jog back out on Eglinton West and then continue down Jane. That would dump a significant number of passengers off at that station, instead of having them travel down to the Bloor line (it would likely also be faster for them if they're heading downtown).

 

[Thoughtless Miscreant]

What I'd also like to see is the Jane bus detour via Weston and stop at the Mt. Dennis hub, then jog back out on Eglinton West and then continue down Jane. That would dump a significant number of passengers off at that station, instead of having them travel down to the Bloor line (it would likely also be faster for them if they're heading downtown).

The current plan is to make Mt Dennis the southern end of 35 Jane and the northern end of a new route called 19 Jane South.

 

[gweed123]

The current plan is to make Mt Dennis the southern end of 35 Jane and the northern end of a new route called 19 Jane South.

That would work just as well, haha.

I just think that overall this line has the opportunity to take a lot of pressure off the Bloor-Danforth line. For example, rather than funnelling all of the MiWay buses into Kipling or Islington, I'd like to see some of them, especially some those coming off the new Transitway, run express from the 427 to Mt. Dennis via Eglinton. And once the Georgetown line is electrified, those passengers will have a faster route into downtown than either the MiWay > ECLRT > YUS or the MiWay > B-D > YUS options.

I'd even be tempted to say that Mt. Dennis is a logical near-permanent western terminus for the ECLRT, because it's a major hub, and that it may be better to build either BRT lanes or a dedicated at-grade BRT road through the Richview corridor instead of extending the LRT further west. Don't think of it as a western extension of the ECLRT, think of it as an eastern extension of the Mississauga Transitway.

 

[GenerationW]

Slowly but surely, this line is getting 100% grade separated. With Miller out of the picture who absolutely wanted the LRT on the streets, they aren't going to meet any opposition to make it a "metro" line.

I like that Metrolinx seems to LISTEN to the population while Miller and Giambrone wouldn't listen to anyone to protect their pet project.

Who Metrolinx listens to is open to question. The TTC and the City were conspicuous by their absences at the Tuesday meeting, so one has to wonder whether there might already be friction between them, and, accounting implications aside, if it's really such a good idea in the long-term to have Metrolinx running local Toronto transit projects rather than the TTC.

Under Miller the subway to York U was started.

Which, just to throw in a minor detail, he lobbied against.

Seems, from the people answering my questions, that "Mt. Dennis" could be the western terminal for phase one of the Crosstown because of the use of 15 bus bays. "Jane" may no longer be the terminal, but I need to see better clarification on that.

For what it's worth, a Metrolinx rep stressed to me at the Tuesday meeting that the line will definitely end at Mt. Dennis rather than Jane.

 

[GenerationW]

I just think that overall this line has the opportunity to take a lot of pressure off the Bloor-Danforth line.

Which is great, but there is a risk of (further) overloading Yonge.

 

[gweed123]

Which is great, but there is a risk of (further) overloading Yonge.

If it's coming from the west, they would presumably transfer at Eglinton West, not Eglinton-Yonge. The University-Spadina Subway doesn't necessarily have lots of spare capacity, but it certainly has more than Yonge, and it has the ability effectively absorb those passengers, especially once the new signalling and all the new trains that were meant to relieve Yonge are implemented.

The biggest problem on the University-Spadina leg is St. George Station, and the insufficient passenger capacity there. It wasn't meant to be a full transfer station, but rather to have half the passengers travelling through it travel through it via an interline scenario. By moving the transfer point for a lot of those passengers further north to Eglinton West, you relieve that choke point. The line itself is fine. Busy, but still manageable.

Also, like I mentioned earlier, when the Brampton GO REX is operational, a lot of passengers will choose to use that to get downtown instead of the TTC rapid transit network.

The bigger problem when it comes to pouring passengers onto an overcrowded line is in the east, which is what the DRL transfer at the Science Centre is supposed to solve. In fact, I'm actually kind of thankful for the Eglinton line in this sense, because it's going to make the DRL even more imperative, because the cluster**k is going to move its way even further north as a result of the ECLRT.

 

[GenerationW]

The bigger problem when it comes to pouring passengers onto an overcrowded line is in the east, which is what the DRL transfer at the Science Centre is supposed to solve. In fact, I'm actually kind of thankful for the Eglinton line in this sense, because it's going to make the DRL even more imperative, because the cluster**k is going to move its way even further north as a result of the ECLRT.

Getting a DRL to the B-D line (Pape or wherever) will be hard enough. Barring Federal funding, getting it to Eglinton within 15-20 years will be next to impossible.

 

[gweed123]

Getting a DRL to the B-D line (Pape or wherever) will be hard enough. Barring Federal funding, getting it to Eglinton within 15-20 years will be next to impossible.

I have a feeling you may be right. I'm just hoping that the Eglinton line is a success, and that it will force the 'relief' further north.

That may also be why the TTC doesn't want an interlined Eglinton & SRT too, because separately the SLRT would dump most people onto B-D, which could be handled by the DRL. But a thru-line means more people staying on and transferring at Yonge instead, which means no DRL interception unless the DRL is extended up to Eglinton.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

That would work just as well, haha.

I just think that overall this line has the opportunity to take a lot of pressure off the Bloor-Danforth line. For example, rather than funnelling all of the MiWay buses into Kipling or Islington, I'd like to see some of them, especially some those coming off the new Transitway, run express from the 427 to Mt. Dennis via Eglinton. And once the Georgetown line is electrified, those passengers will have a faster route into downtown than either the MiWay > ECLRT > YUS or the MiWay > B-D > YUS options.

I'd even be tempted to say that Mt. Dennis is a logical near-permanent western terminus for the ECLRT, because it's a major hub, and that it may be better to build either BRT lanes or a dedicated at-grade BRT road through the Richview corridor instead of extending the LRT further west. Don't think of it as a western extension of the ECLRT, think of it as an eastern extension of the Mississauga Transitway.

Without a right-of-way, the "Express" buses, during rush hours, will hit bottlenecks westbound at Martin Grove and Scarlett Road, and eastbound at Martin Grove.

 

[gweed123]

Without a right-of-way, the "Express" buses, during rush hours, will hit bottlenecks westbound at Martin Grove and Scarlett Road, and eastbound at Martin Grove.

Is the backup just at the intersections, or is it along the entire block? If it's just at the intersections, some queue jump lanes would probably work.

 

[Dan416]

I think this is far too deep into Toronto territory for any Mississauga Transit buses to serve...

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Is the backup just at the intersections, or is it along the entire block? If it's just at the intersections, some queue jump lanes would probably work.

The eastbound Eglinton gets congested to Scarlett Road from just about Plant World (east of Royal York). Eastbound Eglinton also gets congested to Martin Grove from the 427 because the lanes get narrowed down to two lanes from four. Westbound Eglinton gets filled from Martin Grove from Kipling because it seems everyone is heading either to the airport or the 401.

 

[drum118]

That would work just as well, haha.

I just think that overall this line has the opportunity to take a lot of pressure off the Bloor-Danforth line. For example, rather than funnelling all of the MiWay buses into Kipling or Islington, I'd like to see some of them, especially some those coming off the new Transitway, run express from the 427 to Mt. Dennis via Eglinton. And once the Georgetown line is electrified, those passengers will have a faster route into downtown than either the MiWay > ECLRT > YUS or the MiWay > B-D > YUS options.

I'd even be tempted to say that Mt. Dennis is a logical near-permanent western terminus for the ECLRT, because it's a major hub, and that it may be better to build either BRT lanes or a dedicated at-grade BRT road through the Richview corridor instead of extending the LRT further west. Don't think of it as a western extension of the ECLRT, think of it as an eastern extension of the Mississauga Transitway.

Taking MT routes to Mt. Dennis/Jane station is a huge waste of money and most of all, Riders Time. You are taking riders to some place they have no need to go in the first place. Then you are forcing them to pay a higher fare to use GO when TTC is fine as well what they can afford to pay.

Given the current low ridership going into Mississauga by TTC, MT will see a blood bath for this idea and who going to pay for it??. There is no density along Eglinton to support service that will be needed to support these extra routes.

Again, everyone thinks riders want to go to the city core, when in fact, its all over the place and they are forced to travel out of their way because of the current setup.

Someone tell me why there is 15 bus bays for the Terminal??? Given what changes in route structure may happen, 15 is over kill.

The idea of taking Jane and Weston Rd buses to this terminal is totally off the wall and it will chase riders away due to the doubling of their travel time.