kotsy
Senior Member
I don't imagine there is much here that isn't already known but this was uploaded to Metrolinx's document centre a few days ago.
daptive
Senior Member
Well, nice to see centenary in the renders at least, I guess fully electrification of the USRC including the shed isn’t completely out of the question.
generalcanada
Senior Member
That usep picture has been a thing since 2020 at least
WB62
Senior Member
I already posted this in the ALTO thread but it's relevant here too
nightstreak
Active Member
The Dominion Building is right there, would be perfect.
Milaisacat
Active Member
To get Alto to Union, we're either talking a tunnel or elevated. Personally, I vote elevated, and there better not be any pushback from the pro-Gardiner people about elevated transportation infrastructure ruining downtown.
Let's swing for the fences and plop the Alto station on top of the existing Union Station train shed. Use the project as an opportunity to actually fix the station to allow electric operation. I do not know how one would access the Alto station or how on earth it would be built. But Alto misses the forest for the trees if it doesn't come to Union Station.
Let's swing for the fences and plop the Alto station on top of the existing Union Station train shed. Use the project as an opportunity to actually fix the station to allow electric operation. I do not know how one would access the Alto station or how on earth it would be built. But Alto misses the forest for the trees if it doesn't come to Union Station.
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Richard White
Senior Member
Where to begin..
You cannot put a train on top of the existing train shed without extensive modifications. With all the work recently done, I can't see that happening given the cost and disruption.
Also.. how would you build anything elevated in the downtown core without knocking down some buildings? I can't see property owners being ok with that.
Honestly, the best option would be to route it to Summerhill or build new terminals for it at Guildwood where VIA already stops.
Milaisacat
Active Member
All fair points, but it would be absolutely insane to spend upwards of $100 billion on the country's first, (and likely only) high speed rail line and have it not connect to the largest transportation hub in the country.
As for Guildwood as the "Toronto" terminus? Alto will simply not achieve its ridership targets, upon which the business case and rationalization to mobilize a $100+ billion investment rests, if the Toronto terminus is 25 kilometres from Union Station and its region-spanning connections. It just won't.
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reinventingthewheel
Active Member
There’s a possible play for south on Don Branch, elevate around corktown commons, flyover to south side of USRC and Wilson yard, stick between USRC and Gardiner elevated on piers.
CIBC square poses some obvious issues with an elevated alignment but, if you defer that problem to a later phase west extension, I can picture a pretty reasonable station aligned around Yonge street.
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nightstreak
Active Member
They're not going to knock down CIBC Square's brand new park. If Alto comes to Union, it has to be underground or in the existing corridor.
It's almost certainly going to go to East Harbour if they can't make it to Union. Would not be a bad alternative and begins to build up a second transportation hub just east of downtown that's well connected by subway to downtown and in an part of the city that is expected to see the most growth which having East Harbour as the terminal would activate the area even faster.
KhalilHeron
Active Member
Only concern is tuning around trains at east harbour or needing to layover, and the track capacity. Could work as an interim station But i think the current plans for the station would need to be changed drastically
As a guidlwood resident that would make 0 sense, no higher order transit connections other than LSE, limited parking, no highway connection, plus the via ridership is already very low at the station. Not that they are my first choices but even Danforth or Pickering GO are better choices imo
reinventingthewheel
Active Member
One of those options is way more expensive and complex while the other is expropriating a small plaza. If Alto wanted this space for their station I’m sure the owners of CIBC square would happily bookend a new massive transport hub.
Speaking of which, coincidentally, CIBC square is partially owned by CDPQ who are in the Cadence consortium for the Alto project.
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ComptoirGeneral
New Member
My only issue with this is that if you need to connect to other transport at Union there's no direct way there other than the GO, which can be infrequent.
ComptoirGeneral
New Member
As far as I'm concerned, ALTO needs to go to Union; stopping it short would be a generational fumble. If running it surface level isn't an option, then it should be tunnelled under Union or a new ALTO platofrm should be constructed where the Yonge off ramp currently is (if they still plan to remove that).
rbt
Senior Member
They can also approach Union from the West as there's lots of capacity room in the Kitchener corridor.
Both the northern CN corridor and the Highway 407 transitway have some room to spare for a couple of tracks. Serve either the new Clark subway station or 407 Highway subway station, Pearson Airport (Malton with people-mover?), then Union. The "East-West Cross Regional Connection" in the GO 2.0 map makes it clear the province would not object to the 407 BRT becoming a railway line provided GO can run service on it.
I doubt this option is cheaper than East Union corridor expansion but Ontario might kick in capital funding. Metrolinx suddenly becomes an encouraging partner rather than a hostile force trying to preseve their existing capacity.
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