Well it certainly doesn't commit anyone to an underground extension to Brampton, that's for sure

Not at all! I'm an urban planner by trade in London - specifically, I write planning policy. I did a exchange year at TMU in 2012/13, really enjoyed my time living in Toronto, and I have strong connections to friends in the GTHA. Been back several times (including for months at a time!), but...

Yes I agree in this particular case it would be "express 401" - I just don't want Transurban getting any ideas!

The other thing that worries me about companies like Transurban, given what they've been doing in Sydney and Brisbane - is that it's urban highways 2.0. They just happen to be underground, thereby "solving" the problem of needing to demolish vast swathes of inner city housing to build highways...

Presentation boards from this event FYI Nothing really of note - other than "We expect to name a successful bidder [for the Advance Tunnel] in late 2024"

Just a shame that building an empty station box (like Hume in Singapore or Kwu Tung in Hong Kong) is so expensive... You have all the expense of design and engineering, digging the box, putting in place structural elements... with no benefits of an open station.

Ah, intriguing - I knew Transurban had US tolled roads (well, HOT lanes), but I didn't know they had bought the A25 in Montreal! So they've clearly got some Canadian presence already. Interesting. Their latest investor pack does note "Future traditional toll road and Express Lanes acquisition...

Given that Sheppard Avenue will become a high capacity subway line before long, I doubt that this would be a good idea.

I am in London! My job allows me to work flexibly, so I get a few hours of "me morning time" before starting at 10am. :D

Yeah, I would not be surprised if Transurban were looking for another city to make lots of money from. They've just finished covering (well, the underneath of) Sydney in new motorways - WestConnex. 33 kilometres of new tunnels that have been been heavily criticised - of course they're heavily...

Community consultation began in 2022, building on previous work prior to the Bombardier site announcing its closure, and the entire id8Downsview consultation process. The 2022 consultation considered a substantial uplift in density compared to previous plans - centred on the TTC & GO station...

Downsview West District is a 30 hectare (74 acre) property bordered by Sheppard Avenue West to the west and north, the Barrie GO Train line to the east, and Carl Hall Road to the south. I've crudely marked Downsview Park station on the photo below. The site is owned by Canada Lands Company, who...

Ah great. If not, I can create one - the CLC proposals are pretty substantial...

Is this the right spot for the Canada Lands Company "Downsview West" proposals? Slides from Community engagement #2

Basically the second bridges would be for future streetcar service along Commissioners and Cherry. As the current streetcar extension is only as far as Villers Island - they've only built one bridge over the new channels. If streetcar service was extended along Commissioners and Cherry, you'd...

These are stunning shots y'all - really attractive bridges.

Good - Arkitema have previously worked on the Copenhagen Metro, nice clean design. Fingers crossed. https://www.arkitema.com/en/project/sydhavnsmetro

Oh to be a fly on the wall...

Intriguing - so a "loop extension" to Confederation Pkwy could be possible too?

One final message I promise - this is a little outlandish, but the most powerful electric locomotive in the world is used in China to haul 10,000 tonne coal trains. I remember I laughed when I saw this for the first time - it looks remarkably silly.