[RedRocket191]

OK, there's 924 people, plus you, that use it. Perhaps you're even among the tens or dozens of people who don't drive to the station, and, thus, might have to walk farther or take a short bus trip to a subway station (perhaps resulting in a quicker overall trip). Why should hundreds of thousands of people be at the mercy of about 100 people?

The best answer I can give is that a huge boom in ridership is always only a zoning bylaw amendment away.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

A Danforth extension taking any alignment between the rail corridor and McCowan to STC is vastly preferable to retaining the RT in any form. The number of people that would be adversely affected by this, who would be "losing" something, is trivial. So not only do those 100 people matter more than hundreds of thousands of other people, we should build the city around the RT to justify it?

Maybe a revamped Stouffville line could have a station at Ellesmere...then there'd be literally no reason to keep that alignment since not a single person would benefit from it.

 

[unimaginative2]

You're right, Red Rocket, but there's no reason why that zoning bylaw amendment couldn't happen a few blocks away at a new subway station. Actually, I think that the city is already allowing redevelopment around Ellesmere, but it's been pretty slow going. There've been a few new townhouses.

An Ellesmere stop on a frequent Stouffville GO line is a good idea that would definitely solve this minor problem.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Even if they built another 10,000 unit CityPlace at Ellesmere station, it would still be a minor problem. Building a 10,000 unit CityPlace at Ellesmere to justify the retention of the RT would be a major problem, though.

 

[wyliepoon]

I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with chasing a white elephant. Not after the Scarborough RT anyway.

I don't understand why the SRT constantly gets designated as a "white elephant" (apparently Wikipedia's list of white elephants includes the SRT as well). The way I see right now, it's more of a victim of its own success with its high ridership, which does not fit the definition of "white elephant".

re: Hydrogen train

I do share some of RedRocket's skepticism about hydrogen trains. How will they look like? Will they look and function like the current diesel trains?

I think the best option for GO would be to get some of the hybrid trains currently being tested in Japan. They have the look and feel of an electric rapid transit train, everything but the overhead wires.

 

[Panzerfaust]

The TTC wants to build a useless Brimley station, too, probably just so they can say it'll be "lost" by a subway extension.

When did this happen? I know that a station at Brimley was in the original SRT plans (as was a station at Mooregate, south of Lawrence), but I didn't know that the TTC was still interested in building it. A station there would be more than useless. Unless you meant Bellamy, which is in the plan for the SRT extension.

A station there would also be useless simply because it is surrounded by nothing except industrial wasteland. At least it'd be serving new areas though, rather than at Brimley, which is already very well served by STC Station.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

If by industrial wasteland you mean (eventually) 15-20+ condos...it'd only get built if there's local redevelopment. It's a long-term goal but it could become a short term goal again (as it was back in '02 or '03 when council drew up some reports about it) when the Schick Court area gets built up, and the SW corner of Brimley & Progress, etc.

The problem is that a western STC station exit would be infinitely better and would not result in 2 stations less than 300m apart.

The TTC will build a Bellamy station as part of the RT extension that, for worse or for worser, MoveOntario should make a reality.

 

[unimaginative2]

I think he was talking about Bellamy station being in an industrial wasteland, and he's right. Thankfully, the extension to that station is one of the city's top rapid transit priorities.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Yes, the wasteland is over at Bellamy - Brimley is only half wasteland because that potential station would redundantly serve some condos plus a huge recycling plant.

Confusion is contagious...

 

[Panzerfaust]

Yeah, I was referring to Bellamy being industrial wasteland. Brimley is worth serving, however it is already well served by STC and a station there would be a tremendous waste of money. A western exit to STC Station would be much more cost effective and would do the exact same job.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Oh, there's industrial wasteland around Brimley, too...but, yeah, even if 30 condos are built, it's not worth a stop when STC is 300m away.

 

[Panzerfaust]

Oh, there's industrial wasteland around Brimley, too...even if 20 condos are built, it's not worth a stop when STC is 300m away.

Which is exactly why they should just build a second entrance if service direct to Brimley is that important. Not sure how they would do that, perhaps an elevated walkway of sorts? In any case, any sort of proposal for a Brimley Station would be moronic at best.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

It's not important at all, but it's in the STC secondary plans...

A western exit could be a simple automatic exit with a walkway over the bus trench, leading to the parking lot behind the Bell office building. I'm not sure what's behind the western wall on the mezzanine level of STC; something might have to get moved/rebuilt.