[robmausser]

The map actually doesn't show the OL going to Kipling from Exhibition, and I'm not sure if this is a mistake or intentional. Currently its about 3/4 of a full loop, with the new extension stretching from Pearson up to RHC and then down to Science Centre.

If they wanted to do that, I assume they would extend it in the Lakeshore Corridor and then along the Campa Sub up to Kipling.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Maybe the westerly extension of the Ontario Line will be "merged" with UPX between Exhibition Station and the Pearson Transit Hub?

^ Could the new OL rolling stock run on the same tracks as GO and freight trains? Would the regulations allow for it? I know this the light vs heavy rail regulation context is often debated and discussed in various UT threads.

Wouldn't the OL trains be running next to GO trains in the east end? Merging UPX and Ontario Line could be possible, with alterations.

From link. Don't know about what protection that fence would provide between the GO trains and the Ontario Line trains. The Ontario Line trains could go underground going north on Dufferin Street and emerge next to the GO train tracks to continue north to the Bloor Station (Dundas West Station) and continuing northwest. The current train tracks may have to be reconfigured.

What additional stations could be added between Bloor Station and Exhibition Station could become a discussion point. Myself, I can see stations added at Dufferin & King, Dufferin & Queen and Lansdowne & Dundas & Carlton. The Dufferin & King station could be dropped to make it more "express".

 

[robmausser]

Wouldn't the OL trains be running next to GO trains in the east end? Merging UPX and Ontario Line could be possible, with alterations.

From link. Don't know about what protection that fence would provide between the GO trains and the Ontario Line trains. The Ontario Line trains could go underground going north on Dufferin Street and emerge next to the GO train tracks to continue north to the Bloor Station (Dundas West Station) and continuing northwest. The current train tracks may have to be reconfigured.

What additional stations could be added between Bloor Station and Exhibition Station could become a discussion point. Myself, I can see stations added at Dufferin & King, Dufferin & Queen and Lansdowne & Dundas & Carlton. The Dufferin & King station could be dropped to make it more "express".

I dont understand how you expect the Ontario Line to go from Exhibition to Kipling station and then use the UPX line though... none of those things are near each other.

 

[W. K. Lis]

I dont understand how you expect the Ontario Line to go from Exhibition to Kipling station and then use the UPX line though... none of those things are near each other.

Wouldn't. Not merging any GO Train line, but merging the UPX line with the Ontario Line. The UPX line becomes the western Ontario Line extension. As mentioned, "The Ontario Line trains could go underground going north on Dufferin Street and emerge next to the GO train tracks to continue north to the Bloor Station (Dundas West Station) and continuing northwest", replacing the UPX tracks. The current UPX tracks from Strachan Avenue to Union Station Line becomes redundant and can be taken over by GO trains.

 

[milkycontent]

Parkdale deserves a rapid transit stop. The 501 is great for local trips but getting all the way downtown or across town from here takes forever. It's always infuriating to take a bus up to Bloor to go across just to take another bus back south.
Queen and Jameson would be a great spot for a station and TOC development, as long as the businesses are accommodated. A nice little corner plaza where the TD Bank is now would give this intersection some breathing room.

 

[DirectionNorth]

Parkdale deserves a rapid transit stop. The 501 is great for local trips but getting all the way downtown or across town from here takes forever. It's always infuriating to take a bus up to Bloor to go across just to take another bus back south.
Queen and Jameson would be a great spot for a station and TOC development, as long as the businesses are accommodated. A nice little corner plaza where the TD Bank is now would give this intersection some breathing room.

View attachment 384925
View attachment 384926

GO Transit infill stop!

 

[Ward8]

Light metro is optimal for that. Naturally not going to put a mainline train along the 427, LRVs are inefficiently hefty and built for operating in traffic, a "heavy" metro means more capacity which this wouldn't need. So light metro it is. Alternatively it could be BRT, which is what this plan is based off of. It's the Big Move from 15yrs ago, with an added 20yr time horizon (2030 completion to now 2050), and instead of BRT it's subway tech. Still doubt it'd be built in 30yrs, but regardless I'd rather ride a train up the 427 than a bus. In my mind that is.

The first part is right, but my point isn't that the vehicles are strange its the routing of this line and the type of service. It's just not a route that people are going to take very often. Large parts of the route serve sparsely populated areas, when heavily populated areas are in dire need of rapid transit. After it hits kipling in the west or RHC in the north does the style of service change to something more akin to GO? It just seems conceptually muddled to me, and maybe asking a bit too much of one line.

The 407 right of way makes sense as a periphery route that would connect people from one suburb to another without having to go to union, but the distances involved would suggest GO style stop spacings and travel patterns. Again, I can't decipher the map, so my reading of this could be off.

 

[reaperexpress]

This "plan" is clearly just lines on a napkin which conveniently pick up media coverage prior to an election. There aren't any solid plans to extend the Ontario Line west.

If you do, however, wish to extend the OL westward, then @W. K. Lis ' suggestion of taking over the UP Express route is very reasonable. For the price of two grade separations, you can extend the subway 25km to the airport.

The main benefit of this is that it frees up a lot capacity in the Union Station Rail Corridor. There is a notorious 10-track pinch point at John Street which somehow needs to accommodate the 12 tracks west of Spadina. Rerouting 2 of those 12 tracks away from Union eliminates the pinch at John Street.

The two routing options for the Ontario line would be to either extend it beyond Exhibition with a tunnel, or the to split off of the corridor east of Exhibition, with Exhibition - Science Centre becoming a short turn branch. The tunnel through West Toronto would probably add about $2 Billion to the pricetag, so I'm going to illustrate the "split" option:

The first of the two new grade separations required would of course be the merge into the Ontario Line tunnel, consisting single-track tunnels connecting to the GO corridor at the Strachan Avenue Grade Separation.

Dundas West (actual name TBD): no major changes. Metrolinx is already connecting the (currently) GO platforms to the east end Line 2 platform, and adding a 6th track on the east side.

West Toronto Junction: no changes

Mount Dennis: no major changes.

At minor stations such as Weston, Stockyards (St Clair), and Liberty Village, only the Ontario line would have platforms. To maintain sufficient capacity for GO and VIA despite only having 2 mainline tracks, it is essential that mainline services all have around the same average speed through the 2-track segment. Only major interchanges (Dundas West, Mount Dennis and Pearson Junction) would have platforms for mainline trains.

East of Highway 27 there are some industries on the south side which have CN freight spurs.

The second (and final) new grade separation required would take the Ontario line up and over that CN spur, and could also include grade separation between the "3A" Airport branch and "3B" Bramalea branch:
Oh yeah, I included a Bramalea branch to take pressure off of the 2 mainline tracks.

At Bramalea, the Ontario line would use the south platform which Metrolinx is already going to expand to an island as part of GO OnCorr package.

 

[W. K. Lis]

If the Ontario Line/UPX line had a station at Annette Street, a future connection with a GO Midtown Train corridor station would be possible. Useful for passengers who want to bypass downtown Toronto.

See link.

From link.

 

[sixrings]

If the Ontario Line/UPX line had a station at Annette Street, a future connection with a GO Midtown Train corridor station would be possible. Useful for passengers who want to bypass downtown Toronto.

See link.

From link.

Good idea. I can walk to work. Get on it.

 

[nfitz]

If they wanted to do that, I assume they would extend it in the Lakeshore Corridor and then along the Campa Sub up to Kipling.

I'd assume it would be more likely to head north to north-west towards Line 2. Heck, could follow Dundas (and/or the CP corridor) from Dundas West station to Kipling - maybe even much of it elevated. Could have a nice station at Jane, intersecting the Jane RT line and providing a proper western terminus for the 512 St. Clair.

 

[toaster29]

I'd assume it would be more likely to head north to north-west towards Line 2. Heck, could follow Dundas (and/or the CP corridor) from Dundas West station to Kipling - maybe even much of it elevated. Could have a nice station at Jane, intersecting the Jane RT line and providing a proper western terminus for the 512 St. Clair.

And a station at Royal York/Dundas would work too, since that part of Dundas is starting to fill in with mid-rises.

 

[toronto647]

I'll be dead before that one gets built

Well I guess you will have a chance to be alive will be making it to Eglinton sooner than we all thought

 

[reaperexpress]

If the Ontario Line/UPX line had a station at Annette Street, a future connection with a GO Midtown Train corridor station would be possible. Useful for passengers who want to bypass downtown Toronto.

See link.

The problem is that the Midtown Line is not at Annette street, it's at the West Toronto Diamond and there's no room to build platforms there anymore, nor would there be any convenient way of accessing them from the surrounding neighbourhood.

And besides, Kitchener Line passengers bypassing downtown Toronto would be better off transferring to Line 5 at Mount Dennis station.

Passengers heading specifically to North Toronto could potentially be served by routing the proposed Bolton GO service to North Toronto (Summerhill) station. In addition to providing a convenient connection to North Toronto from the Ontario Line or Kitchener line (via Mount Dennis), it also avoids increasing congestion in the Union Station Rail Corridor.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The problem is that the Midtown Line is not at Annette street, it's at the West Toronto Diamond and there's no room to build platforms there anymore, nor would there be any convenient way of accessing them from the surrounding neighbourhood.

And besides, Kitchener Line passengers bypassing downtown Toronto would be better off transferring to Line 5 at Mount Dennis station.

Passengers heading specifically to North Toronto could potentially be served by routing the proposed Bolton GO service to North Toronto (Summerhill) station. In addition to providing a convenient connection to North Toronto from the Ontario Line or Kitchener line (via Mount Dennis), it also avoids increasing congestion in the Union Station Rail Corridor.
View attachment 385355

Don't remember how far we walk from the airport check-in to the airplane gates? Would be shorter.