[DirectionNorth]

The province can spend however it sees fit. I had mentioned that the province could do many major transit projects at once and people had said it's too much money and there isn't capacity yet here we are. It's a choice.

We can't afford to wait until the current batch of projects to finish/close to finish before annoucing the next batch.

I'm not saying they *should* wait that long. But from a realistic point, Doug's bought his votes, and nobody new's going to come in before 2026. Previous governments have not been good about building projects right off the bat, and I don't see that changing, so no new announced projects before the late 2020s. From which there's another ~10 years of planning, political wrangling, construction, and testing.

I would be happy to be proven wrong though!

 

[Sunnyside]

We can't afford to wait until the current batch of projects to finish/close to finish before annoucing the next batch.

I wish the government would provide a 'final' transportation master plan for the region, ie. what we would ideally like to have connected to one another, with deviations from said plan having some kind of justification (Ie. if we ever did actually turn Sheppard into LRT to extend it). This would be the basis for a complete transportation plan for the region, whereas the current plans just seem like a wishlist of projects which municipalities/the province are making varying progress on with whatever's most convenient in the moment. A prime example is Sheppard; It'd be nice if the government could give a better idea of where/when Sheppard would be considered 'complete'.

 

[steviej1]

My one concern is that some other government might come forward after Doug Ford's Premiership and turn Sheppard into an LRT. That would be a disaster, considering that the Sheppard LRT in particular would lead to a linear transfer, WAY too many stops [eg. I think two stops between Pharmacy and Warden] and not in its own ROW for a lot of the line [according to Transit City]. I'd rather have a subway or even just keep it the way it is rather than ever have to go back to an LRT, and I really hope the LRT never becomes a plan again for Sheppard.

 

[afransen]

The province can spend however it sees fit. I had mentioned that the province could do many major transit projects at once and people had said it's too much money and there isn't capacity yet here we are. It's a choice.

The GTA is going to grow by 3M/50% over the next couple of decades. We can't add 50% highway lane km--we need to have an aggressive approach to transit investment. GO Expansion is a good step. I think we need value for money and higher speed longer trips, and much better cycling infrastructure to decongest short trips. Maybe provincial funding for bus service at a minimum frequency where it isn't done today. Criminal to have the York BRT network built but not enough service provided to unlock the value. What business do they have running articulated buses when the service is so infrequent.

 

[afransen]

I wish the government would provide a 'final' transportation master plan for the region, ie. what we would ideally like to have connected to one another, with deviations from said plan having some kind of justification (Ie. if we ever did actually turn Sheppard into LRT to extend it). This would be the basis for a complete transportation plan for the region, whereas the current plans just seem like a wishlist of projects which municipalities/the province are making varying progress on with whatever's most convenient in the moment. A prime example is Sheppard; It'd be nice if the government could give a better idea of where/when Sheppard would be considered 'complete'.

Yes, it is insane to have long range transit planning basically being at the whim of provincial politicians. We should have a target transit network, and then work to create land use planning around that that is supportive. Including reserving ROWs for new transit lines like we have done with highways.

 

[Voltz]

My one concern is that some other government might come forward after Doug Ford's Premiership and turn Sheppard into an LRT. That would be a disaster, considering that the Sheppard LRT in particular would lead to a linear transfer, WAY too many stops [eg. I think two stops between Pharmacy and Warden] and not in its own ROW for a lot of the line [according to Transit City]. I'd rather have a subway or even just keep it the way it is rather than ever have to go back to an LRT, and I really hope the LRT never becomes a plan again for Sheppard.

It was one stop Pharmacy and Warden, and the entire line in its own ROW,

I would rather have been taking an LRT for the past seven years than having 20 years at least of mixed traffic buses, still with a (long) linear transfer.

 

[Rainforest]

I think a Sheppard East extension will be announced about a decade from now ... a late 2030s/early 2040s completion. I'm just talking right out of my [censored], but $40 billion for the 4 projects + GO RER will take most transit funding in the province for the next 10-15 years, with Hamilton, Ottawa, and K-W taking whatever is left.

I don't expect any move on Sheppard very soon. However, an announcement might come in the second half of 2025 or early 2026, as a part of 2026 provincial campaign.

Doug Ford will have been in power for 8 years, discontent usually begins to accumulate at that point. In an attempt to preserve the outer 416 swing ridings, he might approve the Sheppard extension, knowing that the bulk of payments won't be due before 2030.

 

[steviej1]

Well, Nick Mantas got re-elected, so I don't think anything will change related to this.

 

[drum118]

Well, if Ford is prepared to 100% fund the Sheppard extension with no funds from the Feds, not going to happen anytime soon as the Feds are cutting back on funding project like this due to budget concerns and raising inflation.
.
Far off building the extension to Victoria as plan and going LRT rest of the way. Even in 30 years, Sheppard will he hard press to support a subway. You make Sheppard 100% LRT from end to end

 

[SashaLemon]

Well, if Ford is prepared to 100% fund the Sheppard extension with no funds from the Feds, not going to happen anytime soon as the Feds are cutting back on funding project like this due to budget concerns and raising inflation.
.
Far off building the extension to Victoria as plan and going LRT rest of the way. Even in 30 years, Sheppard will he hard press to support a subway. You make Sheppard 100% LRT from end to end

Build a high-floor elevated LRT and reuse the subway portion.
But no in Toronto its either subway or streetcar!

 

[GenerationW]

Well, if Ford is prepared to 100% fund the Sheppard extension with no funds from the Feds, not going to happen anytime soon as the Feds are cutting back on funding project like this due to budget concerns and raising inflation.
.
Far off building the extension to Victoria as plan and going LRT rest of the way. Even in 30 years, Sheppard will he hard press to support a subway. You make Sheppard 100% LRT from end to end

LRT conversion is a moot point. Even the Shelley Carrolls of the world have abandoned talk of an LRT on Sheppard. It's a huge political loser.

It's not realistic to expect an imminent Sheppard subway extension announcement. That probably depends on the timing of the Yonge/Crosstown/B-D extensions and the Ontario Line nearing completion. All three provincial parties have expressed at least some level of support for a subway extension.

As for Ottawa, a future government may not reach current funding levels, but I have little doubt the feds will want to be included in press conferences and groundbreaking ceremonies for the next round of transit projects.

 

[11th]

LRT conversion is a moot point. Even the Shelley Carrolls of the world have abandoned talk of an LRT on Sheppard. It's a huge political loser.

It's not realistic to expect an imminent Sheppard subway extension announcement. That probably depends on the timing of the Yonge/Crosstown/B-D extensions and the Ontario Line nearing completion. All three provincial parties have expressed at least some level of support for a subway extension.

As for Ottawa, a future government may not reach current funding levels, but I have little doubt the feds will want to be included in press conferences and groundbreaking ceremonies for the next round of transit projects.

Consumers Road area is part of the ward she represents. She is not going to tell her constituents they will be waiting under glass canopies (for a one stop ride) during the less than comfortable seasons; and definitely not her other constituents along line 4 that they will be taking replacement buses during a conversion. As I had said before, Line 4 Sheppard is really "Line 4 - Don Valley North"

 

[Towered]

Extension funding incoming.

 

[afransen]

I for one am all for a spend-thrift populist conservative government that likes transit.

 

[Allandale25]

For clarity, here's what it says in the Fall economic statement.