[TheTigerMaster]

From Today's public meeting.

SmartTrack will not provide Yonge relief unless frequencies are 5 mins or better. Relief Line is #1 transit priority: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...to-avoid-overcapacity-report/article28777857/

Also of note, the Relief Line will not provide adequate Yonge Line relief. Yonge Line will be operating at 100% capacity in 2031 with currently planned Relief Line terminating at Danforth.

Relief Line Short and SmartTrack are needed to provide adequate relief, but only if SmartTrack is at 5 min frequencies with TTC fares. Otherwise, it won't be enough.

 

[crs1026]

Also of note, the Relief Line will not provide adequate Yonge Line relief. Yonge Line will be operating at 100% capacity in 2031 with currently planned Relief Line terminating at Danforth.

Would that either mean that the Phase I Relief Line isn't expected to pull enough people off Line 2 at Pape, or ....the Relief line needs to pull people directly off Line 1, which it can't do unless it extends further north?

- Paul

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Would that either mean that the Phase I Relief Line isn't expected to pull enough people off Line 2 at Pape, or ....the Relief line needs to pull people directly off Line 1, which it can't do unless it extends further north?

- Paul

It means both.

If our goal is to only relieve B-Y Station crowding, the Relief Line Short is wonderful. If we want to relieve Yonge Line crowding, the Relief Line to Sheppard is direly needed.

 

[Euphoria]

What about the western half of the DRL that has been left out of transit plans for at least another 15 years? Any discussion of this oversight?

 

[Rainforest]

What about the western half of the DRL that has been left out of transit plans for at least another 15 years? Any discussion of this oversight?

The western leg is not nearly as important as the eastern leg. The eastern leg will relief Yonge as well as bring rapid transit to the middle of a wide gap between Yonge and Kennedy. In the west, we already have Spadina line.

However, once the eastern leg is built - which inevitably includes the most expensive downtown section - you will hear proposals to capitalize on it and extend the subway west to serve the densifying areas along King and Queen.

 

[W. K. Lis]

In the meantime, the western arm of SmartTrack may temporarily provide rapid transit service... if they use near subway level headways.

 

[crs1026]

I found the ML people at today's town hall to be refreshingly candid about ST vs RER - It ain't gonna work.

More than one staffer emphasised that their view of the end product was a 15-minute headway, perhaps more at peak, with trains stopping at an agreed set of stations, and not semi express RER trying to duck around frequent-stops ST trains.

I raised the issue of there being much higher ridership projections at 5 minute headways, and was told, we aren't building for that.

"It will all be GO" is the quote I would cite.

- Paul

 

[Palma]

I found the ML people at today's town hall to be refreshingly candid about ST vs RER - It ain't gonna work.

More than one staffer emphasised that their view of the end product was a 15-minute headway, perhaps more at peak, with trains stopping at an agreed set of stations, and not semi express RER trying to duck around frequent-stops ST trains.

I raised the issue of there being much higher ridership projections at 5 minute headways, and was told, we aren't building for that.

"It will all be GO" is the quote I would cite.

- Paul

Have they told John Tory this? Has he talked to Wynne about this.? Why is Metrolinx then even talking in their board meeting about ST

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I found the ML people at today's town hall to be refreshingly candid about ST vs RER - It ain't gonna work.

More than one staffer emphasised that their view of the end product was a 15-minute headway, perhaps more at peak, with trains stopping at an agreed set of stations, and not semi express RER trying to duck around frequent-stops ST trains.

I raised the issue of there being much higher ridership projections at 5 minute headways, and was told, we aren't building for that.

"It will all be GO" is the quote I would cite.

- Paul

Shall we start using air quotes whenever the word "SmartTrack" is uttered.

 

[crs1026]

Have they told John Tory this? Has he talked to Wynne about this.? Why is Metrolinx then even talking in their board meeting about ST

Well, the City staff took pains to say "We are working closely with ML on all of this...."

My conclusion would be, staff understand their political masters, and will produce options that everyone can feel good about. At the same time - debating options based on the 5-minute scenarios may prove to be a bit hypothetical.

- Paul

 

[pman]

Can't Tory simply label whatever ML comes up with as Smart Track, and move on to more evidence-based stuff like DRL? Oh wait, this is Toronto...

 

[CapitalSeven]

I think SmartTrack is going to wind up as "The act of riding a GO train with a TTC fare."

 

[nfitz]

I think SmartTrack is going to wind up as "The act of riding a GO train with a TTC fare."

Introducing the SmartTrack fare sticker, to add to your Metropass! Another election promise achieved!

 

[Palma]

Can't Tory simply label whatever ML comes up with as Smart Track, and move on to more evidence-based stuff like DRL? Oh wait, this is Toronto...

and what will Metrolinx come up with that will allow Tory to say its SmartTrack? Tory is not stupid

 

[TheTigerMaster]

For Tory to effectively label something "SmartTrack" I think there will need to be a physical different in services, whether that be stations or service frequency. The way things have been progressing, it's likely that no such physical difference would exist.