[steveintoronto]

Mayor Tory’s office directed provincial transit agency on SmartTrack messaging

Mayor John Tory’s office directed what is meant to be an arm’s-length provincial transit agency about its messaging surrounding the mayor’s signature “SmartTrack” plan, emails obtained by the Star show.
As that plan was being significantly revised — reduced to just six new stations along existing GO train lines — the changes requested by Tory’s staff appeared aimed at putting what remained of the promised improvements in a better light.

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...l-transit-agency-on-smarttrack-messaging.html

Just read it all. Yikes...it confirms the dream was a nightmare, and it's still ongoing.

“We are getting on with building transit — that’s what Mayor Tory was elected and re-elected to do by Toronto voters,” Peat wrote in a statement. “City council has voted to move ahead with SmartTrack and the province has endorsed this plan.”

Sounds incredibly like Ford, doesn't it?

 

[Cobra]

 

[OneCity]

Is the City not the ones building these stations?

 

[Cobra]

Is the City not the ones building these stations?

Not 100% percent, so I doubt the province's interested in spending a dime in that project and risk wasting Federal funding there when they clearly need it on today's plan

 

[Automation Gallery]

Not 100% percent, so I doubt the province's interested in spending a dime in that project and risk wasting Federal funding there when they clearly need it on today's plan

That's John Tory's baby that has dragged on for the past 6 years and the next decade...lol

 

[OneCity]

Not 100% percent, so I doubt the province's interested in spending a dime in that project and risk wasting Federal funding there when they clearly need it on today's plan

hmmmm 1.46 billion in City funds sitting here

 

[kEiThZ]

Exactly as I predicted SmartTrack would involve. Into some kind of GO integration.

 

[Cobra]

hmmmm 1.46 billion in City funds sitting here

Most likely will go against Ford's plan from today

 

[WislaHD]

I can't believe 257 pages have been spent on this opposite-of-smart concept.

 

[robmausser]

Exactly as I predicted SmartTrack would involve. Into some kind of GO integration.

Unfortunately if GO RER is dead, which it might be, so is Smarttrack and the downtown stations.

 

[pstogios]

I can't believe 257 pages have been spent on this opposite-of-smart concept.

One could argue that’s the Smarttrack concept was stupid as an actual transit modality but was quite useful for putting pressure on the province for...

Exactly as I predicted SmartTrack would involve. Into some kind of GO integration.

+1

 

[mdrejhon]

Much of my earlier predictions apparently remain true. SmartTrack is essentially a core electrified GO line with free transfers between GO and TTC (within 10km).

SmartTrack is simply a rapid-transit-fequent core GO line - check.
Fare prices currently in process of converging - check.
Electrification proposed on core line (this is one) - check

Still on track, even if ultimately by another name.

 

[robmausser]

Much of my earlier predictions apparently remain true. SmartTrack is essentially a core electrified GO line with free transfers between GO and TTC (within 10km).

SmartTrack is simply a rapid-transit-fequent core GO line - check.
Fare prices currently in process of converging - check.
Electrification proposed on core line (this is one) - check

Still on track, even if ultimately by another name.

Electrification is dead. Much of the funding for GO captial costs has been cut by the province. There is no way that GO can electrify the system on this shoestring budget.

GO Expansion is exactly what it sounds like, expansion of the system using the existing bilevel diesels.

 

[mdrejhon]

Who knows but my electrification prediction is still on track.

Electrification is not dead for 1000 years.

The matter of fact is, regardless of Timeline X, is that the Brampton-to-Markham GO routing is one of the highest future-station-density lines, and thus, the highest candidate for electrification (whenever electrification becomes).

Neither Ford nor Wynne is a dynasty, regardless what color your cryaon is.

The economics of EMUs and rapid acceleration, favour high-station-density lines, and the Brampton-Markham section is the one with the most upcoming station builds, leading this line to be heavily EMU-economics-biased regardless of when it happens in future. UPX also conveniently, is a subset of this existing line, too. The first catenary, thus, would then go on sections of the routing formerly called "SmartTrack", likely still making my prediction true, full stop.

I still think Brampton-Union-Markham routing (ala SmartTrack original proposal) will probably end up being one of the first electrified segments, with the UPX being part of the calculus also because of the pressure to electrify UPX. Basically this routing electrifies before (or at same time as) Lakeshore.

Lakeshore station spacing is extremely wide, so 15-min can easily be handled by diesels for a long time to come. As much as I'd prefer Lakeshore to be electrified (it's MY route) I am fully cognizant of what EMU technology works best with biggest profits/ROI/least-tax-loss on. The mathematics for taxpayer money favours Brampton-Union-Markham because it'd be biggest bang for taxpayer dollar because of how the station spacing is currently, with all the services already (including UPX), upcoming stations, DRL(Ontario Line) connections, and station spacing.

 

[hw621]

^you are assuming that Ford and Metropinx are sensible...