That's sad. It had so much hype when Tory got elected. SmartTrack was suppose to solve this city transportation problems.

I just hope the same fate does not fall on the Ontario Line.
 
mdu said:
Never would have worked as stated by Tory.

As for today, the complete lack of connections in reasonable places (except maybe Kennedy), low frequency, and high fare with no transfer discount, all mean that a proper subway-relieving RER network is still nowhere to be seen.
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SmartTrack isn't really cancelled. I'd say it's part of the RER plan. The new GO stations are still proposed, Metrolinx is still working on the fare integration plan and we do have options on how to integrate the fares. And we're still getting electrified all day 15 min service on the core sections of Lakeshore East and West, Barrie, Stouffville and Kitchener.
 
Coolstar said:
SmartTrack isn't really cancelled. I'd say it's part of the RER plan. The new GO stations are still proposed, Metrolinx is still working on the fare integration plan and we do have options on how to integrate the fares. And we're still getting electrified all day 15 min service on the core sections of Lakeshore East and West, Barrie, Stouffville and Kitchener.
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The original Smarttrack proposal (riddled with all kinds of incongruities) is radically different from the current RER - and it was supposed to be open in 2022. I think OL is far more realistic than what ST was.

AoD
 
mdu said:
Never would have worked as stated by Tory.

As for today, the complete lack of connections in reasonable places (except maybe Kennedy), low frequency, and high fare with no transfer discount, all mean that a proper subway-relieving RER network is still nowhere to be seen.
Click to expand...
The fare is entirely at the discretion of the operators.
 
Oh, I'm not saying that RER won't help; I'm just saying that your average commuter has not seen new options presented by the RER plan in the past five years.
 
Coolstar said:
SmartTrack isn't really cancelled. I'd say it's part of the RER plan. The new GO stations are still proposed, Metrolinx is still working on the fare integration plan and we do have options on how to integrate the fares. And we're still getting electrified all day 15 min service on the core sections of Lakeshore East and West, Barrie, Stouffville and Kitchener.
Click to expand...

Well now............that depends on what you thought Smart Track was in the first place.

If you believed it would carry 300,000 passengers per day, as suggested by Tory, the U of T said that would require 5-minute or better headways.

The commitment was also that Smart Track would be at the same rider cost as TTC, so not more than $3.20 per ride.

From Wikipedia's article:

During the 2014 mayoral election, John Tory's election team predicted SmartTrack would carry 200,000 passengers per day with trains operating at a 15-minute frequency with a TTC fare being charged. According to University of Toronto academics, if the service runs every five minutes and uses TTC fares, SmartTrack could carry up to 300,000 people per day. However at a frequency of every 15 minutes (as proposed by John Tory), ridership would fall to about 75,000 people per day with a TTC fare, or half that with a GO fare

SmartTrack - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

From that same article:

Instead of the 22 new stops promised by Tory, staff are proposing only four to eight additional stops. As of March 2016, the issues of fare, frequency of trains and total cost are unresolved.[31]
 
Unusual sight yesterday on the Line 1, SB platform of Y-B.

Surveyors were set up.

Presumably in service of both the capacity expansion project and any associated redevelopment above.
 
Some modest info here: (note integraton w/HBC site fairly clearly alluded to)

1612462021298.png

From: http://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Com...ry_10/Reports/8_Transit_Network_Expansion.pdf

Also this illustration of the station layout is worth putting up:

1612462163267.png
 
As much as I dislike 2 Bloor Street East's architecture, when I look at that diagram, it makes me appreciate the dense mixed-use development they managed to build there.
 
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Given the insane complexity of this project it's hardly a surprise.

I'm really interested to see what's happening with 2 Bloor East.. My understanding is that the TTC is planning to demolish the complex to expand the station, then allow the leasee (Brookfield?) to redevelop it afterwards, likely at much higher densities..
 
innsertnamehere said:
Given the insane complexity of this project it's hardly a surprise.

I'm really interested to see what's happening with 2 Bloor East.. My understanding is that the TTC is planning to demolish the complex to expand the station, then allow the leasee (Brookfield?) to redevelop it afterwards, likely at much higher densities..
Click to expand...

I can't imagine they would tear down any extant towers - but part of the podium? It's a given. Not sure if they can find the space to put another tower up though - maybe fatten 2BE along the lines of the Toronto Star building?

AoD
 
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