Yes, though all of the above also potentially contingent on the outcome of the June election.

I'm optimistic this will survive the election. Without the overpass, better two way all day service to Aurora/Barrie isn't feasible. Too many ridings north of Toronto who want that, but only one riding impacted at Davenport.

No PC candidate is going to argue for the much more expensive and complicated tunnel option.

- Paul
 
The Barrie line will have stations at Bloor and Eglinton. For the small number of people looking to get from St Clair to Barrie or Barrie to St Clair, there are alternative connections.
Why are you assuming that this line will only be used by people commuting from Barrie? It will also provide a direct and fast route for people going from the West End to York University that avoids the overcrowded transfer at St George
 
I wonder how much the following factors would come into play though:
* Longer (and un-sheltered) transfer from Lansdowne TTC to Blansdowne GO
* Longer wait time for next northbound train
* Another transfer at Downsview Park station to get back on TTC to finish ride into York U
* Fare difference?

The GO connection might still win on speed, but would it be worth it all the time for everyone? Maybe if you're walking to the Blansdowne GO instead of transferring....
 
I wonder how much the following factors would come into play though:
* Longer (and un-sheltered) transfer from Lansdowne TTC to Blansdowne GO
* Longer wait time for next northbound train
* Another transfer at Downsview Park station to get back on TTC to finish ride into York U
This is still pretty attractive if weighed against the uncomfortable and unsafe overcrowding on the Bloor-Danforth line and at St George, which are only going to get worse over time.
* Fare difference?
Yes, there will have to be further fare integration, but even at the current TTC co-fare, people may want to go this way for the added comfort.

Maybe if you're walking to the Blansdowne GO instead of transferring....
Or cycling: it will have connections to the West Toronto Railpath
 
You're talking about students; I don't think many of them will have the disposable income to ride the fancy train for the extra comfort. And since they're students, many of them will be travelling off-peak, negating the impact of the rush hour crowding, which is itself not bad at all if you're going north on Line 1 and transfer at Spadina (which is still a nicer transfer than Bloor-Lansdowne will be).

There will be some riders, for sure, but I don't think there will be significant ridership northbound to York.
 
You're talking about students; I don't think many of them will have the disposable income to ride the fancy train for the extra comfort. And since they're students, many of them will be travelling off-peak, negating the impact of the rush hour crowding, which is itself not bad at all if you're going north on Line 1 and transfer at Spadina (which is still a nicer transfer than Bloor-Lansdowne will be).

There will be some riders, for sure, but I don't think there will be significant ridership northbound to York.
Actually, I'm thinking of faculty members too. I know several who are hoping for this option to arrive.

As far as the crowding is concerned, you're right about Line 1 going north in the am and south in the pm. However, line 2 is extremely crowded in the afternoon rush, I don't think you could count on getting on a train if you transferred at Spadina at 6pm. And in the morning I've been at times unable to board am rush hour trains at Dundas West.

My larger point is that the Barrie RER will provide an alternative north-south route within the city that will be useful to many riders, especially as crowding on the subway is getting worse.
 
These new interchange stations are important in gridding-out the frequent-rapid-transit rail networks of Toronto.

Problems/blockages and overcrowding on individual trip segments can be relieved via other rail routes that intersect rail routes. Like in London, NYC, China, etc. All those loops and intersects! But noooo, we had only one loop. Line 1 and 2 crossing each other -- the U crossed by a horizontal line -- for decades.

The upgrade of GO from a suburban peak period service into 2-way frequent rapid transit, combined with the new LRTs, and electric 15-min GO, will literally overlay a massively expanded "perceived subway map" (definition: frequent & fast rail rapid transit in dedicated corridors).

Repeated political tweaking (my taxpayer wallet wants to say hello) can be really frustrating but you have to admit that the combination of DRL, Crosstown, 15-min electrified GO (whether one calls it SmartTrack or RER), will essentially practically double the size of the 416 "perceived subway map".

From the opening of the Crosstown / "SmartTrack" stations in ~2021-2025 -- plus a few LRTs -- through the opening of electrified GO around then, up til the opening of DRL by ~2031-2035. (and a few other goodies I missed -- that Scarborough thingy).

Doubled-size "subway" map!

In the span of one mere decade.

That's quite massive progress by pokey Toronto standards.
 
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I'm optimistic this will survive the election. Without the overpass, better two way all day service to Aurora/Barrie isn't feasible. Too many ridings north of Toronto who want that, but only one riding impacted at Davenport.

No PC candidate is going to argue for the much more expensive and complicated tunnel option.

- Paul
Any chance the Davenport riding would trade some of the bells and whistles for a Station at St. Clair?
 
Any chance the Davenport riding would trade some of the bells and whistles for a Station at St. Clair?

I believe that was one of the concessions they requested but analysis of the station showed it was an excessively poor idea in many ways, even worse than Kirby for instance from what I recall; namely the costs and negative impacts on ridership from upstream passengers exceeded the benefits of the miniscule projected ridership. I think it was also a little too close to the overpass which complicated matters substantially.

Even the other requested station at Bloor-Lansdowne has been found wanting for ridership, although it was approved in the end. IMO that one is necessary, a connection to Line 2 would be huge and open up GO for a lot of people who work on Bloor West and make it more enticing even for those heading to U of T or Bloor-Yonge. I think that is an example of where the reality is likely to exceed estimates and models. The 512 is not nearly such a major transit line, there aren't really any colossal major employment sites along St Clair, and Downsview Park/Caledonia+Line 5/Lansdowne will provide good access between the GO line and that neighbourhood.
 
I don't even know what I'm looking at. Are the "people" real, or are they actually part of the mural. It would look best if it was open as possible, and if the noise wall on the bridge was relatively light coloured.
If they just build a normal elevated line they could likely add in a station at St. Clair.
from Steve Munro's new stations blog post:
St. Clair West Station

A station at St. Clair and Caledonia, the former site of the CN St. Clair station, was examined and rejected in 2016. Projected demand is 1,600 in the AM peak, and 6,200 all day. Where these people would actually come from is difficult to imagine considering that there will be stations on the Barrie line at Eglinton (Caledonia) and Bloor (Lansdowne) connecting with rapid transit services, and the land around the St. Clair West station (not to be confused with the subway station of the same name) is low rise residential, parkland and a cemetery. The station would also be near the proposed SmartTrack station at Keele and St. Clair.

In the 2016 evaluation, the capital cost was $27.4 million, and the estimate is now higher. The 2018 evaluation includes the usual penalties due to delays of upstream riders, and there is no discussion of express service although this would, according to the corridor’s service plan, be a local station.

The status of this station has not changed.
 
Any chance the Davenport riding would trade some of the bells and whistles for a Station at St. Clair?

What you seem to think are frivolous bells and whistles are the things that the actual community are most excited about.
 

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