Does nobody on this forum except for me know that Downsview Park is also a GO station, which will have trains running through it every 15 minutes all day in both directions once RER is live, and which currently has ~hourly trains weekends and will soon have hourly AD2W service weekdays?

I was thinking the exact same thing! +1
 
Can someone remind us why Downsview Park needed a station? I don't get it. The station area is desolate. There are no connecting bus routes or development in the area. This could very well wind up being the next Bessarion.

Desolate?!?

Are you suggesting that the acres and acres and acres of commercial and industrial properties north of Sheppard are a figment of our collective imaginations? That there was no need to route two different bus routes through them?

It's hardly high-rise-central, but to call that area desolate is the height of exaggeration.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
 
Desolate?!?

Are you suggesting that the acres and acres and acres of commercial and industrial properties north of Sheppard are a figment of our collective imaginations? That there was no need to route two different bus routes through them?

It's hardly high-rise-central, but to call that area desolate is the height of exaggeration.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

Would you be happier if I said extremely low density?
 
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There is not a single residential building within 800m of the station, and nothing more than very low density industrial employment. Very few people will be getting off the subway and trudging through an industrial park to their industrial job that has free parking.
 
No harm in planning for the future. RER is coming and Downsview will grow over time as part of our now coming integrated transit system. Really no different than putting an empty centre platform at Yonge/Sheppard. Someday it will be needed. Same here. I for one is happy that it was built now. I have questions about the size but then I'm fine with King Station. At some point even the size will be justified. Bessarion will most likely never be much more than it is now. But Downsview will certainly grown substantially over time. Good forward thinking.
 
For commuters coming from farther north, Downsview Park GO is a logical transfer point instead of Union if you're heading to: York University, Yorkdale Mall, Eglinton West, St Clair West, St George/U of T, and I'd say as far down as Queen's Park.

Assuming that fare integration between GO and TTC actually happens, it can also serve northbound commuters to York University who come from the West End.

The traffic on this extension is going to be heavily weighted towards hours, it seems. 7,500 pphpd with only 52,000 daily riders. In comparison, the Eglinton Crosstown will have westbound peak ridership of pphpd 7,500, and eastbound of 5,500, but it's daily ridership will be 180,000. The Eglinton Crosstown will be full all day, while the Spadina extension looks to be virtually unused outside of rush hours.
Commutes to York University do not follow a typical "rush hour" pattern. Faculty and student arrive throughout the day, depending on when their classes are. The 196 bus is no less crowded at 11:30am than it is at 8:30am.

A ton of townhomes off keele
Yes, Exactly.
 
Assuming that fare integration between GO and TTC actually happens, it can also serve northbound commuters to York University who come from the West End.


Commutes to York University do not follow a typical "rush hour" pattern. Faculty and student arrive throughout the day, depending on when their classes are. The 196 bus is no less crowded at 11:30am than it is at 8:30am.


Yes, Exactly.

The Eglinton crosstown is unique because of its multiple transfer points. It's peak traffic is 7,500 just before Yonge heading westbound from my understanding, but there will also be lots of people heading eastbound and transferring at Cedarvale, etc. This means the ridership is spread out, avoiding a high PPHD point.

Spadina I expect will have higher than "normal" off peak ridership as well, due to York U.
 
The traffic on this extension is going to be heavily weighted towards hours, it seems. 7,500 pphpd with only 52,000 daily riders. In comparison, the Eglinton Crosstown will have westbound peak ridership of pphpd 7,500, and eastbound of 5,500, but it's daily ridership will be 180,000. The Eglinton Crosstown will be full all day, while the Spadina extension looks to be virtually unused outside of rush hours.

Commutes to York University do not follow a typical "rush hour" pattern. Faculty and student arrive throughout the day, depending on when their classes are. The 196 bus is no less crowded at 11:30am than it is at 8:30am.

My comments were about TYSSE as a whole, and not YU Station in particular.
 
The Eglinton crosstown is unique because of its multiple transfer points. It's peak traffic is 7,500 just before Yonge heading westbound from my understanding, but there will also be lots of people heading eastbound and transferring at Cedarvale, etc. This means the ridership is spread out, avoiding a high PPHD point.

Eglinton also has a very different demographic. There's lots of restaurants and retail that's open on weekends and weeknights. It also has a lot of low-income residents nearby who are more likely to work odd hours. The vast majority of people in Vaughan (and York Region in general) are middle- or high-income, and more likely to work the standard 9-5 jobs. Similarly, the vast majority of people studying at York U and working in offices around the new subway stations will also be on the 9-5 schedule.

Commutes to York University do not follow a typical "rush hour" pattern. Faculty and student arrive throughout the day, depending on when their classes are. The 196 bus is no less crowded at 11:30am than it is at 8:30am.

Students arrive and leave throughout the day, but hardly anyone has classes on weekends and not many have late-night classes either.
 

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