from the National Post:
Vaughan councillors affirm support for subway extension
Posted: October 27, 2008, 10:16 PM by Barry Hertz
Vaughan, transit
By Natalie Alcoba, National Post
Vaughan city council affirmed its support of the Yonge Street subway extension yesterday, the second underground foray into York Region with six proposed stops north of Finch Avenue that culminate in Richmond Hill.
Councillor Alan Shefman, who sits on the Yonge Street Subway Advisory Task Force, said the extension has progressed at a remarkable pace, given how many years it has taken plans for its older, sister extension, along Spadina Avenue, to become a reality.
“As late as two years ago, there was no thought whatsoever that we would have the funds to do a subway extension [on Yonge]. We were looking at surface rapid transit with buses and so forth, so this has moved incredibly fast,†Mr. Shefman said yesterday, following a meeting in which council endorsed the preliminary plans, without any discussion.
The proposed 6.5-kilometre underground extension would run from Finch station to a proposed station at Richmond Hill Centre, located near Highway 7, with stops at Cummer and Drewry avenues, Steeles Avenue, Clark Avenue, Royal Orchard Boulevard and Longbridge and Langstaff roads.
There would also be “major intermodal bus terminals†at the Steeles and Richmond Hill stations. There are also plans to include a 1,900-car parking lot and passenger pickup and drop-off point north of Longbridge Road.
Vaughan Mayor Linda Jackson said the Yonge project has benefited from enthusiastic public input, and those consultations are set to conclude next month.
“You always want plans to move faster, but they are coming along,†Ms. Jackson said yesterday. “There certainly is a lot of interest in the community with respect with getting the subway moved forward.â€
The Spadina extension is a go for next year, and there are plans to start digging in more than one spot to speed that up even further, she said.
Last month the regional transportation planning body called Metrolinx unveiled a $50-billion plan to alleviate gridlock and improve public transit in greater Toronto with new subways, light-rail lines, bus ways, highway lanes and cycling paths.
The vision called for transit links to congested Pearson International Airport from four directions, extending the Yonge-Spadina subway line north into York Region, adding express GO Transit service along the busy Lakeshore corridor and the creation of rapid transit lines along Sheppard, Finch and Eglinton avenues, all within 15 years.
So far, the province has pledged $11.5-billion to make it happen, and another $6-billion is expected to come from Ottawa.
The Yonge subway extension fits into the provincial government’s Move Ontario strategy as a “priority project,†said Councillor Shefman, and he said he would be “very surprised†if the provincial funding does not come through. Construction is “likely†to start in early 2010, he said.
“Obviously the economic situation is going to have some impact,†Mr. Shefman said, but he hopes the government would see investing in a major infrastructure project such as a new subway as a catalyst for re-energizing the economy.
