[nfitz]

Here's a hint: King, Queen, Dundas, College streetcars all parallel Bloor-Danforth. People will go out of their way to take B-D.

???? No they don't. If their origin and destination is near the streetcar line, they take the streetcar line. All those lines are absolutely packed in rush-hour.

Heck, in rush-hour, I actually take the streetcar for some routes, when it is more convenient for me to walk to the B-D line, because it's faster than trying to change at Bloor/Yonge.

People will take what's more convenient. Finch is well-used now between Yonge and Don Mills. Are you asking us to believe, that if the bus is replaced with LRT, then suddenly all the people using the current bus, will switch to the Sheppard subway?

 

[DavidH]

Because in terms of crosstown, Finch has some pros that Sheppard doesn't have. I don't really see why the TTC couldn't and shouldn't build a Finch and Sheppard East LRT. A LRT would be good for both corridors, and shouldn't be out of the question.

It would be politically difficult to put LRT lines on two corridors that are only a few kilometres apart. It would lead to criticism that one area is being favoured over the rest of the city.

 

[Rainforest]

A number of concerns regarding the proposed Finch W - Sheppard E LRT crosstown:

- Wont' be particularly fast, and hence might not be very attractive for crosstown trips. My estimate, just as an example: Sheppard / Kennedy to Finch / Weston will take about 60 min, and this is not the longest leg. Add time to travel to / from the LRT on a bus ... and people will opt for car if they have one.

There will be some people who find this route useful (both origin and destination is near it). But what are the costs?

- Disrupting the existing travel patterns (the rest of Finch E east of Don Mills).

- The cost of the "bypass" LRT section (Finch / Yonge to Don Mills / Sheppard) would be in the range of 350 - 450 M (9 km x 40 - 50 M per km), plus a complex and costly Don Mills hub.

---

I think that the best solution for this corridor would be extending the Sheppard subway line (east to Kennedy, west to Downsview and continuing interlined up to Steeles West) plus Finch W LRT west of Yonge. That combo would be more conductive for crosstown trips, even though technically it is not a single line.

Barring the subway extension, second best would be two parallel LRT lines: Finch crosstown (continuous W + E) plus Sheppard E (just east of Don Mills as originally planned). At least, this would help the existing travel patterns rather than disrupt them. Politically difficult - perhaps; but it could be sold as a network - building effort.

 

[nfitz]

It would be politically difficult to put LRT lines on two corridors that are only a few kilometres apart. It would lead to criticism that one area is being favoured over the rest of the city.

Every subway station in the last quarter-century, in 4 projects, on 3-different lines (assuming that University and Yonge lines are different lines) have been in North York. If the issue is favourtism, then this certainly hasn't been a problem in the past!

By the same logic, we should cancel the St. Clair LRT - it is the same distance (2 km) from the Bloor subway that Finch Avenue is from the Sheppard Subway!

 

[andomano]

It would be politically difficult to put LRT lines on two corridors that are only a few kilometres apart. It would lead to criticism that one area is being favoured over the rest of the city.

Nevermind the placement of LRT lines being kilometers apart, the Yonge line and University line are only several hundredrs of meters apart.

 

[Second_in_pie]

Nevermind the placement of LRT lines being kilometers apart, the Yonge line and University line are only several hundredrs of meters apart.

But it is fair to rationalize that is because they are in the Downtown Core, where almost everyone in the GTA is trying to get more or less.

 

[nfitz]

It also seemed a failure - with quite low ridership in the University Avenue stations outside of rush hour - to the point there they suspended weekend and evening service for a while! Hard to imagine now!

 

[kEiThZ]

I can understand that the subway would be inappropriate for Sheppard between say Markham and Neilson but why not at least build out the subway to a more logical terminus like the GO station. It does not have to go all the way to STC (best case scenario) but it would help to cover at least a little more of Scarborough.

That said, because they seem ridonculously committed to forcing this error through, I would not be against retrofitting the Sheppard subway instead of interlinking Finch W and Sheppard E. Getting rid of the transfer is far more important than linking those two corridors. Most riders along Sheppard would still be heading to the core during peak hours. Likewise for Finch W. There is little benefit in spending nearly half a billion to link two lines when spending that money on getting rid of the transfer would help far more riders.

 

[nfitz]

I don't disagree - extending the subway at least to Victoria Park - which has a huge demand based on the old studies, would seem to make more sense than LRT for that leg (particularily if they extend to Consumers Road). And if they are so hell bent on connecting to Finch, they can run Finch East/Victoria Park/Sheppard East.

 

[Ansem]

Is it the end of Sheppard East LRT?

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/611812

Apr 01, 2009 12:15 PM

Rob Ferguson
Queen's Park Bureau

Four new public transit projects for the Greater Toronto Area, including a rapid transit line on Eglinton Avenue to Pearson Airport, are getting the green light from Premier Dalton McGuinty today.

But most of the projects must still go through the environmental approvals process, the government said in a statement, so it will be next year at the earliest before construction can begin, with the exception of the York Viva bus rapid transit line.

The projects, in concert with the TTC and the regional transit agency Metrolinx, are worth $9 billion.

The first will likely involve $1.4 billion in construction on the York Viva bus rapid transit system. A first segment will be built along Highway 7 from Markham Centre to Richmond Hill Centre with completion scheduled for 2011 – the year of the next provincial election. Construction will begin in the fall as some environmental assessments have already been completed.

Other segments of the line should be finished two years later, the government said in a statement that suggested the transit projects are just as important for the troubled economy as they are for commuters.

"Our investments in transit will create jobs, help stimulate the economy and improve the air we breathe," said McGuinty.

In Scarborough, rehabilitation work and extending the rapid transit rail line to Malvern Town Centre or Markham Road is slated to be completed and in service for commuters by 2015. Construction is expected to begin next year at a cost of $1.4 billion.

The 30-kilometre rapid transit line on Eglinton could be up and running by 2016 providing construction begins next year following the environmental assessment process. The estimated cost of the project, which includes a 10-kilometre tunnel from Keele to Leslie streets, is $4.6 billion.

Further north, the Finch light rapid transit line from Humber College on Hwy 427 to Don Mills subway station in the east could be finished by 2013 if approvals allow construction to begin next year at a cost of $1.2 billion.

Today's announcement from McGuinty and Transportation Minister Jim Bradley also includes financial support for a $3 million study of potential rapid transit lines through Hamilton – an east-west line on the King and Main street corridor and a north-south line along James and Upper James. The study will be completed by next spring.

Finch and Eglington will go first.

Is Metrolinx considering to finish the line like this?

 

[Second_in_pie]

I just honestly don't understand why they would finish the Sheppard Subway if they aren't willing to spend the money to make Eglinton a subway. Honestly, half the line is going to be underground, so why not just finish and make it all underground?

I understand why they want to get shovels in the ground, but I can't believe TC was thoroughly thought out at all, especially considering they're doing every single line almost the exact same way.

I don't have a problem with LRT, but I do have a problem with using LRT to solve all our transit problems. To keep on topic, I support doing Sheppard East as LRT, but there should also be some northern crosstown line, which should probably be "Finch East LRT" Which could be done reasonably well with LRT, in my opinion.

Hopefully in the next elections we'll get a candidate who will be willing to take a look at Transit City again, because there are a lot of flaws, notably in the most important lines, which could end up costing the City billions of more dollars in 15 years.

 

[nfitz]

Is it the end of Sheppard East LRT?
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/611812

Why would it be the end - it was mentioned twice in McGuinty's announcement? And if was ended, there would be no point in extending Finch to Don Mills Station.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

i think they should delay some of the stations to nowhere on the spadina extension and make this connection in the meantime.....

would be good for those in the east end to get to the university.

 

[nfitz]

I think the plan was always that Senlac and Faywood would only be roughed for the future like Willowdale is.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

I think the plan was always that Senlac and Faywood would only be roughed for the future like Willowdale is.

still good enough.