News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
 11K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 43K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 6.6K     0 
Well, if there is Regional Express, it would make sense to have Streetcar Express, right? :D

I do think branding is something they will need to think more deeply about. "Light rail" is a technical term, like "heavy rail", and using it as the branding is just lazy. It's doesn't even make sense in Toronto which kept its traditional light rail network and continued to upgrade it with modern light rail features while keeping the "streetcar" branding. The lines will be blurred even more with a Waterfront West Line.

Streetcar Rapid Transit (SRT) might work, but "SRT" was already used for the Scarborough RT.

City already has a strong branding for light rail, it should take advantage. The TTC streetcar is iconic, whether it is the Flexity Outlook or the Canadian Light Rail Vehicle, and I feel like the city is denying its heritage.

I do like some of the station naming on this map...

I like the way each station has a unique name in Toronto. But at the same time some names don't make sense, like Finch West, the eastern terminus of the Finch West line. People travelling eastbound along Finch West to Finch West? I tried to fix things like that.

New Affinity is now free! It has both vector and raster!

https://www.affinity.studio/
My computer is Windows 7 but I will keep that in mind if I build a new computer. Illustrator CS2 is quite old and not 100% compatible with Win7, so I doubt it will work with Win 11.
 
How can you have any meaningful transit map without the UP on it?
Shanghai manages it with their Airport Link Line and Maglev Line:

1280px-Shanghai_Metro_Network_en.png
 
Not a proper map design owing to my lack of graphic design skills lol, but just a musing of what I think could be a great solution for the western extension of the Ontario Line. I had always been in favour of an extension north up Dufferin; however, I think there's great potential in using the Barrie line (when GO RER eventually happens in like 2126... sigh) as both a Dufferin-adjacent line as well as relief for the University line. That's why lately I've started to think about what else could happen west of Exhibition, while also being mindful of not replicating Lakeshore GO service.

In this vision, the line would expand all the way to Jane and Eglinton, completing a U from Eglinton west to Eglinton east, basically, and setting the scene for northward extensions from both ends (in this case, up Jane to at least Finch, in whatever form of transit that becomes in the future). Also although I am personally a fan of tunnelling wherever needed, I think we have to be pragmatic when it comes to funding, so this route also takes advantage of the fact that half of it can be done on existing railways.

My envisioned stops going west after Exhibition would be 'Parkdale' (alternatively also 'Springhurst' or 'Jameson'), 'Sunnyside' (on King immediately south of Queen and Roncy, tied to an overhaul of pedestrian access to the lake), 'Roncesvalles' (right in the middle of the neighbourhood), 'Dundas West', 'Junction' (south of Dupont and Dundas), 'Stockyards' (rail tracks west of Keele), 'Lambton' (St. Clair and Jane), and 'Eglinton Flats' (or whatever that station on the Line 5 extension ends up as).

Looking forward to comments!


Screenshot 2026-02-16 at 7.58.30 PM.png
 
This is what I envision the full line looking like. My hope is that this would set the stage for northward extensions up to Jane and Finch on the west side and up to Steeles on the right side.

Screenshot 2026-02-16 at 8.19.55 PM.png
 

Back
Top