[EnviroTO]

Based on the village diagram the Cherry line will be built in time for the Pan Am Games but not the underpass. The line will not be in use because it is inside the secured village perimeter. The athletes will not be using regular TTC services and instead they have a dedicated bus terminal planned in the village. The East Bayfront to Parliament line will likely be done but nothing beyond there since no facilities are planned in the Port Lands which is quite different from the 2008 Olympic Bid. No PASO/ISO executives will be taking a train and any teams going on a train to get to their competition will be taking a train reserved for them alone and will be met at both ends with buses. As plans develop there is a possibility for a platform to be installed in the village and in Hamilton at the stadium for the athletes dedicated trains to eliminate the need for connecting buses but nothing permanent.

Any transit improvements accelerated due to the Pan Am games will have mostly to do with not having things half completed and roads ripped up during the games. Since only spectators will be using any transit enhancements the only possible improvements to service spectators are to get to the aquatic centre in Scarborough and the stadium in Hamilton. The other venues are downtown or would not likely see much spectator traffic. If it was the olympics there would be many wanting to see rowing but realistically there will not be transit improvements to get to that while held in St.Catharines. So really the focus will be on completing on the go projects (i.e. no new money), perhaps a SCC to UofTatS BRT or the Scarborough Malvern LRT, perhaps the Hamilton LRT, the already planned air rail link, and already planned GO improvements. DRL, Yonge subway extension, Jane LRT, and Waterfront West LRT don't provide any real benefits directly related to the Pan Am Games. In summary only Hamilton LRT and a way to get to UofT at Scarborough are likely to be new spending plans... everything else will be what is already planned accelerated to ensure no construction during the games.

 

[EnviroTO]

I should add that it is possible the GO platform in Hamilton next to the stadium would be permanent since the north station is planned just west of the LIUNA station.

 

[DSC]

As usual Steve Munro has some useful comments at: http://stevemunro.ca/?p=2867

 

[DC83]

James North GO

I should add that it is possible the GO platform in Hamilton next to the stadium would be permanent since the north station is planned just west of the LIUNA station.

There have been plans for a GO/Via platform in an empty lot directly west (across James St) from LIUNA Station: (GoogleMap)for at least 3-4 years, but as per Hamilton fashion, everything takes FOREVER to happen (if at all).

Re: Hamilton's LRT plans; Metrolinx has yet to announce whether they're funding LRT or BRT, but City Staff are moving ahead with LRT Plans which they (and Mayor Fred, along with most of Council) all support. From yesterday's Spec:

"Today we party; tomorrow we look at next steps," [Mayor Fred] said.

Those "next steps" include ... and fast-tracking plans for a rapid transit (RT) line."

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/668366

 

[Tewder]

Why should the objective of a DRL or Eglinton Crosstown or any other needed subway line be isolated from this conversation? Seems to me the perfect time to push for them now. We have a mayoral campaign about to start and with the Pan-Am games announcement just about the strongest federal and provincial funding commitment ever seen in Toronto as far as I can recall. When would there be a better time to leverage a commitment for subways?

The immediate objective of DRL advocacy at this time should be a mobilization of effort to force subways into the political agenda. Make it the issue of the election. I'm sure with hundreds of thousands of frustrated and angry commuters sitting in traffic for hours each day that it wouldn't take much to ignite this issue: Why has public transit infrastructure fallen so far behind? Why haven't our elected leaders been maintaining a responsible investment in public transit ? Where has all the money gone and where have subways disappeared to on the priority list? How can we take any candidate seriously on issues of urban development and sprawl, pollution and the environment, sustainability and quality of life in the GTA who refuses to address this issue? and so on... Come on you activists, light a fire under it and make your voice heard now!!

The DRL isn't just needed for the Pan-Am games it's needed now already because of gridlock on the roads arising from years of inadequate public transit options, a situation that is only going to get worse over the next decade with a growing econmy, a growing population, the pan-am games, and expanding development in the east and west ends of the city. The honest truth is that commitments to badly-neeed subways should have been secured years ago and in this sense it's already a little too late. This is spilt milk however and the games are just about the best excuse/opportunity to redress the negligence that led us to this situation in the first place. And it doesn't matter whether subways make sense or not for the Pan-Am games specifically. Extending temporary Go services or adding some streetcar lines will probably be adequate for the actual requirements of the games even if it does feel a little like slapping so many band-aids on an already inadequate and collapsing transit network. The bigger issue is ongoing needs and the challenge is to politicize those needs and this is the best timing/opportunity I can think of to try.

 

[Northern Magus]

In summary only Hamilton LRT and a way to get to UofT at Scarborough are likely to be new spending plans... everything else will be what is already planned accelerated to ensure no construction during the games.

Yep, spot on. The only thing I'd disagree with is Blue 22, which would definitely be used by spectators and visitors -- to the airport limo industry's chagrin. And it's not inconceivable that other projects that are scheduled for completion around 2016-17 may get sped up, providing there's a business case to be made for it.

And if people want to post their advocacy for a downtown subway line, there's another forum specifically for that and they're welcome to do so there.

 

[EnviroTO]

The only thing I'd disagree with is Blue 22, which would definitely be used by spectators and visitors

I would consider Blue22 to be an already approved project accelerated to be completed construction in 2015.

 

[Kiwi]

There's been a bunch of hints that Hamilton's B-Line funding will be announced in the next provincial budget.

The province ordered Hamilton to complete the preliminary design for the B-Line by March 2010 last month, before the announcement of the next provincial budget. Completing the preliminary design within 5 months is a tight deadline so the City had to hire a consultant to help.

Plus in January we'll finally get the Benefit Case of LRT for the B-Line. So it's all shaping up for a funding announcement in the 2010 Budget for the B-Line.