Downtown Relief Line

Downtown Relief Line

I am a huge proponent of subways for Scarborough (as most of you know), but this statement in 2013 by then TTC head Andy Byford was (and still is) right on the money

Let's slow down, use our heads (because they have it all wrong right now), and do it right - The correct solution and sequence for transit in the east part of the city is as follows:

STOP AND THINK

1 - Take the time to rethink the current transit proposal for Toronto for now [because they have it wrong (remember the gas plants scandal!)] - Let's not rush into it (just because John Tory is trying to save face because he promised to deliver), and make sure we get it right

DOWNTOWN SUBWAY RELIEF LINE and McCOWAN (SCARBOROUGH) SUBWAY

2 - Plan and build the Downtown Toronto Relief Line, and Three-stop Scarborough (McCowan) Subway Extension, first; (If something has to be sacrificed; it is the SmartTrack that should be sacrificed - There already is an existing GO train along that route for fast and express service with plans to electrify it and double the scheduled number of stops

Like everything else they have been talking about a DRL for decades ..... actually, let me look it up ..............; ah yes here it is - Over 10 decades:

Downtown Relief Line - 1910 to Present

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relief_Line_%28Toronto%29

They are working on a plan for a Downtown Relief Line, but they are working on plans for Scarborough first - Although I'm a staunch supporter of having the Scarborough (three-stop) subway extension built, the Downtown Relief Line should be built first – This not just good planning; it’s common sense – Building the Crosstown East LRT extension to the Scarborough UofT campus years ago would have taken pressure off of Scarborough for a few years and given them time to scratch up the dough for a proper three-stop subway, but they have left it too late; the existing Scarborough RT is at the end of its life and will cost 100s of millions of dollars just to stretch its life long enough to build the subway – The powers that be know this, and they are scrambling to do something even at the risk of getting it wrong – They were on the right track with the proposal for the three-stop Scarborough subway extension along McCowan Road – They have veered off and heading down the wrong track again – Also; the DRL would relieve pressure off the Bloor-Danforth line and the Yonge and Bloor subway station, before the Scarborough subway extension comes on line – The Scarborough subway should be extended from Kennedy and Eglinton along McCowan Road to McCowan and Sheppard (consisting of 3 or 4 stops) - The McCowan subway could later be extended north one stop at a time towards McCowan and Steeles Avenues, the Town of Markham, and Markville Shopping Centre as the demand and population density requires it - The Three-stop Scarborough Subway Extension and the DRL need to be built concurrently, with the DRL opening first

Finally coming to their senses and realizing the the city needs the DRL before they start feeding a shitload of new transit into the network:

http://regionalrelief.ca/designedit/controllers/site.php?region=toronto&static=/city-of-toronto/layouts/home.php&page=/toronto_home/page

CROSSTOWN EAST LRT to SCARBOROUGH UofT CAMPUS

3 - Plan and build the Downtown Toronto Relief Line, and extend the Crosstown East LRT to Malvern as per the latest planning update - The Crosstown East LRT is a great idea and the right thing to do

SMARTTRACK

4 - If required; build SmartTrack later, with stops at Kennedy and Eglinton, Ellsmere, Sheppard, Finch, and Steeles - A Kennedy and Lawrence stop would be optional - Ellesmere buses could stop at Scarborough Centre and continue through to and from Kennedy and Ellesmere from there

HIGH-CAPACITY PARKING NODE

5 - Build a high-capacity parking node at McCowan and Sheppard (See my blog page entitled "LRT vs SHEPPARD AVENUE SUBWAY EXTENSION" for more information on my proposal for a high density parking node at McCowan and Sheppard)

SCARBOROUGH TO SHEPPARD SUBWAY CONNECTION

6 - Have the McCowan subway branch off at McCowan and Sheppard and loop back to connect the Sheppard subway to the Scarborough Centre including a high-capacity subway station at McCowan and Sheppard * - This extension would add at least 3 new stops and require a retrofit of the existing Don Mills and Sheppard subway station - The cost to retrofit the Don Mills and Sheppard subway station would actually be far less than the cost of building a transitional station if an LRT were to be built [My guesstimate would be $150 to $250 million for a subway retrofit versus almost a$1 billion for a transitional LRT station (Mr. Tory; have your planners give you a thumb-suck number on that one; my guesstimate is free] *

PICKERING HIGH-CAPACITY RAPID TRANSIT (SMARTTRACK)

 7 - Pickering needs another rapid transit option to better connect it with the rest of the GTA - Plan for a future mode of high-capacity rapid transit to connect the Scarborough and Sheppard subway lines with Pickering at the Scarborough Centre subway station, (If planned now; the line could turn north into a separate track parallel with the Scarborough Centre subway station, and then come back south, turn west along Ellesmere and connect with the GO train station at Kennedy and Ellesmere [and then eventually (50 to 60 years down the road) even further west along York Mills to connect with the proposed DRL at Don Mills and York Mills, and the Yonge and York Mills subway station] – I did notice that the latest published plan for transit in the GTA does show a future Additional RT line from Pickering (now THIS would be a SmartTrack) - [It is unlikely that a subway could ever be justified east of McCowan as the greenbelt, Rouge Park ,and Metro Zoo east of Scarborough would never have the density to ever justify it, however; another mode of rapid transit (such as SmartTrack between Scarborough Centre and Pickering would make sense here] - The Pickering High-capacity Rapid Transit line would provide more of a local service than the existing GO train in Pickering and Ajax, while also providing rapid connections to Scarborough Centre, the Sheppard subway, Kennedy and Ellesmere GO, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, and the rest of the GTA north of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT - This line could eventually be extended east to Whitby and Oshawa with better local service along Highway #2 than the GO Train - When electrified, the GO Train would be upgraded as a faster and more frequent express service (just as they have been planning for many years now)

 

* GREATEST CHALLENGE

Building a new high capacity station servicing 2 subway lines while incorporating a tight t/y-shaped branch is going to be tricky - The track from Scarborough Centre to the Sheppard subway line would have to start curving north of the McCowan and Sheppard subway station - It would have to be a gradual curve and turn back west south west before straightening out at Sheppard Avenue

WEST GTA

My apologies to the West GTA - As a long time resident of Scarborough; I am not as familiar or knowledgeable about the transit issues in that area of the city, however; I will try and tackle the west GTA at some point in the future - P.S.; I started this blog on Feb 2'16, so it's only a few days old, I am starting from virtually from scratch, and I have lots still to do just to address issues in my end of town - The only thing I have been doing over the past few years is e-mailing public officials, planners, politicians, the media, and other interested parties; to no avail

Links

Downtown Relief Line - 1910 to Present

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relief_Line_%28Toronto%29

http://regionalrelief.ca/designedit/controllers/site.php?region=toronto&static=/city-of-toronto/layouts/home.php&page=/toronto_home/page

https://plus.google.com/+NationalPost/posts/cQHsox6ARDy?_utm_source=1-2-2




Note(s):
 
FYI; the links posted here should all still be good, but; I will be abandoning this blog and will only be updating this blog from time to time - Visit my new blog at www.torontotransitblog.com for information, ideas, comments, and concerns regarding traffic and transit in the GTA

Hi All – I have completed the next draft of my ten (10) phase SmarterTracks Plan – My plan incorporates most of the key elements of the City’s latest proposal, plus my own ideas and proposals for the future of transit in Scarborough and the surrounding area – It’s a better plan!

SmarterTracks:

• Services every one of the twelve (12) key destination in Scarborough identified by the City planners [including Centennial College (Progress Road Campus)] – The latest city plans do not
• Includes an LRT along Markham Road as well as Lawrence Avenue which cover two corridors the City has acknowledged are ripe for new development (The City was almost willing to spend an extra $1 billion to relocate the subway there) – The latest city plans do not
• Eliminates SmartTrack, and finally completes the connection between the proposed McCowan Road and the Sheppard Avenue Subways in Scarborough
• Includes provision for a future High-capacity Rapid Transit Line (HCRT) between Pickering/Ajax and Scarborough (possibly a LRT, mono-rail, or other form of elevated RT), in place of the currently proposed BRT (Express bus line)
• Services everything efficiently and effectively without SmartTrack, and uses the minimum number of differing modes of transit with the least number of transfers possible

SmarterTracks is a long term plan – If the City rushes into their plan without knowing what their long term plan is, they will incur huge and unnecessary costs down the road

KEY DESTINATIONS

The City’s Scarborough Transit Proposal Update dated January 21’16, services:

• The Kennedy-Steeles Corridor
• Golden Mile
• Kennedy Mobility Hub
• University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC)
• Scarborough Centre

TBD (Not included in The City’s Scarborough Transit Proposal Update, but in the planning stages)

• Malvern Centre

SmarterTracks services all of the key destinations above, plus:

• The Scarborough Hospital General Campus
• The Scarborough Hospital Birchmount Campus
• Rouge Valley Centenary Hospital
• Consumers Business Park
• Centennial College (Progress Road Campus)
• Toronto Zoo
• Incorporates LRTs along Markham Road and Lawrence Avenue

Now, the City will tell you that they plan to address and service all of these key destinations eventually, but; when, at what cost, and how will it fit in with the current proposal – As it is now, even if expedited, the earliest anything new in the City’s current proposal will be ready for operation and use and is at least eight to ten years from now – Connection of the remaining six destinations is likely to be decades further down the road

SmarterTracks HIGHLIGHTS

• Eliminates SmartTrack
• Finally completes the connection between the McCowan Road (Line 2 Extension to Scarborough) and Sheppard Avenue Subways in Scarborough
• Services Malvern Centre, The Scarborough Hospital General Campus, The Scarborough Hospital Birchmount Campus, Rouge Valley Centenary Hospital, Consumers Business Park, Centennial College (Progress Road Campus), Toronto Zoo, plus all of the other key Scarborough destinations serviced by The City’s Scarborough Transit Proposal updated on January 21’16
• Includes an LRT along Markham Road as well as Lawrence Avenue (two corridors identified by the City as ripe for new development)
• Includes a new possibly Elevated HCRT Line between Scarborough and Pickering/Ajax

If not planned for now; future developments could box them in and limit options - For example; land acquisitions could be too small, stations could be oriented incorrectly to accommodate future needs, retrofit costs would be higher, tunnels might not be deep enough to accommodate future stations, e.t.c. …..

Be sure to visit my websites for the full details, and comment or contribute at www.TorontoTransitBlog.com, and www.SmarterTracks.com - Like, follow, and comment on my websites, or on social media; as I think some are starting to listen!

You can find the maps outlining the ten phases of my plan at www.SmarterTracks.com, or download a PDF at https://ln.sync.com/dl/592315070#8gztui9r-73p78qmm-msdjyppq-c7k7zh75 – The PDF is interactive – I have also attached it to this post - After downloading it; you can scroll through the pages and see the progression of the various phases of the plan

If you agree with my plans; please advocate for them by contacting your local and provincial government representatives – In case you are not aware; the powers that be are working very quickly (too quickly) on plans for the GTA and the surrounding communities (including making major changes) and will be announcing their final decisions very shortly, so time is of the essence - Following are some of the authorities and other interested parties (politicians, planners, media) I have connected with, that you might also wish to contact:

Metrolinx - Kelly Thornton, Senior Advisor, Community & Stakeholder Relations, kelly.thornton@metrolinx.com , T: 416-202-5589 C: 416-706-6020

thestar.ca – Royson James, rjames@thestar.ca , T: (416) 869-4441

City of Toronto - John Livey, Deputy City Manager, Cluster B, City of Toronto, jlivey@toronto.ca , T: (416) 338-7200

City of Toronto - Joseph P. Pennachetti, City Manager, E-mail TBD

City of Toronto - Roberto Rossini, Deputy City Manager, Cluster C & Chief Financial Officer, rrossin@toronto.ca , T: (416) 392-8773

City of Toronto - Lynda Taschereau, Executive Director, Strategic & Corporate Policy, ltascher@toronto.ca , T: (416) 392-6783

victor gottwald <vgottwa@toronto.ca>,

Kelli Korducki <kellikorducki@torontoist.com>,

Tess Kalinowski <tkalinowski@thestar.ca>,

info@sheppardsubway.com,

Toronto Transit Commission <media@ttc.ca>,

Maureen Adamson <maureen@madamsonassociates.com>,

andrea.crockford@metrolinx.com,

jpagliaro <jpagliaro@thestar.ca>,

tom@ctv.ca,

oppi@absolutevents.com,

agalbra@toronto.ca,

info@j-source.ca,

hholden@toronto.ca,

james.alcock@rogers.com,

haynedj@toronto.ca,

"“kwynne.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org”" <kwynne.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org>,

"“councillor_karygiannis@toronto.ca”" <councillor_karygiannis@toronto.ca>, 

jerry.chadwick@tdsb.on.ca,

oped@thestar.ca,

lettertoed@thestar.ca,

Newsroom@globeandmail.com,

Toronto Sun <torsun.citydesk@sunmedia.ca>,

Wendy Metcalfe <wendy.metcalfe@sunmedia.ca>,

premier@ontario.ca,

jnanos@toronto.ca,

ekeenan@thestar.ca,

councillor_thompson@toronto.ca,

councillor_lee@toronto.ca,

councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca,

Ron Moeser <councillor_moeser@toronto.ca>,

councillor_berardinetti@toronto.ca,

councillor_crawford@toronto.ca,

Norm Kelly <councillor_kelly@toronto.ca>,

CP Twenty Four <now@cp24.com>,

David Nickle <dnickle@insidetoronto.com>,

Toula K <jim@karygiannis.net>,

Councillor DeBaeremaeker <councillor_debaeremaeker@toronto.ca>,

sdelduca.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org,

minister.mto@ontario.ca,

councillor_colle@toronto.ca,

city@thestar.ca,

miller@ecf.utoronto.ca,

miller@civ.utoronto.ca,

"michael.talbot" <michael.talbot@rci.rogers.com>,

news <news@nowtoronto.com>,

John Tory <mayor_tory@toronto.ca>,

Mike Logan <scarboroughsubwayextension@toronto.ca>,

citybuilding@ryerson.ca,

chume@thestar.ca,

minister.mah@ontario.ca,

"justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca" <justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca>,

councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca,

sserran@toronto.ca,

Dipak Dhrona <ddhrona@toronto.ca>,

drider@thestar.ca,

BradDuguid <bduguid.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org>,

councillor_matlow@toronto.ca,

mary.meledes@metrolinx.com,

john.jensen@metrolinx.com,

angela.mastrangelo@metrolinx.com,

greg.percy@gotransit.com,

allison.collins@gotransit.com,

judy.pfeifer@metrolinx.com,

tracey.carvery@metrolinx.com,

robert.siddall@metrolinx.com,

leslie.woo@metrolinx.com,

gisele.zwicker@metrolinx.com,

Patrick.Searle@ontario.ca,

Linda Williamson <lwilliamson@ombudsman.on.ca>,

abursey@ombudsman.on.ca,

marc.garneau@parl.gc.ca,

BrianAshton@royallepage.ca,

csousa.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

It may already be too late as Toronto City Council was debating the issue recently and could be ready to make a decision and an announcement any time now

Please share and pass this message on to your friends and relatives

See my websites at www.SmarterTracks.com and www.TorontoTransitBlog.com for further insight, and a place where you can comment on/contribute to my plan and other ideas on traffic and transit issues within the GTA and the surrounding region