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Metrolinx Unveils Next Wave of Big Move Projects

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Metrolinx Unveils Next Wave of Big Move Projects
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1080785/metrolinx-unveils-next-wave-of-big-move-projects

TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - At an address today to the Toronto Board of Trade Metrolinx President and CEO Bruce McCuaig unveiled the next wave of projects drawn from The Big Move, the Regional Transportation Plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), that will continue Metrolinx's ongoing transformation of the region's transportation system.

"The Big Move is our plan to tackle gridlock across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area by building new transit and integrating our transportation system so that it's easier for everyone to get around," said Bruce McCuaig. "We already have over $16 billion invested in projects from The Big Move that are now in progress, but we need to keep moving forward and that's why I'm pleased to unveil the next wave of projects."

The Big Move projects in the next wave include two new subway lines: a Downtown Relief line improving access to the regional core for residents from across the GTHA, as well as a new extension of the Yonge subway line north to Richmond Hill. Light rail transit (LRT) in Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton, and bus rapid transit (BRT) in Durham, Toronto, Peel and Halton, will reduce congestion and serve as a catalyst for development across the GTHA. The next wave also includes transformative investment in the GO Transit rail network, including line extensions, more two-way, all-day service, and electrification of both GO lines and the Union Pearson Express (formerly known as the Air Rail Link).

The next wave of proposed investment extends beyond major rapid transit projects to include resources for local transit, roads, active transportation and other strategic transportation initiatives.

"With our plan in place, it's now time for the big conversation about the best ways to pay for this $34 billion investment," said McCuaig. "Together, let's look to what other world class cities have done to fund their transit plans and then get the job done here in the GTHA."

The Big Move, adopted unanimously in 2008 by the Metrolinx Board of Directors, was developed through intensive public consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders, municipal leaders and professionals throughout the region. An update to The Big Move is proposed that will incorporate the findings of recent, more detailed studies to refine elements of the plan to meet emerging transit needs. The proposed updates will be posted on the Metrolinx website on December 5 for public comment.

Over $16 billion from all three levels of government has already been allocated to a first wave of projects drawn from The Big Move, the largest financial commitment to transit expansion in Canadian history. Major projects in this first wave are now under construction, including the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown LRT, the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, the Mississauga BRT, the Union Pearson Express and new dedicated bus lanes in York Region.

See the full list of the proposed projects in the backgrounder.

Metrolinx is working to provide residents and businesses in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area with a transportation system that is modern, efficient and integrated. Find out more about The Big Move, Metrolinx's Regional Transportation Plan for the GTHA. Find out more about GO Transit, PRESTO, and Union Pearson Express, divisions of Metrolinx.

Disponible en français.

Backgrounder

The Big Move's next wave of projects will continue Metrolinx's transformation of the region's transportation system by expanding the regional transit network as well as providing resources for local transit, roads, active transportation and more.

The Next Wave: Key Facts

  • 713 km of enhanced transit
  • 33 million new transit trips by 2031
  • 6,139,344 people will live within 2 km of rapid transit by 2031
  • 800,000 to 900,000 new jobs created between 2012 to 2031
  • $110 to $130 billion growth to Ontario's GDP between 2012 to 2031
  • $25 to $35 billion in total Government Revenues between 2012 to 2031
  • Rapid Transit Projects:


75 per cent of proposed investment is allocated to a transformative slate of regional transit projects:

  • Brampton Queen Street Rapid Transit: 10 km of upgraded transit along Queen Street.
  • Downtown Relief Line: New subway that will improve access to the regional core for residents from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and provide relief to the overflowing arteries of the Toronto transit system.
  • Dundas Street Bus Rapid Transit: 40 km of bus service running in dedicated lanes, connecting Toronto, Mississauga and Halton.
  • Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit: 36 km of bus service running in dedicated lanes, connecting Scarborough Centre to downtown Oshawa via Pickering, Ajax and Whitby.
  • GO Rail Expansion: More Two-Way, All-Day and Rush Hour Service: Introducing more two-way, all-day service, adding additional rush hour service across the entire network, and extending trains to Hamilton and Bowmanville.
  • Electrification of GO Kitchener line and Union Pearson Express: Upgrading diesel train service to electric propulsion for these two complementary transit services that share a substantial portion of their routing.
  • GO Lakeshore Express Rail Service - Phase 1 (including Electrification): Transforming GO Transit's backbone from Hamilton to Oshawa into a faster, more frequent and more convenient transit option by beginning the transition to an international-style Express Rail service.
  • Hamilton Light Rail Transit: 14 km LRT line stretching from McMaster University to Eastgate Square.
  • Hurontario-Main Light Rail Transit: 23 km LRT line connecting Port Credit to downtown Brampton via Cooksville and Mississauga City Centre.
  • Yonge North Subway Extension: 6 km extension that will connect the City of Toronto to the Richmond Hill / Langstaff Urban Growth Centre.


Local transit, roads and highways and other projects
  • The remaining 25 per cent is allocated to local transit projects, as well as roads and highways, active transportation and transportation demand management throughout the region.


SOURCE: Metrolinx
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Excellent news - I eagerly await the details of the plan.

AoD
Click to expand...

As do I. I'd like to know if they expect these to be open around the same time as the 1st wave, or if we're talking mid-2020s here. Certainly the DRL and the Yonge extension will be mid-2020s, but the BRT projects I would imagine could be done much sooner if there was background work going on on them.

The question now turns to funding mechanisms.
 
I don't have any major issues with their prioritization etc. but I'm still mystified about Metrolinx's process.

They were supposed to produce the investment strategy by mid-2013. It's almost December 2012. I find it very hard to believe it's not complete or even that it differs substantially from the data the Toronto Board of Trade has been putting out since 2008. So, really, why on earth would you announce another round of projects BEFORE the funding model?

Shouldn't we, at this point, figure out the money side of things and THEN get building? I just think they are taking way, way, way too long to get the strategy out (after all, it's not getting implemented the next day!) and announcing more projects while that sits on a shelf seems the very definition of putting the cart before the horse to me...
 
Perhaps this is the "sell" for that funding plan? In the rational world with a rational electorate, your preferred order of doing things would be ideal, but since the two premises aren't true...well...

And I bet you now that it is on the provincial table, municipal discussions around raising funds for respective projects will become a lot more "real" - and realistically you can't have a funding plan for Metrolinx without creating that environment among the voters who will be tasked to, for the lack of a better word, swallow tough medicine.

AoD
 
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TJ O'Pootertoot said:
I don't have any major issues with their prioritization etc. but I'm still mystified about Metrolinx's process.

They were supposed to produce the investment strategy by mid-2013. It's almost December 2012. I find it very hard to believe it's not complete or even that it differs substantially from the data the Toronto Board of Trade has been putting out since 2008. So, really, why on earth would you announce another round of projects BEFORE the funding model?

Shouldn't we, at this point, figure out the money side of things and THEN get building? I just think they are taking way, way, way too long to get the strategy out (after all, it's not getting implemented the next day!) and announcing more projects while that sits on a shelf seems the very definition of putting the cart before the horse to me...
Click to expand...

It's very hard to ask people for money if you don't present a coherent vision of what you want to build with it first. With this round of projects, Metrolinx is delivering projects that affects most people in the GTHA. Hamilton wants their LRT. Mississauga and Brampton want their LRT. Peel Region in general wants increased GO service. York Region wants the Yonge extension. Downtowners want the DRL.

Everybody has a transit want, depending on what area of the region you're in. You need to show the people exactly what they'd be getting, otherwise they'll be much less likely to be ok with a tax increase or new/increased user fees.

Metrolinx is selling a product here. In order to get people to want to pay for it, you need to convince them that they need it, and that this product is the right product to make their lives better.
 
Yeah, I think they did that in 2008. You could, with no alteration, say, " With this round of projects, Metrolinx is delivering projects that affects most people in the GTHA, "based on the 2006 round of funding. (It's not their fault Toronto is only just starting to spend it!)

I find the suggestion that there hasn't been a coherent vision or a big discussion about The Big Move rather suspect; these are the leftovers.
The entire rationale for waiting til 2013 was a) about avoiding electoral cycle b) giving people a few years to see the first wave.
In the meantime, Toronto (and just about everyone else) has been talking about the funding issue very publicly. I find it hard to believe the report isn't ready so it seems, all due respect, hypocritical to me for McCuaig to get up there and offer more platitudes about how we need to think big.

That time is past. It's time for Metrolinx to actually DO something about this, IMHO. Waiting until the last second of their mid-2013 deadline seems lazy at this point. Since the mid-2013 date was supposed to fall between electoral cycles I'd guess that, yeah, this is marketing so politicians can position themselves for the coming election, after which this will actually get discussed. But anyone can put out a random list of priorities; only Metrolinx has the investment strategy.

This is just New Coke.
 
Thoughtless Miscreant said:
Is Metrolinx proposing that the entire 40km of the Dundas BRT be built in one go?
Click to expand...

Good question. I would imagine that the Halton section would come first, considering that the Dundas BRT is pretty much the only local rapid transit project that Halton is undertaking, aside from a few BRT connector routes between Dundas as the respective Lakeshore GO Station (Trafalgar, Bronte, Appleby, and Brant I believe are the N-S arterials in question).

Peel will probably be pre-occupied with the Hurontario LRT, but then again Brampton's Queen Züm is getting upgrades, so Mississauga may be getting some upgrades along Dundas as well.
 
gweed123 said:
It's very hard to ask people for money if you don't present a coherent vision of what you want to build with it first. With this round of projects, Metrolinx is delivering projects that affects most people in the GTHA. Hamilton wants their LRT. Mississauga and Brampton want their LRT. Peel Region in general wants increased GO service. York Region wants the Yonge extension. Downtowners want the DRL.

Everybody has a transit want, depending on what area of the region you're in. You need to show the people exactly what they'd be getting, otherwise they'll be much less likely to be ok with a tax increase or new/increased user fees.

Metrolinx is selling a product here. In order to get people to want to pay for it, you need to convince them that they need it, and that this product is the right product to make their lives better.
Click to expand...


I know you disagree but the Jane LRT, Don Mills LRT and Malvern LRT should be revived. That would help to cover the whole city
 
denfromoakvillemilton said:
I know you disagree but the Jane LRT, Don Mills LRT and Malvern LRT should be revived. That would help to cover the whole city
Click to expand...

If any part of the "Tier 2" Transit City lines should be revived, I think it should be the WWLRT. The Humber Bay area and the Etobicoke Lakeshore are going to continue to densify. An electrified Lakeshore GO will definitely help, but there needs to be a local rapid transit solution there as well.

But I wouldn't object at all to seeing those LRT lines come back as BRT lines, at least as a temporary solution. But I think if Toronto wants to see them back, Toronto should be paying for them. For example, Ottawa just approved 2 new Transitway extensions yesterday, both in suburban areas. The cost is being taken on completely by the City.
 
gweed:

But I wouldn't object at all to seeing those LRT lines come back as BRT lines, at least as a temporary solution. But I think if Toronto wants to see them back, Toronto should be paying for them. For example, Ottawa just approved 2 new Transitway extensions yesterday, both in suburban areas. The cost is being taken on completely by the City.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree, particularly for smaller scale projects like WWLRT - these are the projects that can be funded though tools like development charges, etc.

AoD
 
gweed123 said:
If any part of the "Tier 2" Transit City lines should be revived, I think it should be the WWLRT. The Humber Bay area and the Etobicoke Lakeshore are going to continue to densify. An electrified Lakeshore GO will definitely help, but there needs to be a local rapid transit solution there as well.

But I wouldn't object at all to seeing those LRT lines come back as BRT lines, at least as a temporary solution. But I think if Toronto wants to see them back, Toronto should be paying for them. For example, Ottawa just approved 2 new Transitway extensions yesterday, both in suburban areas. The cost is being taken on completely by the City.
Click to expand...

I forgot about WWLRT. That could be extended to Square One.

AlvinofDiaspar said:
gweed:



I tend to agree, particularly for smaller scale projects like WWLRT - these are the projects that can be funded though tools like development charges, etc.

AoD
Click to expand...
 
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