44 North
Senior Member
What's the consensus for if/when the SELRT is canceled? Does anyone think an MOU to divert SELRT and FWLRT funding to SmartTrack is likely?
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Metrolinx: Sheppard East LRT (In Design)
- Thread starter Le Gique
- Start date
jeffreym
Active Member
I know at least the yard was about to be built and then council decided to scrap the Scarborough LRT. That meant the yard had to be redesigned to be smaller.
Prior to that they'd intended to pre-build a portion of the Sheppard LRT so that they could test vehicles as they were received and so that they could connect to the Scarborough LRT, but since the yard got delayed that got screwed up too.
With respect to how much progress has been made on the Sheppard and Finch West LRTs I was thinking of sending Metrolinx a Freedom of Information request. I was thinking of asking for records that speak to:
-the status of LRV vehicle development
-the status of detailed design for each line (how much is completed percentage-wise)
-proposed milestones for the acquisition of property, tunnelling, and construction for the lines
from early 2013 (prior to council's scrapping of the Scarborough LRT) through the present for the Finch West, Sheppard East and Scarborough LRT's
(For the Scarborough LRT I'm curious how far along they were in planning before it was scrapped and when they stopped working on it)
Is there anything else anyone can think of that's worth asking about?
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
Cancelation fees associated with SELRT
Why it's taken so long for construction to begin. Was there political interference
Why it's taken so long for construction to begin. Was there political interference
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
Another Scarborough subway is what I suspect Scarborough councillors would desire.
jeffreym
Active Member
Re: Political interference, that's partly why I want to get documents dating back to 2013. I'm there must be communications regarding changing start dates and it'll be interested to see what names are on them and what the motivations were. The great thing with a Freedom of Info request is you get the unfiltered truth.
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TheTigerMaster
Superstar
The problem with FOI requests is that you need to be very specific about what you want. But overall the process doesn't seem that difficult. And it only costs $5 IIRC.
jeffreym
Active Member
Yup, I've done it before with the Ministry of Natural Resources.
In general I've found that the best way is to try to stay on the broad side, and then when you speak to the institution's Freedom of Information Co-ordinator, tell them more specifically what you're looking for. They'll often suggest a wording that will reduce the scope of your request to limit the number of documents that need to be pulled, but at the same time they can't later tell you that what you're looking for isn't covered by your request as it's worded it since the narrowing of scope was on their advice.
howl
Active Member
This is how I remember it - The Scarborough LRT was part of the Eglinton Crosstown line (formerly the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown Line). The design, property acquisition and construction schedule had the same milestones dates. The whole line had been partially designed by the TTC before the project was taken over by Metrolinx. Metrolinx completed those designs to a level that allowed them to cost the project and figure out what property they required, which needed to be done before they put it out to tender. The project had started to acquire land as far back as 2012. When the City changed it's mind about the Scarborough section Metrolinx had already sunk $80 million into that part of the line. Metrolinx agreed to take the budget for the Scarborough section of the LRT and give it to the City for the subway extension - less the $80 million.
44 North
Senior Member
That is definitely what they desire. But I think Scarb politicians (both left and right) would prefer nothing over the SELRT. Even Norm Kelly has stated:
Personally, even though I'm staunchly against a Sheppard Subway extension (both east and west), I would still prefer it over other priority projects like Yonge North. But my prediction is that in a year or less, the SELRT money will be diverted to RER or some other project.
Cobra
Senior Member
Interesting change of tune from the TTC on the Sheppard Subway
http://www.citynews.ca/2015/02/09/sheppard-subway-a-case-study-for-scarborough-transit-debate/
http://www.citynews.ca/2015/02/09/sheppard-subway-a-case-study-for-scarborough-transit-debate/
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
Is Mr. Ross and the TTC seriously of the opinion that 4,500 pphpd is justification for building a subway?
Cobra
Senior Member
I don't know. The timing is odd... We'd never heard that a few years back
Electrify
Senior Member
Was Sheppard the busiest bus route in Canada? I would have thought Eglinton would have outstripped it.
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
Mr. Ross is clearly playing some PR game. He couldn't go on TV and say that the subway was a waste of money that shouldn't have been built.
denfromoakvillemilton
Senior Member
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You can't give them just a little bit of the pie. Once that happens, they want the whole thing. Richmond Hill will have to be built too if this happens. All before the DRL.
He's trying to keep his job.