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Transit Fantasy Maps

I'd love to see a 12 car GO train plow through a throng of jaywalking pedestrians at King and Bay.

Oh, and the financial core station would provide connections to both the St Andrew and King Stations at once! bonus! The downtown street grid will be shut down for 5 minutes, every 15 minutes, however, to allow for the trains to pass through.

The trains better watch for the drunks on King West on friday nights. They may throw their smokes puitine at the trains.

They better make sure the train goes around all those left turners at bathurst too.. takes quite a few light cycles to get through there most days.
 
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^GO trains with left turners at Bathurst:

13652406_10206961771538812_276644607_n.gif
 
You guys think they actually put a GO train ROW in the middle of King Street? The more likely scenario is demoshing ALL the buildings on the North or South side of King in order to place double tracks. Cars need to have priority right?
 
This is my fantasy map(s). I was reading the Waterfront Reset report and it struck me how convoluted and confused all the different schemes were for trying to add a waterfront streetcar network, and how they didn't take advantage of a possible reorganization of the streetcar network due to the presence of the DRL. This is my response for how the waterfront network could be laid out in a way that makes sense to me.

This (http://www1.toronto.ca/planning/3-rightofway-widths.pdf) was used in planning where ROWs were put for "Enhanced Streetcars" or for where "LRTs" were placed.

Downtown

Toronto_downtown.png


I envision 3 new routes:

515 - DUFFERIN
Route:

-Follows existing 29 Dufferin route to Dufferin gates

Grade separation:
-sufficient ROW for reserved lanes north of Lawrence

Benefits:
-upgrades busiest surface route to increase capacity/comfort

518 - BREMNER
Route:

-Starts from DRL station, goes south to dufferin gates, east to service Exhibition, then goes under the Gardiner -> Fort York -> Bremner -> Union station
518_BREMNER.png


Grade separation:
-from Fort York east, descends into a cut-and-cover tunnel (room for stations has been provisioned for in buildings along the route)

Benefits:
-provides long planned for Bremner LRT
-services SouthCore and big events (CNE grounds, BMO fields, Skydome)

516 - BROADVIEW
Route:

-South from Broadview station to Unilever DRL station. Follows extension of Broadview avenue south to commissioners
-West from there to Cherry, then up Cherry ROW to terminate at Sumach DRL station.

Grade separation:
-South and West of Unilever DRL station, entire route is in separate ROW

Benefits:
-Serves Unilever development (like Southcore, new CBD planned à la Canary Wharf in London)
-people heading downtown would transfer at DRL, so route isn't indirect compared to other schemes
-provides direct route to subway for people in the portlands

509 - HARBOURFRONT (The naming is retained but the route is different)
Route:
-West from Leslie along Commissioners, north on Cherry, west on Queen's Quay, west on fleet, terminates at Marilyn Bell Park.
-Serves entire waterfront from east to west
509_HARBOURFRONT.png

Grade separation:
-Entire line in ROW

Benefits:
-East/West transit link for waterfront

Toronto West

Toronto_west.png


Bloor-Danforth line has been extended one station west to Cloverdale take advantage of the Cloverdale lands being offered, to allow space for a massive bus terminus with direct access to the 427. It is the logic end point for Dundas Street BRT (not pictured).

One new route:
517 - Queensway
Route:

-West from DRL Sunnyside station in Queensway ROW
-Continues along Queensway until Sherway gardens, loops at Sherway gardens

Grade separation:
-Entire route in separate ROW
-Underground connection with DRL station
-Depending on redevelopment of Sherway, above/below grade station at terminus

Advantages
-Promotes TOD in undeveloped "Avenue" without higher order transit
-Strong anchors

508 Lakeshore

This route now terminates at Sunnyside DRL station, so there is no more awkward transfer point at Humber bay between Lakshore and Queen. I found it silly how all the different EAs for WWLRT look at ways to get across the Gardiner, onto Lakshore, etc., when it makes much more sense to truncate it at the DRL and let them either A) transfer to the subway B) transfer to GO or C) transfer to the 504, which is in a transit mall through downtown.
Because the line is much shorter and is in a ROW for its entire length, service should be much more frequent and headways better managed.

Toronto North West

Toronto_north_west.png


Salient Points:
  • Dufferin upgrade to streetcar, as described above, to support intensification of corridor. Separate ROW north of Lawrence.
  • 512 St. Clair ROW extended west to Scarlet Road and then south west along Dundas to terminate at Kipling station, to support the 6 point redevelopment.
  • Jane LRT, rather than continuing south from Eglinton (where ROW constrains means it would have to be buried) operates as a branch of the Eglinton LRT (half of the trains from Mount Dennis continue west to the airport, half go north). Jane LRT terminates at TYSSE station Pioneer village at Steeles.
  • DRL is extended north from Keele to Mount Dennis, providing service to the Junction and reactivated cross-town RER line in the process.
  • Sheppard subway is continued west to Sheppard west station, where it interlines. Southbound from Vaughn Centre, half of the trains would go east at Sheppard towards Don Mills and the other half would continue downtown. This extension has the added operational benefit of making the Wilson Yards accessible to the Yonge line.
  • Finch West LRT is extended east to terminate at Yonge & Finch. It's extended south and west to the airport via Rexdale (intersecting Malton GO).
  • Eglinton West LRT is extended to the airport, with a maximum of grade separations. Connection to Missisauga transitway not shown.
 

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for me extending line 2 to hurontario is just as unreasonable as extending it to scarborough, id rather see those resources go to extending the releif line west, line 2 to cloverdale and line 1 to steeles. I like the use of the hydro corridor in etobicoke and the rail corridor from kipling to long branch, but that can wait for now. the east bayfront lrt should be built as a regular local surface streetcar route in its own ROW from union to the port lands or leslie barns, not as a rapid transit route.
 
This is my fantasy map(s). I was reading the Waterfront Reset report and it struck me how convoluted and confused all the different schemes were for trying to add a waterfront streetcar network, and how they didn't take advantage of a possible reorganization of the streetcar network due to the presence of the DRL. This is my response for how the waterfront network could be laid out in a way that makes sense to me.

This (http://www1.toronto.ca/planning/3-rightofway-widths.pdf) was used in planning where ROWs were put for "Enhanced Streetcars" or for where "LRTs" were placed.

Downtown

View attachment 101242

I envision 3 new routes:

515 - Dufferin
Route:

-Follows existing 29 Dufferin route to Dufferin gates
-Turns east to service Exhibition, then goes under the Gardiner -> Fort York -> Bremner -> Union station

Grade separation:
-sufficient ROW for reserved lanes north of Lawrence
-from Fort York east, descends into a cut-and-cover tunnel (room for stations has been provisioned for in buildings along the route)

Benefits:
-upgrades busiest surface route to increase capacity/comfort
-provides long-dreamt-of Bremner LRT
-services SouthCore and big events (CNE grounds, BMO fields, Skydome)

516 - Broadview
Route:

-South from Broadview station to Unilever DRL station. Follows extension of Broadview avenue south to commissioners
-West from there to Cherry, then up Cherry ROW to terminate at Sumach DRL station.

Grade separation:
-South and West of Unilever DRL station, entire route is in separate ROW

Benefits:
-Serves Unilever development (like Southcore, new CBD planned à la Canary Wharf in London)
-people heading downtown would transfer at DRL, so route isn't indirect compared to other schemes
-provides direct route to subway for people in the portlands

509 - Harbourfront (The naming is retained but the route is different)
Route:
-West from Leslie along Commissioners, north on Cherry, west on Queen's Quay, west on fleet, terminates at Marilyn Bell Park.
-Serves entire waterfront from east to west

Grade separation:
-Entire line in ROW

Benefits:
-East/West transit link for waterfront

Toronto West

View attachment 101241

Bloor-Danforth line has been extended one station west to Cloverdale take advantage of the Cloverdale lands being offered, to allow space for a massive bus terminus with direct access to the 427. It is the logic end point for Dundas Street BRT (not pictured).

One new route:
517 - Queensway
Route:

-West from DRL Sunnyside station in Queensway ROW
-Continues along Queensway until Sherway gardens, loops at Sherway gardens

Grade separation:
-Entire route in separate ROW
-Underground connection with DRL station
-Depending on redevelopment of Sherway, above/below grade station at terminus

Advantages
-Promotes TOD in undeveloped "Avenue" without higher order transit
-Strong anchors

508 Lakeshore

This route now terminates at Sunnyside DRL station, so there is no more awkward transfer point at Humber bay between Lakshore and Queen. I found it silly how all the different EAs for WWLRT look at ways to get across the Gardiner, onto Lakshore, etc., when it makes much more sense to truncate it at the DRL and let them either A) transfer to the subway B) transfer to GO or C) transfer to the 504, which is in a transit mall through downtown.
Because the line is much shorter and is in a ROW for its entire length, service should be much more frequent and headways better managed.

Toronto North West

View attachment 101240

Salient Points:
  • Dufferin upgrade to streetcar, as described above, to support intensification of corridor. Separate ROW north of Lawrence.
  • 512 St. Clair ROW extended west to Scarlet Road and then south west along Dundas to terminate at Kipling station, to support the 6 point redevelopment.
  • Jane LRT, rather than continuing south from Eglinton (where ROW constrains means it would have to be buried) operates as a branch of the Eglinton LRT (half of the trains from Mount Dennis continue west to the airport, half go north). Jane LRT terminates at TYSSE station Pioneer village at Steeles.
  • DRL is extended north from Keele to Mount Dennis, providing service to the Junction and reactivated cross-town RER line in the process.
  • Sheppard subway is continued west to Sheppard west station, where it interlines. Southbound from Vaughn Centre, half of the trains would go east at Sheppard towards Don Mills and the other half would continue downtown. This extension has the added operational benefit of making the Wilson Yards accessible to the Yonge line.
  • Finch West LRT is extended east to terminate at Yonge & Finch. It's extended south and west to the airport via Rexdale (intersecting Malton GO).
  • Eglinton West LRT is extended to the airport, with a maximum of grade separations. Connection to Missisauga transitway not shown.
This is excellent! Thanks for posting.

Can Dufferin Streetcar handle its demand? Without it's own ROW south of Lawrence, is it even an improvement over current bus operations?
 
This is excellent! Thanks for posting.

Can Dufferin Streetcar handle its demand? Without it's own ROW south of Lawrence, is it even an improvement over current bus operations?

I hesitated to include this in the map because, in general, streetcars in mixed traffic are a poor investment for scarce capital funds. If the road wasn't so narrow I'd want it to be in reserved lanes for the entire length. I also thought it would tie in well with the Bremner/Fort York "LRT".
  • According to Matt Elliot's analysis, streetcars have a slight edge in speed over buses, ceteris paribus.
  • In theory, having the higher capacity vehicles would help the TTC maintain headway better.
  • They're definitely a more comfortable ride.
  • The streetcars are better at supporting the redevelopment along Dufferin: I assume that there would be streetscape improvements and maybe a reconfiguration (e.g. eliminating some left turns) with the reconstruction to improve speeds. The reserved lanes should help as well.
  • The TTC had originally considered converting Dufferin to streetcar south of Bloor, but decided against it because they didn't want to split up the route. If you extended it north to St. Clair, that provides a second connection between St. Clair and the rest of the legacy network (reducing dead heading and eliminating a SPOF at Bathurst).
  • The current Dufferin bus intersects rapid transit twice: at Wilson station and Dufferin station. Here it intersects it at four locations: Wilson, Eglinton, Bloor, and Queen (DRL). That should break up the load.
 
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  • In theory, having the higher capacity vehicles would help the TTC maintain headway better.
In theory, but we are already running articulated buses on Dufferin. Not your typical TTC bus route.

Fair points overall. I don't have anything to add - only thing left is to commission a study for this plan and see where the numbers rest. :p
 
for me extending line 2 to hurontario is just as unreasonable as extending it to scarborough, id rather see those resources go to extending the releif line west, line 2 to cloverdale and line 1 to steeles. I like the use of the hydro corridor in etobicoke and the rail corridor from kipling to long branch, but that can wait for now. the east bayfront lrt should be built as a regular local surface streetcar route in its own ROW from union to the port lands or leslie barns, not as a rapid transit route.

Alteast Scarborough is in Toronto & TTC. But Im sure Mississauga would pass with minor attacks from the media just like Vaughan. As long as they can cut some corner in Scarborough and save money for transit rich of the City
 
Alteast Scarborough is in Toronto & TTC. But Im sure Mississauga would pass with minor attacks from the media just like Vaughan. As long as they can cut some corner in Scarborough and save money for transit rich of the City
I disagree with your assertion. The issue is the reverse. Scarborough is a part of Toronto while Mississauga is not.

Scarborough Town Centre is as far away from downtown as Square One in Mississauga is. We wouldn't be discussing subway extensions to STC if Scarborough was its own city.
 
1. If Scarborough was its own City SCC would have had the subway extended when the first vote came up
2. Scarborough is NOT its own City and is part Toronto and should be integrated like its part of Toronto
 

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