Richmond Hill Yonge Line 1 North Subway Extension | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

[Rainforest]

It is great that people have their own ideas and draw schematic concepts. I don't think there is really much knowledge out there about the practicality of building these projects and the costs. The Yonge Street Express Subway will solve the congestion on Line 1 and can readily be built cheaper than anything being proposed. I have already done the preliminary tunnel design layout and profile. Look more closely at the details on my website. https://undergroundconsulting.ca/yonge-st-express-subway

You have expertise in tunnel design, and performed quite a bit of analysis. However, you might want to add a transit planner to your team.

With the list of stations exactly as shown on your diagram, the new line will not provide much relief to the old Yonge line. The majority of downtown destinations, perhaps a good 80% of them, are located between Bloor and the Gardiner. But, you have no intermediate stations between Mt Pleasant and Lake Shore.

That means, riders from the north will use your new express line to reach the Mt Pleasant interchange, and then transfer to the old Yonge line to reach the stations they actually want to reach. The busiest sections of the old Yonge line, those south of Bloor and immediately north of Bloor, would still have to carry almost all riders coming to downtown from the north.

 

[BurlOak]

It is great that people have their own ideas and draw schematic concepts. I don't think there is really much knowledge out there about the practicality of building these projects and the costs. The Yonge Street Express Subway will solve the congestion on Line 1 and can readily be built cheaper than anything being proposed. I have already done the preliminary tunnel design layout and profile. Look more closely at the details on my website. https://undergroundconsulting.ca/yonge-st-express-subway

A few questions if I could educate myself farther:

1. I see you are planning twin, 6.2m dia. bore tunnels. Had you considered single bore, and can the station platforms be fully within the tunnels to reduce station excavation requirements.
2. Are you aware of the emergency exit requirements? Are they the same for single bore and twin? Are connections between adjacent tunnels considered the equivalent to an actual exit to daylight? Are these firm requirements, or guidelines that can be stretched with some type of risk analysis?
3. Is there a typical separation distance between tunnels of differing depth? I know this must depend on the sub-surface conditions, but what are the typical range of values? How different is this separation if tunnels are directly underneath each other and parallel, or if they cross at close to 90 degrees.

 

[Johnny Au]

Can you please explain what a Spanish solution is or means exactly. How is it different than normal stations?

A station with a Spanish solution is a station with an island platform strictly for alighting and side platforms for boarding.

Here's a schematic:

Examples of stations with Spanish solution include Five Points station (both levels) in Atlanta and a roughed-in Spanish solution on the Line 4 level of Sheppard-Yonge station in Toronto.

 

[lead82]

A station with a Spanish solution is a station with an island platform strictly for alighting and side platforms for boarding.

Here's a schematic:

Thank you!

 

[BurlOak]

A station with a Spanish solution is a station with an island platform strictly for alighting and side platforms for boarding.

Here's a schematic:

Examples of stations with Spanish solution include Five Points station (both levels) in Atlanta and a roughed-in Spanish solution on the Line 4 level of Sheppard-Yonge station in Toronto.

Good diagram.
1) Is side boarding and centre alighting (as shown) more common than the other way around? I can't see either being better than the other.
2) The centre doors open first to allow passengers to exit before opening the doors for the boarding passengers. Have you seen whether some can't make it off and then, like salmon swimming upstream, have to exit through the boarding doors? Is this a problem that actually occurs?
3) Do they typically have controls to ensure that passengers don't board at the wrong platform? Would someone who realized they were going the wrong way have to go all the way around, or could they board from the centre? Hypothetically, could someone head the wrong way (i.e. from a full Davisville station and full trains in am rush) to get on at a Spanish Eglinton station, and by entering from the centre, they could jump the queue on those waiting from the side platform?)

 

[micheal_can]

Good diagram.
1) Is side boarding and centre alighting (as shown) more common than the other way around? I can't see either being better than the other.
2) The centre doors open first to allow passengers to exit before opening the doors for the boarding passengers. Have you seen whether some can't make it off and then, like salmon swimming upstream, have to exit through the boarding doors? Is this a problem that actually occurs?
3) Do they typically have controls to ensure that passengers don't board at the wrong platform? Would someone who realized they were going the wrong way have to go all the way around, or could they board from the centre? Hypothetically, could someone head the wrong way (i.e. from a full Davisville station and full trains in am rush) to get on at a Spanish Eglinton station, and by entering from the centre, they could jump the queue on those waiting from the side platform?)

View attachment 223691

3) Usually escalators only go one way. Also, they risk being run down by all the people getting off. In theory, anything is possible, but, during rush hour, there would be too much traffic for them to do it easily

 

[Rainforest]

Good diagram.
1) Is side boarding and centre alighting (as shown) more common than the other way around? I can't see either being better than the other.

For a regular station, with trains on two opposite tracks going opposite directions, side boarding / centre alighting is probably the best choice. Each group of riders is waiting on their platform and isn't interfering with the other group. Most of the time, trains do not arrive on both tracks at the same time, thus the people have time to clear the central platform before the opposite-direction train arrives.

But if you have an interchange station, with trains on both tracks going in the same direction, then you might prefer centre boarding so that the riders don't need to guess which train arrives first.

2) The centre doors open first to allow passengers to exit before opening the doors for the boarding passengers. Have you seen whether some can't make it off and then, like salmon swimming upstream, have to exit through the boarding doors? Is this a problem that actually occurs?

I witnessed the exit doors opening first, but then staying open for as long as the boarding doors are open. Not sure if all systems and all Spanish Solution stations operate like that.

 

[intoronto1125]

Mark my words, this extension into York Region will be a mistake. It makes sense into Steeles but not north of it.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Mark my words, this extension into York Region will be a mistake. It makes sense into Steeles but not north of it.

Unless the City of Toronto annexes the City of Vaughan, the Town of Richmond Hill, and the City of Markham. If any of rapid transit line in the City of Toronto gets extended, it should include annexation.

 

[Johnny Au]

Unless the City of Toronto annexes the City of Vaughan, the Town of Richmond Hill, and the City of Markham. If any of rapid transit line in the City of Toronto gets extended, it should include annexation.

Richmond Hill became a city last year.

 

[Rainforest]

Unless the City of Toronto annexes the City of Vaughan, the Town of Richmond Hill, and the City of Markham. If any of rapid transit line in the City of Toronto gets extended, it should include annexation.

Be careful what you wish for. In terms of local transit, such amalgamation will mean consistent headways on the bus routes.

Local bus frequencies in Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill improve dramatically, using Toronto's tax dollars to fund that improvement.

 

[micheal_can]

Mark my words, this extension into York Region will be a mistake. It makes sense into Steeles but not north of it.

Why? I think the natural end would be the Richmond Hill station. Any shorter and you leave it line Finch, short of where the major ridership will want to board.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Why? I think the natural end would be the Richmond Hill station. Any shorter and you leave it line Finch, short of where the major ridership will want to board.

In a hundred plus years, the "natural" end could be Barrie.

 

[Coolstar]

In a hundred plus years, the "natural" end could be Barrie.

It'd take a thousand based on the way we do transit here.

 

[Hopkins123]

In a hundred plus years, the "natural" end could be Barrie.

I'm that case, the trains would be packed by the time they reached Newmarket, let alone the GTA proper!