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SmartTrack (Proposed)

Excuse me? I was reacting to the plan.
Exactly. I think it is important to distinguish between disappointment over the poor design plan for this station and the fact that it can become an important connection in the future, if GO RER is implemented on this route and if there is fare integration with the TTC. It will mean that the Barrie GO line offers connections to all three major TTC lines that it crosses (line 1 at Downsview, line 5 at Caledonia, line 2 at/near Lansdowne), and this would really make the Barrie corridor a useful connector for trips within that area. Even a badly built station can be a step in the right direction in my view.

By the way, there is major development planned at Sterling, between MOCA and the railpath, so not including a southern access tunnel seems extra stupid.
 
Steve Munro's take on this latest report can be found here: https://stevemunro.ca/2021/01/20/smarttrack-reduced-to-a-handful-of-go-stations/#more-33068

I found one notable observation which was that East Harbour's 2 platforms would serve the Ontario Line and only 2 of the 4 GO tracks.

This was one of my real fears w/the whole Ontario Line was that it would be necessary to extract capacity from other trains in the corridor to make space.

That appears to be the case.
 
Steve Munro's take on this latest report can be found here: https://stevemunro.ca/2021/01/20/smarttrack-reduced-to-a-handful-of-go-stations/#more-33068

I found one notable observation which was that East Harbour's 2 platforms would serve the Ontario Line and only 2 of the 4 GO tracks.

This was one of my real fears w/the whole Ontario Line was that it would be necessary to extract capacity from other trains in the corridor to make space.

That appears to be the case.
This bothers me a lot. Can we seriously not expropriate a couple of parking lots, shift a couple of tracks, and maybe do a few bridge widenings to add another platform in the middle?

Also, the service road on the north side of the station marked as "7" on the map bothers me a lot too. Does anyone know why that is necessary? the giant cul-de-sac and wasted space between the service road and tracks really won't fit into the area once it is developed.
1611368081606.png
 
This bothers me a lot. Can we seriously not expropriate a couple of parking lots, shift a couple of tracks, and maybe do a few bridge widenings to add another platform in the middle?

Also, the service road on the north side of the station marked as "7" on the map bothers me a lot too. Does anyone know why that is necessary? the giant cul-de-sac and wasted space between the service road and tracks really won't fit into the area once it is developed.
View attachment 295647
Several of those "parking lots" can be developed into office space or residential buildings. There was a time that downtown Toronto had "parking lots", but are now high-rise buildings.

Here's Bathurst and Front in 1987...
TTR-Bathurst-Street-CN-Spadina-Coachyard-Toronto-ON-Apr-1987-Bill-Thomson-IMG-110448es-copyr-1280x863.jpg

From link.
 
I'll never not be absolutely amazed when I see pictures like this. I've only been in Toronto for 8 years and it's so different but images like this blow my mind! Desolate wasteland to condo wasteland in just a few years!

In 1987:

Toronto did not have an NBA team
Sunday Shopping was illlegal! o_O
Parking lots could be found throughout downtown, I mean of the surface variety
Torontonians regularly travelled to Buffalo, NY for the excitement
There was no Sheppard Subway
The Spadina Subway stopped at Wilson
The SRT was nearly brand new
There was no Highway 407
Highway 401 was still six lanes east of Morningside
GO Trains terminated at
Georgetown,
Oakville,
Pickering
and
Bradford (corrected from Newmarket)
Oh, there was this new fangled music format called a CD; and 34 or so channels on cable.

Finally, I used to go pick fresh corn-off-cob at Passmore Farms at Kennedy and Passmore.

Times do Change!
 
Last edited:
In 1987:

Toronto did not have an NBA team
Sunday Shopping was illlegal! o_O
Parking lots could be found throughout downtown, I mean of the surface variety
Torontonians regularly travelled to Buffalo, NY for the excitement
There was no Sheppard Subway
The Spadina Subway stopped at Wilson
The SRT was nearly brand new
There was no Highway 407
Highway 401 was still six lanes east of Morningside
GO Trains terminated at
Georgetown,
Oakville,
Pickering
and
Newmarket
Oh, there was this new fangled music format called a CD; and 34 or so channels on cable.

Finally, I used to go pick fresh corn-off-cob at Passmore Farms at Kennedy and Passmore.

Times do Change!

You forgot the biggest difference: MOI wasn't around. Kay, I outed my age. Feast on it, suckers!
 
In 1987:

Toronto did not have an NBA team
Sunday Shopping was illlegal! o_O
Parking lots could be found throughout downtown, I mean of the surface variety
Torontonians regularly travelled to Buffalo, NY for the excitement
There was no Sheppard Subway
The Spadina Subway stopped at Wilson
The SRT was nearly brand new
There was no Highway 407
Highway 401 was still six lanes east of Morningside
GO Trains terminated at
Georgetown,
Oakville,
Pickering
and
Newmarket
Oh, there was this new fangled music format called a CD; and 34 or so channels on cable.

Finally, I used to go pick fresh corn-off-cob at Passmore Farms at Kennedy and Passmore.

Times do Change!
Given that the GTA 's popular will grow by the better part of 50% in the next 20 years, I think the rate of change is not slowing down!
 
In 1987:

Toronto did not have an NBA team
Sunday Shopping was illlegal! o_O
Parking lots could be found throughout downtown, I mean of the surface variety
Torontonians regularly travelled to Buffalo, NY for the excitement
There was no Sheppard Subway
The Spadina Subway stopped at Wilson
The SRT was nearly brand new
There was no Highway 407
Highway 401 was still six lanes east of Morningside
GO Trains terminated at
Georgetown,
Oakville,
Pickering
and
Newmarket
Oh, there was this new fangled music format called a CD; and 34 or so channels on cable.

Finally, I used to go pick fresh corn-off-cob at Passmore Farms at Kennedy and Passmore.

Times do Change!
Newmarket? It ended at Bradford...
 

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