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Sheppard Line 4 Subway Extension (Proposed)

I hope they'll look into the prospects of moving Line 4 to Ontario Line rolling stock. That would allow elevation, as well as more flexible routing options, which may make it economically viable for the subway to reach the eastern end of Scarbrough. Terminating this line at Sheppard still leaves the eastern half of Scarborough without any higher-order transit.

However, I don't know how wise it is to build this without extending the OL to Sheppard. As is, the Ontario Line still would leave the Yonge Line over capacity north of Eglinton.

My preferred routing for Sheppard is something along these lines.
  • This would connect directly to Scarborough Centre, which is a major win. Scarborough Centre is (obviously) the major node in the area, and would eliminate the need to transfer at Sheppard-McCowan
  • Serves Centennial College and Malvern
  • Serves U of T Scarborough
  • Would connect to the Crosstown East at Kingston Road and Morningside
  • Would connect Port Union to the subway network, and also connect to Lakeshore East. However, I admit connecting Port Union might be a bit of a stretch. It'd be a five km journey between Kingson/Morningside and Port Union. However I feel it may be worth it, given that Port Union is arguably the most isolated community in the City of Toronto.
Overall I feel this does a much better job at connecting to major destinations across Scarborough, and would see almost the whole of Scabriough within a reasonable distance of rapid transit. The alternative (a straight underground extension using the existing rolling stock) wouldn't accomplish any of the above. It wouldn't even reach Scarborough Centre

This routing would only be viable with the Ontario Line rolling stock though, and only if we elevated the line.

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Bringing the Sheppard line to Scarborough - finally transit in Scarborough is getting a little bit better

I've mentioned that there is high level planning going on for this, and has been for over 2 years now.

That said, there is nothing changing w/this budget.

There is no timeline, not for an EA or construction, nor is there any actual funding to deliver the project.

While I do believe this will happen at some point, there won't be any construction in the next few years; and delivery is well beyond the 10-year horizon.
 
^ Finally? The SSE is under construction.

Not to be completed for another 7yrs at earliest

Before that it'll be the Eglinton crosstown which started in like 2010, it's now 2023 before it'll be fully up and running

Last time Scarborough got a new station was what? The Danforth line

I haven't even mentioned about anything east of McCowan getting a station - which is still a lot of Scarborough left
 
Not to be completed for another 7yrs at earliest

Before that it'll be the Eglinton crosstown which started in like 2010, it's now 2023 before it'll be fully up and running

Last time Scarborough got a new station was what? The Danforth line

I haven't even mentioned about anything east of McCowan getting a station - which is still a lot of Scarborough left

The last time place 'X' got a new station could apply to a lot of places. And they don't have a subway under construction.
 
When I see things like this - architecture firm Aedas (now AHR) showing off their design for the Sheppard MSF - I do wonder just how close the LRT came to being a reality...
The contract to build the Sheppard West LRT was less than a year away and without a doubt it would already have been operational for 2-3 years now. The grass median under the Stouffville line on Sheppard is there because that is where the tracks would have gone.
 
I hope they'll look into the prospects of moving Line 4 to Ontario Line rolling stock. That would allow elevation, as well as more flexible routing options, which may make it economically viable for the subway to reach the eastern end of Scarbrough. Terminating this line at Sheppard still leaves the eastern half of Scarborough without any higher-order transit.
Again with this nonsense about changing out a line for no reason whatsoever. It's not going to happen as it makes no sense from an operational point of view, financial one or the inconvenience it would cause to everyone. It is not something that can be done over the weekend or overnight and would take years and you would have to rebuild all of line 4 if you were to change from anything other than the TTC subway stock.
 
Again with this nonsense about changing out a line for no reason whatsoever. It's not going to happen as it makes no sense from an operational point of view, financial one or the inconvenience it would cause to everyone. It is not something that can be done over the weekend or overnight and would take years and you would have to rebuild all of line 4 if you were to change from anything other than the TTC subway stock.
We can avoid this by using shorter subway cars that are still compatible with the TTC rolling stock, which should enable greater maneuverability, and perhaps elevation.

I suspect. Just putting the idea out there.

Without rolling stock more conductive to elevation, this subway isn’t going anywhere but Sheppard and McCowan. Which is unfortunate. Scarborough is a big place, and such an extension would leave half of Scaborough with zero rapid transit coverage. We can do better than that.
 
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Sheppard Subway mentioned in the budget (PDF here):
  • Advancing planning work for the Sheppard Subway Extension that will connect the existing
    terminus at Don Mills Station (TTC’s Line 4) with the future Scarborough Subway Extension,
    delivering smarter, better and faster transit
  • Extending the Sheppard Subway
    Ontario is advancing planning work for the Sheppard Subway Extension that would connect
    the existing terminus at Don Mills Station (TTC’s Line 4) with the future Scarborough Subway
    Extension. The Sheppard Subway Extension would deliver smarter, better and faster transit
    by connecting existing and future transit lines.

    View attachment 396526
Close the gap between Yonge and Sheppard West.
 
Again with this nonsense about changing out a line for no reason whatsoever. It's not going to happen as it makes no sense from an operational point of view, financial one or the inconvenience it would cause to everyone. It is not something that can be done over the weekend or overnight and would take years and you would have to rebuild all of line 4 if you were to change from anything other than the TTC subway stock.

Pretty much anyone with half a brain knows Line 4 was obscenely overbuilt. Extending it as such is a continuation of this gross misuse of funds. And that is the reason it's not being extended.

Having a conversation and presentation of different options is the mature thing to do. And there are options, ones that offer identical service as a Toronto subway. But instead we're getting empty promises. Oddly enough aligning with an election, funny that.
 
Given the amount money we’re investing in Scarborough transit, the area should have world-class rapid transit coverage. Everyone in the area should be no further than a short bus away from rapid transit.

Instead we’re primed to dump it all into an overbuilt Line 4 extension that’ll only marginally improve Scarborough’s rapid transit coverage. This extension will add no more than a few thousand riders at peak hour, which will do nothing meaningful to improve the situation in Scarborough.

We need a better solution than this.
 
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