Metrolinx: Sheppard East LRT (In Design)

[SJD_Toronto]

Watch this become an election issue in 2018.

For sure. In the Toronto mayoral election, Ford is going to make a Sheppard Subway extension his biggest campaign issue. For the provincial election, the Grits will obviously campaign on the Sheppard LRT plan, whereas the Tories will probably say they want to built the Sheppard Subway extension.

I'm betting we'll get the Sheppard Subway extension.

 

[Adjei]

First off the opening is 2019, it was supposed to be open next year. And why do we care about what Vaughan wants? This was about getting the subway to York U originally, remember?

The TTC stated as of March 27 that the opening is for 2017:

https://www.ttc.ca/Spadina/Project_...by_Date/2015/March/TYSSE_Project_Extended.jsp

Where are you getting your dates from?

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

The TTC stated as of March 27 that the opening is for 2017:

https://www.ttc.ca/Spadina/Project_...by_Date/2015/March/TYSSE_Project_Extended.jsp

Where are you getting your dates from?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...to-185-million-more-ttc-says/article23552576/

Somebody is lying, unless you believe that, (which I don't)

 

[Adjei]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...to-185-million-more-ttc-says/article23552576/

Somebody is lying, unless you believe that, (which I don't)

As your article mentions:

"The cheapest and fastest option involves issuing a sole-source contract to an undetermined private firm to take over management of the project and spending an extra $150-million to speed up work. This option, which would open late in 2017, is the one TTC staff will be urging their board to adopt at a meeting next week.''

The TTC took this option and now the new opening date is 2017...

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

As your article mentions:

"The cheapest and fastest option involves issuing a sole-source contract to an undetermined private firm to take over management of the project and spending an extra $150-million to speed up work. This option, which would open late in 2017, is the one TTC staff will be urging their board to adopt at a meeting next week.''

The TTC took this option and now the new opening date is 2017...

You really believe this will open in 2017. Well see. I bet you another delay will pop up next year, like it did this year.

 

[Adjei]

You really believe this will open in 2017. Well see. I bet you another delay will pop up next year, like it did this year.

Were paying $150 million for it to open in 2017 so it better open by then.

 

[nfitz]

Were paying $150 million for it to open in 2017 so it better open by then.

Given the target date is December 31, 2017 ... which I'm not convinced is a sensible date to open the subway, in the heart of winter, during a major holiday, perhaps one shouldn't bet too much that it's delayed a few hours, and someone claims that January 2 2018 isn't a whole year later.

 

[44 North]

Well, there's no question the Liberals are partly to blame but MORE than Ford (or Harris)? That I find hard to concede. They've invested billions, they created Metrolinx - they did all the right things. And then they chickened out, acquiesced and undermined their own work - but they are still doing good things.
...

Ford (with the help of McGuinty) made one change (albeit, a significant one). That is: in one fell swoop removed the FWLRT, switched in-median Eglinton East to underground EC-SLRT, and changed the Prov SELRT to a City subway. But this MOU lasted only +/- 1.5yrs. I guess some can claim the subsequent SRT-to-Scarb Subway switchup was Ford’s doing, but I wouldn’t.

Whereas since 2007 the Prov made significant changes to plans (e.g recently brought in RER), rescinded funds (e.g TC Phase 2), ignored priorities (e.g Relief Line), put forward major plans that weren’t workable (e.g Yonge North w/out a Relief plan), actually signed the Ford/Eglinton MOU (not to mention offered a Sheppard Subway as a quid pro quo) etc. Now, I’m not discounting their commitment to transportation infrastructure and their funding of it. It’s fantastic. But the fact of the matter is that they created way more changes, fell back on way more promises, and screwed phasings of plans way more than that slow-witted POS ever could.

As for any vague ideas of Ford being an "instigator". I guess, in some ways. But people and local politicians were generally fairly cool to LRT (particularly Sheppard), and they were the ones who elected this 'instigator'. Imagine if Yonge North ends up falling off the table, then years later re-emerged as a proposal for the original BRT. People would be angry, and would probably elect an instigator who promises to get that subway built for them. But considering the low ridership north of Steeles, the anger wouldn’t even come close to the anger felt by those along Sheppard and in Scarborough with the SELRT.

And in many ways, the current gov't instigated on the issue of suburban subways just as much as Ford did.

 

[salsa]

According to Mr. Del Duca, the delay on Sheppard was because of the difficulty of trying to do too many big projects at once. “The plan right now is to have the procurement begin for the Sheppard East LRT after we complete the Finch West LRT,†he said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...admits-sheppard-east-on-hold/article24142765/

What sort of bullshit excuse is this?

This paragraph says it all.

This timeline is sharply at odds with the information given to a reporter in the provincial budget lock-up on Thursday. The government’s position then – given on background and not for attribution, under the rules of the lock-up – was that the Sheppard line would open about a year after Finch. Mr. Del Duca’s spokesman did not return a message Monday seeking clarification of what had changed.

 

[nfitz]

But this MOU lasted only +/- 1.5yrs.

Less than that. the MOU was announced on March 31, 2011 - but as far as I know, was never actually signed. Councils historic decision to not do this and confirm they proceeding with LRT was made on February 16, 2012. So closer to ±10.5 months.

 

[CapitalSeven]

As I said. Sheppard limbo. This will be the "plan" and we will get 1/2 of it built by 2035 and the rest will become an LRT vs subway debate in 2045.

That's closer. What I hear is the quiet whoosh of Kathleen Wynne washing her hands of the yowling mob in Scarborough.

 

[k10ery]

This timeline is sharply at odds with the information given to a reporter in the provincial budget lock-up on Thursday. The government’s position then – given on background and not for attribution, under the rules of the lock-up – was that the Sheppard line would open about a year after Finch. Mr. Del Duca’s spokesman did not return a message Monday seeking clarification of what had changed.

Not much to that. At the budget lockups briefings are done by mid-level bureaucrats, not by ministerial staff or political operatives. This one just repeated the official policy that existed until today. But of course the politicians had their own plan in mind.

 

[nfitz]

Not much to that. At the budget lockups briefings are done by mid-level bureaucrats, not by ministerial staff or political operatives. This one just repeated the official policy that existed until today. But of course the politicians had their own plan in mind.

I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in Metrolinx they are scratching their head, wondering just how the Minister and his staff managed to cock up the briefing note "Sheppard East procurement after Finch West procurement" and are trying to figure out how to save face.

 

[MrsNesbitt]

I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in Metrolinx they are scratching their head, wondering just how the Minister and his staff managed to cock up the briefing note "Sheppard East procurement after Finch West procurement" and are trying to figure out how to save face.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I can't help but think—okay, hope maybe—that this is all still some sort of mix-up. Sheppard being effectively cancelled is really an out-of-left-field move.

I mean, I know and agree that the SELRT was never the perfect plan for Sheppard, but it was something, and furthermore something which travelled across almost the entire length of Scarborough. If this is really the case, and Sheppard gets nothing, this is terrible. Absolutely terrible.

We can kiss all of our dreams of a multimodal hub at Sheppard & McCowan goodbye now. Same as a once-wishful former Mayor of Toronto can kiss goodbye his hopes of using LRT to improve the quality of lives in mid-northern Scarborough neighbourhoods...Malvern especially.

However, as was mentioned above...a very good use of the funds freed up by effectively cancelling Sheppard would be resurrecting the Scarborough-Malvern LRT. Now there's a line I could get behind.

 

[Adjei]

Why don't they use the money to connect Sheppard to Downsview?

Seems a lot of people would rather hold hope for a future subway instead of an LRT and would rather be happy with buses. This would give them some hope of the subway being built.